Category Archives: Participants

May24

April GOC Update: Margaret (#5)

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April GOC Update: Margaret (#5)


For the month of April, in working towards my goals, let me start with my hair.

Hair
I discovered that this is a never-ending journey. I have determined that my hair does not like gel, not even flaxseed gel. Glycerin can only be used in deep conditioning products, not in leave-ins or mixed with butters, however I can use honey and castor oil (go figure).

Finger detangling is working well. I am trying to decrease the length of the time it takes. Coconut oil is working beautifully. It leaves my hair shiny and well nourished. I am still using Terressentials LCL Hair Wash weekly, modified co-wash with Giovanni 50/50 and weekly deep condition. I need to seriously trim my ends as I am just dusting right now. With hair in layers, it seems to be easier to trim in sections/braids or twists. Will work on that this month.


My protective styling is improving. Still working on the out styles. I purchased some Curlformers and flexi-rods and hope to work with those soon. I used the monthly Ayurvedic mask as a pre-poo, which helped in regards to time.

Health & Fitness
Dietary improvements … Carlson’s The Very Finest Fish Oil Lemon … LOVE IT!!! Need to work on H2O, which should be easier as it gets warmer here. Fruit and vegetable consumption and exercise are going as planned. No eating after 5pm. Although I must confess, I had some chips and salsa during my daughter’s birthday weekend. Just have to work harder to get it off. :)

Spring Cleaning 90 Day Challenge 2012
Still working on Spring Cleaning and decreasing clutter, negativity and toxic people, places and things.

♦

Missed it the first time around? Check out Margaret’s GOC goals here.

May23

April GOC Update: Akia (#42)

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April GOC Update: Akia (#42)


Hair
Hello Fellow GOCers! April was great for me! This challenge has really allowed me to stick to my hair and fitness goals. I did really well with the mini-twists, keeping them up for actually 4 weeks! My only downfall was that I didn’t wash my hair for another 2 weeks. I wore a twist out for a couple of days and then wore a puff for a couple of days. Big mistake! From all of the product, oils and no wash, my hair became really crunchy and dry. We all know what comes with crunchiness and dryness … shedding hair and knots. I am sitting here with conditioner in my hair as we speak! So, unfortunately, I did not do a Henna treatment, protein treatment or hibiscus tea rinse … but, I digress. So, for May, I have to do better with washing my hair right away after I take out the twists instead of prolonging it.

Health & Fitness
As far as my health and fitness goals, I have been a beast! I have found my love … Pilates!! I have been attending Pilates classes, Pumped (a class where you work with a weight bar; focuses on toning) and kick boxing at least 4 times a week. I am kind of addicted to Pilates, due to the fact that I am seeing results already, and I try to attend every time that I can.

I am also still faithfully taking my vitamins, drinking at least 4-5 glasses of water everyday and still eating healthy. I eat a lot of salmon and spinach. I created a recipe that includes steamed garlic and herb crusted salmon with sautéed portebella mushrooms and red onion on top of raw spinach with a raspberry vinaigrette … it is to die for! So … for the most part, no complaints here.

♦

 Check out Akia’s initial GOC submission here.

May23

April GOC Update: Krystal K. (#12)

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April GOC Update: Krystal K. (#12)

Hair
I went for a little trim to even out my ends and the lady cut off a lot of my length :-( . While I was very upset that the lady set my growth back by about 3 months, I was very glad that my hair had great shape. Prior to  getting the trim, I had snipped out the last bits of heat-damaged hair and it was pretty obvious how much shorter that section was. I suspect the stylist wanted to make my hair look layered. I’d say she did a great job.

I’ve come to accept the fact that I’m not willing to expend the energy to put my hair into protective styles, so I’ve settled on the Tightly Curly method as my standard way of wearing my hair out. I’ve been swimming twice a week, so it works well for me to wear my hair out rather than expend the time and energy to wear protective styles knowing that I’ll be back in the pool 3 days later. I really like the Tightly Curly method, because my hair air drys with this wonderful definition and the curls are pretty resilient. At night, I twist them up in 6 sections, pull them taught across my head and bobbie pin them in place in order to keep them from shrinking. I’m really glad that I decided to try it. I did a video on my first time doing the Tightly Curly Method:

via kaligirl1980

Something new for the month of May:
This month I ordered two wigs to wear when I wanted a change. I’d been seeing a lot of YouTubers do reviews on the Beshe Drew wig and I just had to try it.

I also ordered the FreeTress Lady Michelle wig.

Both are lace front wigs. I’m looking forward to having bigger curly hair with the Beshe Drew and sleek shoulder length hair with the Lady Michelle. Changing things up with help me avoid getting bored with my hair.

Health & Fitness
I’m finally losing weight now that I’m healthy. I’ve dropped down below 150 lbs and I fully expect to reach my goal weight of 145 by the end of the month. I’ll consider myself successful if I can maintain the weight for at least 6 weeks after reaching it. It has really been a matter of being mindful of what I eat and how much I eat. I don’t say “no” to any food, I simply limit the amount that I enjoy. Juicing is still a big part of my diet and I don’t see myself changing that any time soon. I do need to find new recipes/veggie and fruit mixes to add to my juicing routine to keep things fresh.

♦

Missed Krystal’s first GOC – The Sequel post? Then check it out here.

May22

April GOC Update: Gina (#40)

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April GOC Update: Gina (#40)

Well let’s see … this month has been quite the month. Moving … baby shower … studying *sigh*.

Hair:
I was on track with my regimen and decided to try out Bantu knots on my hair. I have to say that I was very happy with the results. I did that style for, like, a week. Then, proceeded to just wear my hair in a ‘fro. Very little effort and I had so much going on that I didn’t have time to really pay too much attention it.

Then I got an AWESOME blessing!!! I attended the NJ Hair Expo and was approached by a stylist for a product line called Isabella’s Own by Bronner Brothers. She said that she loved my hair (I needed to hear that!) and its texture. She asked if she could do my hair as a demo. Now, I don’t let anyone do my hair. I’m major paranoid that something is going to go wrong that will require me to cut it again *lol*. But, then she said, “I can give you a style that can last you up to a month.” She’s been doing natural hair for like 15 years. That was all I needed to hear! Two strand twists!!! I did not know how I was going to maintain my hair with all I had going on. So I had it done and whooopp whoooopppp, here we are!!!

Weight:
Don’t ask, don’t tell. *lol*

♦

See Gina’s very first GOC post here!  Want to see how far she’s come? Check out her Big Chop Hairstory here!

May22

April GOC Update: Shellie (#22)

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April GOC Update: Shellie (#22)

My niece and I. She’s transitioning.

Hair:
Since starting this GOC, I’ve paid more attention to how my hair feels. During the month of April, I gave my ends a really good search and destroy tending to, it was well needed. My wash day is every Friday, if I miss that, she (my hair) tells me. When I don’t have to do a henna treatment, I use Terressential Left Coast Lemon (smells awesome) on my wash days. It truly does make my hair feel soft and moisturized. To seal in the moisture, I’ve made an awesome oil mixture in an applicator bottle of EVOO, Vitamin E oil, castor oil, jojoba oil, sweet almond oil and Aaocado oil. Then, I let my hair air dry before twisting with Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie. This is the first time that I’ve used a styling product one month straight without switching up.

For my thinning edges, I’ve been giving Jamaican Black Castor Oil a nightly work-out. I think I see a difference, but I’m not going to take a picture to compare until the end of June. For the month of May, I’m going to use Ouidad Curl Quencher Hydrafusion Intense Curl Cream for my twist out.

Fitness:
I signed myself up to do the Peachtree Road Race July 4th (what was I thinking?). I’ve been “training” 2-3 days a week, depending on how I feel and I can actually run 2 miles now without stopping (go me). My vitamins of choice are Biotin, MSM (it’s suppose to help with your joints) vitamin B12, vitamin E and D.

♦

Missed Shellie’s first GOC post? Check it out here.

May21

April GOC Update: Charelle (#10)

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April GOC Update: Charelle (#10)

by Charelle of Candy Curl

Hey All!

April hasn’t been an interesting month for me and my hair. Just sticking to the routine. I have decided, however, to cut out silicones once and for all. I was using the Organic Root Stimulator Hair Mayonnaise for my weekly deep conditioning treatments and one day I decided to look at the ingredients. It contains silicones and parabens, which did not sit well with me. It makes no sense for me to deep condition with a product that has silicones and then try to moisturize my hair afterwards. The moisture that I try to infuse my hair with will be blocked by the residue of the silicones that I would have only washed out with water.

My new deep conditioner will consist of just some TreSemme Naturals Conditioner, olive oil and honey. I’m also going to start deep conditioning my hair prior to washing it. I wash my hair every Friday night, wear it out Saturday and Sunday, then bun it for the rest of the week. Every morning during the week, I’ll take down my bun, refresh with water and slather my hair with coconut oil, then put it back in a bun. I know, pretty boring.

This month, I mostly wore Bantu Knot-Outs, Wash ‘n Gos and Twist ‘n Curls.

… Until next month, can’t wait to meet some of you at the meet-up later this month!!

♦

Want to see Charelle’s first GOC – The Sequel post? Then, check it out here.

May21

April GOC Update: Marsha (#24)

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April GOC Update: Marsha (#24)

6 day old twist out from old stretched curlformers set.

by Marsha of Hairology aka 24hourhair

How do you know you are over your obsessions and PJisms?

Ever since becoming natural, I have been obsessing over my hair, YouTube videos, natural hair blogs and new hair products. Of late, I can honestly say that I spend less time stalking  YT videos about natural hair, different hair blogs/sites, obsessing over different styles to try on my hair and natural hair care products.

On my day off, I usually spend countless hours stalking YT videos, and hair care blogs. I’m trying to read more, in order to stay away from being obsessed. I recently started reading a raved fave by readers, Fifty Shades of Grey.

I haven’t been tempted to try any new hair products and I’ve been sticking to what I think my hair loves. My all time love is KCKT mixed with castor oil, for that cure for my dry hair, and a great styler for curlformers and twists sets.

It has been a month since starting the GOC with Hairscapades and it has been going great.

  • I have been deep conditioning weekly.
  • Weekly wash sessions with Terressential hair mud wash.
  • Monthly clarifying with apple cider vinegar and distilled water.
  • I have been doing more overnight weekly pre-poo treatments. Last nights prepoo was a little mayonnaise, honey and Vatika coconut oil. I think I was a little heavy-handed with the oil. I rinsed with cool water and Giovanni conditioner. My hair is incredibly soft.
  • I set my hair with curlformers after washing, which lasts me 6-7 days. I add a light oil (grapeseed) mid-week/style (currently under dryer with curlformers).
  • If I have no time to do curlformers set, I blow my hair out (until its 60-70% dry) doing the tension method, avoiding excessive heat. Then, I use a little KCKT with a little castor oil to set two strand twists, with flexirods to curl the ends.

3 day old two strand twist out. Curled ends with flexirods.

  • I have not used a comb in more than 4 weeks now. My fingers do a terrific job detangling.
  • I only wash my hair in twists.
  • I avoid re-twisting or setting my hair until the next wash day.

So, I plan on continuing with the listed regimen above to see if I’m able to gain or maintain a healthier growth. We shall see …

♦

Check out Marsha’s GOC – The Sequel update here.

May16

April GOC Update: Cassandra (#26)

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April GOC Update: Cassandra (#26)

Here’s my April update!

How did you do in regard to following your planned regimen (hair and health & fitness)?
Overall, my edges are growing in nicely. I recently purchased the Curly Girl (CG) Method handbook and will be following the CG Method as closely as possible. The hardest thing is to not comb/brush my hair with anything other than my fingers. Hopefully, within the next few weeks, I can find a Devachan salon close to me and book an appointment to get a trim.

Health & Fitness-wise, I have completely changed my diet and exercise regimen. I have taken to eating six small meals a day and working out twice a day. I have noticed a drastic change in inches lost just from the way my clothes are fitting, but not a lot of pounds lost, so maybe I am gaining muscles due to the increased exercise?

What tweaks have you made (did you try something new? Add something? Remove something, etc.)?
For the past week, I have followed the CG Method. I have noticed a difference in the way my hair feels and my curls are tighter with less frizz. I wouldn’t have necessary thought I had dry hair, but apparently I didn’t have enough moisture and was using silicone-laden shampoo. I like it a lot so far, so I will keep up with it during the challenge.

Health-wise, I will be increasing my exercise routine by incorporating the Supreme 90 DVDs so that my calories lost are more than my intake of calories.

Have you had any challenges? Setbacks? Accomplishments?
The main challenge I noticed is that the lack of pounds lost during the past month. It is frustrating to just lose inches and not weight, but I am trying to be patient and find other ways to get over the plateau. Another challenge will be to find CG -friendly products since all my other “normal” products have silicone/sulfates. I can see myself keeping the book in my purse so that I can review the labels before I purchase. Also, I will not be using castor oil anymore, since it’s not CG-friendly. But, I will try scalp massages instead and keeping the area moisturized.

♦

Check out how Cassandra threw her hair into the GOC ring here. 

May15

April GOC Update: Mimi (#16)

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April GOC Update: Mimi (#16)

Hair
Oh, where to begin. I was so excited at the beginning of the GOC … for all the changes about to occur, about my regimen. Let me tell you that it exploded immediately. As I stated in my initial goals, I wanted to start regularly hennaing and using castor oil. Yeah, guess who is extraordinarily allergic to both henna and castor oil? This girl. The last henna that I did, it caused a MASSIVE eczema break out down the back of my neck and back. I kind of knew henna irritated my skin a little based on my first henna application, but it was nothing major and I ignored it because I so badly wanted to use it. Bad idea. It looked like I had shingles (I actually thought I had shingles for a minute). Before the outbreak however, I had started using a mixture of castor oil, jojoba, grapeseed and olive oil on my scalp and edges. I did this once and my scalp was so irritated that I had to leave work early to wash it out. I knew it was the castor oil causing the problem because I use the other products routinely.

Both the henna and castor oil have resulted in a great deal of shedding. My scalp is so sensitive in some areas (particularly my crown and front/side edges … joy) that I can’t even touch them (Btw, it has been a month since doing the treatments). There are 2 or 3 tiny bald spots ( BALD SPOTSSSS!!!!!) in parts of my edges now. I am so devastated by all of this. The solution I’ve come up with, for now, is to use a wig to do major protective styling for a while. I considered twists or weave, but my edges are so sensitive and the shedding hasn’t calmed down fully, so I did not want anything pulling in those areas. I am also currently in a show (I am an actress), along with working full time, and I would not be able to dedicate myself to my hair the way that I would want.

Health & Fitness
But okay … haha … there is good news. I lost 5 pounds this month! Woot! I would have lost more, but when I’m upset, nothing stands between me and food. Thank the Lord for the gym and dance class. Also, and I think you can tell from the pic, despite the massive shedding, my hair is still growing! Slowly but surely. I was APL starting off and now I am a little over that. So, I am excited to see its progress when I just leave it the heck alone completely.

♦

Missed Mimi’s first GOC post? Check it out here.

May14

April GOC Update: Mekale (#36)

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April GOC Update: Mekale (#36)

Happy end of the first month of the GOC!! I hope all is well with everyone. I am going to begin with all the new products that I used this month and my feelings about them and then I will wrap it up with my fitness update.

Hair:
Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition Conditioner - I used this as a detangler and leave-in conditioner. Final thoughts are, it was a good detangler, it provides decent slip. I am not so sure I will use it again as a leave- in though. It felt “producty” or tacky. I am not sure how to describe it, but I just didn’t like it.

Suave Professionals Almond and Shea Moisturizing Conditioner - I used this as a detangler, leave-in and styler. Like it all the way around and I used it to make that awesome braid out. I also used it under the SEMS Curly Jelly for a wash and go.

Silk Elements MegaSilk (SEMS) Leave In Hair Moisturizing Creme - I used it as a leave-in, styler and refresher. I think I am going to keep it in my line up. I used under the SEMS Curly Jelly for a wash and go and I liked it a lot. I used it as a styler for a 2 strand twist style and it gave fat, plump twist instead of those anorexic ones I usually have. It also gave a great twist out. I mixed it with some water in a spray bottle to wet and smooth my hair for buns.

Silk Elements Mixed Silk (SEMS) Curly Jelly – I am not a fan of wash and go, because my hair will
frizz something awful and the products usually make my hair crunchy. Using the Curly Jelly over the SEMS Leave-in was a no go, crunchy flakes. Over the Garnier gave crunchy results. Over the Suave gave good results. Over the MegaSilk was the best overall. I am not sure if I will keep this for a wash and go, but I will keep it as a back up while I continue to experiment.

I added finger detangling with coconut oil and with the warm running water from the shower and I think I will continue doing this, prior to detangling with conditioner and tools. I continued to use my staple products SEMS Shampoo and Deep Conditioner (which I use as a regular conditioner and not a deep one) argan oil, coconut oil and Eco Styler Gel (just switched to the one with argan oil and I like it better). I was super lazy this month with my hair, so I did not deep condition or use a protein treatment. During the week I rocked a bun. If I did a 2 strand twist I would also bun it during the week. My weekends are busy since my hubby is still home (he works overseas and is gone for long periods of time, but he has been home since the New Year). We have been to South Carolina twice this month. That’s the reason for more wash and go’s than twist outs.

Health & Fitness:
With that being said, I move to fitness. For breakfast, I have a cup of cereal (I am currently addicted to Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut) and a 1/2 cup of 1% milk. I was eating Lean Cuisines for lunch, but I started to have cravings for salads. I also cooked 3 different soups that I ate for lunch for the remainder of the month. I work out 3-4 times a week.

Now, as I hold my head down in shame, here comes my confession. I did eat out for dinner while we were in the SC and I had a lunch date with my best friend at the Cheesecake Factory. Oh, and I drove by myself to meet my hubby in Charleston and I broke down and ate Krystals on the way. Also, I was on a Gate Gas Station icy kick, which I just realized are made out of soda (and I never rink sodas), so I was tricked into that *lol*. That being said, I did keep my daily calorie intake under 1460. Drum roll please … I am down 5 lbs.

Addendum: Thursday, I was diagnosed with strep throat and was given Z-pak. Between not having an appetite, eating only fat-free orange sherbet and oatmeal and experiencing GI issues from the antibiotics, my weight dropped. I went down another 6 pounds, so making it a total of 11 pounds this week. Not at all the way I planned it, but I hope to be back to myself next week.

♦

Want to read Mekale’s full regimen? Then, you can find her initial GOC post here.