Category Archives: Miscellaneous

May19

Happy Mother’s Day (No … It’s not late!)

Posted on May 19, 2013 by weusib333

Wei by Weusi

This post is short and sweet, yet full of tears.

It’s a good thing that the tears are from laughter …

This is the story of two men. Two men that feel women over exaggerate the pain from child birth. Two men that learn how wrong they are!

Watch this … I give you permission to enjoy their ignorance! But, in the future, please don’t make it a habit of enjoying the ignorance of others. Just stay away from them (I hear that they are contagious).

From those of us that know that MOTHER’S DAY is EVERYDAY.

SHiNE

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Shelli: Okay, so I had to chime in on this one. I showed this to Wei yesterday and he insisted that I let him write the post about it. He also asked when it started, “Are they attaching that down there?!?!” I was like, “No! Just their stomachs! *LOL*” Then he said, “Well then, they still won’t really know what it feels like!! They are only getting part of the experience.” Next we laughed our butts off watching the guys writhe in pain, then talked about how they only went through that for 1 hour, whereas many women are in labor for several hours. Later, I showed it to my mom and grandmother, who also laughed their butts off. My one grandmother pointed out they didn’t have to carry a child for 9 months either (mind you, she did it NINE times)!! So yeah … they still don’t have a clue … nor do I!! But, I’m told, you kind of forget how bad it was … because, if you didn’t, no one would have more than one child!!!! So glad that I have to have a C (myomectomy to remove fibroids means I can’t carry to term). I know, that’s wrong, but #IJS!!!! LOL!!

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May19

EboniCurls Ebonnet Sets Giveaway Winners!!

Posted on May 19, 2013 by Skills

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I loved reading all of the comments about your wonderful mothers on the Ebonnet Giveaway post!! 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

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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!!

May18

Coconut Milk Pre-Poo

Posted on May 18, 2013 by Skills

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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.

via BeautyKLove

Part I: Extracting Coconut Milk

Part II: Applying Coconut Milk

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 !!

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Do you use coconut milk in your regimen? If so, what’s your recipe and process? How often do you use it? What benefits to you see from using it?

May13

Progress and Stepping It Up!

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Skills

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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

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2. My new NordicTrack C700 treadmill (3 week nightmare that it was to get it ).

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3. My Delfin Spa Bio-Ceramic Anti-Cellulite shorts (I have 3 pair).

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!!!

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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!!

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What big guns do you pull out of your arsenal when trying to lose those last 10 lbs?

May13

I Did That!!

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Skills

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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!

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Have you recently accomplished a health and/or fitness goal? Dish!!

May7

EboniCurls Ebonnet Giveaway!!!

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Skills

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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!!!

Follow Hairscapades.com →→→→→→→→.
Like EboniCurls of Facebook.
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.

May6

EboniCurls Ebonnet 15% Discount Code

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Skills

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It’s been a while since we’ve had a discount code around here!! So, why not bring it back with one of the most popular giveaway items that I’ve every shared, the EboniCurls Ebonnet!! (I know some of you have been eagerly awaiting this. ). From now until Mother’s Day (11:59 pm, 5/12/13), get 15% off of all EboniDreams Ebonnets at EboniCurls.com!!!! Wondering what’s so awesome about these bonnets? Then check out my review here: EboniCurls Ebonnets Review.

Just enter coupon code HAIRSCAPADES15 at checkout (excludes S&H) to get 15% off of as many bonnets as you’d like (1 for you, 1 for sis, 1 for your bestie, 1 for mom of course!!)!! Have at it!!

For up-to-the-minute news on restocking dates, new designs and prints, Like EboniCurls on Facebook!!

May2

May 2013 Photo A Day #CurlyAndFit Challenge by Lexi With The Curls!

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Skills

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As most of you know, I’ve been on a fitness journey since February (2/18/13 to be exact). It started with a personal 28 Day Health & Fitness Challenge, where I committed to working out a minimum of 10 minutes every day for 28 days in a row. Today was day 74. WOOT WOOT!! LOL! In that time, I also completed the 9 week C25K program and have continued running with plans to start the 6 week 10K program next week. I started my personal challenge weighing in at … 148.5 pounds *shudder.* At 5’1″, that was WAY over a healthy BMI. I was very uncomfortable in my own skin, was busting my “fat” clothes at the seam, was experiencing skin and hair issues, and was very unhappy with myself and how I let myself go.

As of today, I have lost 15.5 pounds and feel soooo much better as I’ve taken care of a lot of things that had gotten out of control. So, in order to continue to stay motivated and consistent so that I can drop the additional 13 pounds that I want to lose, I joined another Instagram Photo A Day Challenge!! This time, it’s a Fitness Challenge for May. And, I gotta say, I’m kinda psyched (hence, why I’m sharing )!! I’ll continue my personal challenge to work out a minimum of 10 minutes a day, every day, but I’ll participate in the Photo Challenge concurrently. It’ll be nice to do this with others and to follow their progress as well! Plus, there are some pretty awesome prizes involved!!

Anywho, the challenge started yesterday. I just joined today, but am now up to date with my Day 1 and Day 2 photos! Check it out … ummm … but don’t look too closely at those body shots!!

Ughh … You ever feel like you look so much heavier in pictures than you look in the mirror?!

Day 1: Starting Point + Goals

Starting Point: 133 lbs
Goals: 1. Lose another 5-8 lbs by the end of the month.
2. Continue to work out every day.
3. Continue running by starting 10K training.

Day 2: Sweat

So, if you’re interested in joining the challenge and want to learn more, head on over to LexiWiththeCurls.com and check out the details here. And, don’t forget check me out @Hairscapades on Instagram if you want to see daily updates!! Check out #CurlyAndFit to see ALL of the challenge photos to get inspired and motivated (if you need it )!!

Let’s get it ladies!

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So, you know I gotta ask … who else is with me?!?!

Oh, and if you’re joining, post your IG handle in the comments!
(Don’t forget, if your profile is private, we can’t see or comment on your photos!)

May1

Overnight Maintenance: Wrapping Curls?

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Skills

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Over the course of the last month or so, I’ve been seeing videos of ladies using wrapping techniques to achieve heat-free, “blown-out,” natural hair. Then, a couple of weeks ago, I came across this video by Naptural85 using wrapping to maintain smooth, stretched curls overnight!

via Naptural85

Hmmmmm … interesting!! Wrapped curly hair!! Who woulda thunk?! *lol* Anywho, I had been loving the results from re-twisting/braiding my hair at night (I was getting great multi-day hair), but my strands were NOT loving the daily manipulation. So, I decided to try the wrapping technique to achieve good day two hair from the dry twist-out I’d done with Cantu leave-in and Eco Styler gel (here).

And the results:

Not bad!! By the end of the first day, my hair had frizzed and poofed just like Naptural85′s. The wrapping technique worked to smooth and calm the frizz, just like it did for her. But, the thing is, it really did stretch my hair more than I would want on day two. So, I didn’t do it again after that first night. I find that loosely bunning my hair overnight helps tame the frizz and preserve the curls, with some stretching, but not as much as seen with wrapping. Therefore, I don’t think that this will become a “go to” overnight maintenance technique for me. But, I’ll keep it in my back pocket for days where I want to achieve stretched and controlled curls! And for those seeking ways to stretch their curly styles, this may be just the ticket!!

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Have you tried wrapping your curly natural styles? If so, how did it work out for you?

Apr30

NBA Newsflash

Posted on April 30, 2013 by weusib333

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by Weusi

So … when I started writing this, Shelli saw the title and was like, “what is that?”

This is just a little something for you to cause some trouble when you are in the mix with a few basketball fans.

So … the NBA started in 1949. Why is this important? It’s not. But it is INCREDIBLE to me that, in the 64 years history of the NBA, only ONE man has admitted that he was gay. And it happened on Monday 4/29/13. After 12 seasons in the NBA, currently with the Washington Wizards, Jason Collins says, “I’m a 34-year-old NBA center. I’m black. And I’m gay.” Now, why is a straight male writing about it on a natural hair blog?

Because this is the kind of moment in time that will be easily brushed over. Yet if you consider the power and influence some professional athletes have in American culture, it is of great social importance. It can be called significant by different people for different reasons. I am not here to direct the conversation in any direction. You don’t have to reply to this post. I just want to share the information. OK … but for real … I do hope that you bring this up in different circles!

Read the essay written by Jason Collins for SportsIllustrated.com here.

And here are words of support from other athletes.

Now that you are equipped with some tools to cause some trouble … my work is done here!

SHiNE

(P.S. Because I’m a soccer/football fan and am hoping that there are people in other soccer/football countries that read this, I’m throwing this in too.)

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Category Archives: Miscellaneous

Happy Mother’s Day (No … It’s not late!)