Daily Archives: January 5, 2012

Jan5

Project Scale Down: Day 3

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Though the evil forces of the Dark Side came together to conspire against me, the Force has prevailed. Despite coming home to find water surging down my outside wall onto my AC unit and inside the unfinished side of my basement over the furnace, hot water heater, washer and dryer … learning that the source was the vacant unit above mine … being unable to turn off the water for the offending unit (which is in MY basement, btw), even with the assistance of a concerned and helpful male neighbor, because the valve was so heavily corroded  … and being told that the association plumber was close to an hour away …

I worked out tonight.

I took pictures of the damage and then sat in my coat and scarf updating FB with my trials and tribulations, until the plumber arrived. Once he turned off the water from the valve in my unit and did some damage control in the water closet in the vacant unit from whence the water surged, I gratefully escorted him to the door. I then proceeded to put on my exercise gear and hit the wetter for the wear basement for Day 3 of Project Scale Down.

Day 3:

  • 10 minute Abs of Steel routine (a.m.) √
  • 30 minute of BBL Bum Bum, a cardio and lower body sculpting routine (p.m.) √

Knowing that you guys were “watching” really helped motivate me to suck it up and not make excuses not to exercise.

Oh, and today, one of my best friends and colleagues (who is implementing her own PSC) told me about this free App, Lose It! It allows you put in your weight, height, age, exercise routine and weight goals to determine what your calories should be for the day and then track them. But the awesome thing about it? It scans barcodes on food packages!!! So, although I don’t count calories, because I know what my diet needs to be to lose weight, I thought it would be so cool to see my actual caloric intake from day to day and see if my guesstimates are right! Shoot, it’s FREE! So, I’ve already scanned a few Lean Cuisines and my frozen blueberries. We’ll see how long the novelty lasts ;)!

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Jan5

Medium Length: Re-Evaluation & Regimen Building

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 by Emily CottonTop

At around year 2-3 of hair growth, most people describe their length as medium! It is that point at which you are past your TWA and probably just below your shoulders stretched. Most of us spend alot of time talking about TWAs on one end of the scale and super long hair at the other end of the scale. But, what about when you find yourself smack dab in the middle?

Facts about medium length hair:

  1. Retaining length does not get any easier! The routine that worked for your TWA most likely will need to be re-evaluated, kicking some practices to the curb and keeping some variations of others.
  2. Prepping hair for washing and handling is more meticulous, because with more length there is more opportunity for tangles and snags.
  3. Medium length is the best time to tighten up your regimen. As you look forward to your length goals … consistency becomes even more important *sticking with a regimen that is tailored for your hair and your personal needs*.

I know that, at medium length, I went through some kind of mid-hair crisis. I wanted to color, straighten, color and straighten and do all sorts of things with my hair. I do love enjoying my hair at every stage, but the truth is … caring for it does not get any easier. But, the good news is … it doesn’t get any harder either, as long as I remain consistent.

My Medium Length Evaluation

When I finally got some hang time with my hair, I decided after a while what I was sticking with and what I was ditching based on 4 main concepts.

This is how I did it.

Moisture

TWA/short hair solution – Co-wash often and use moisture based leave- ins, butters and oil sealants, deep conditioning weekly

Medium Length solution –  Keeping the co-wash, keeping the moisture based leave-ins, narrowed my butters and oils down to Shea butter as my staple, and heavy oils such as castor oil, coconut oil, and olive oil. Even more consistent with deep conditioning

Protein

TWA/short hair solution – Protein treatment using ApHogee once a month, deep condition with some form of protein

Medium Length solution –  Keeping the major protein treatment to “as needed.” Use protein more often in my weekly deep conditioning regimen, understanding the use of hydrolyzed protein in maintaining moisture as well as adding strength to my hair

Clarifying 

TWA/short hair solution – Clarify “as needed,” use a moisture retention shampoo

Medium Length solution –  Keeping the “as needed” clarification and the moisture retention shampoo (no change)

Knots and Tangles (this gets worse)

TWA/short hair solution – Search and destroy

Medium Length solution– Keeping  search and destroy method, added – stretching using hair bands and minimal heat

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Have you re-evaluated your regimen lately?

Jan5

December GOC Update: Charelle

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by Charelle (Tenth Wave) of CandyCurl

Hair:
OMG!!! I can’t believe that there is less than one month to go of the GOC. This has been an amazing experience for me as I have learned sooooo much from all of you! Over the past month, I’ve settled into a regimen that’s right for me. I wash and condition my hair once a week (on Fridays) and do a Twist n’ Curl with flexi-rods or a CurlFormers set. I wear that out for two days at most and then I bun for the rest of the week. Yeah, I know, protective styling to the max! I haven’t bought any new products this month; I had to save all my money for Christmas presents. One thing I did add to my regimen this month, however, are a multivitamin and Biotin. I use the Women’s Once Daily multi-vitamin from Trader Joe’s and Biotin 5000mcg by Nature’s Bounty. I’ve been pretty good with taking them every day, so I hope it helps in the growth and health of my hair.

Fitness:
Once again this month, I have not gone to the gym. Partly because I owe them money, *smh*. I have also gained about 6 pounds. I plan to start going tomorrow as my New Year Resolution, so we’ll see how that works out.