Daily Archives: April 18, 2012

Apr18

GOC Contender #40: Gina

Posted on by
Standard

Name: Gina

Whhhooooopppp! Whhhhhooooop! I am sooo excited to be a part of the grow out challenge because, when the last one started, I was transitioning :). I will be 7 months post BC on 4/24/12 and I feel so behind on my growth, so this came at the perfect time!

Goals: Hair – Honestly, I would love to have my bang as close to the tip of my nose as possible. I would also like to find a way to soften my hair. Oh and I’m working on my PJism :). So far so good!!!; Health & Fitness – I’m 5 lbs away from my goal and above the weight I was when I graduated from high school, which is pretty hot since this year makes ten years … * crickets * … TEN years!!! Lawdy!

Regimen:

  • Co-wash every 2-3 days when hair isn’t in coils.
  • Shampoo every 2 weeks or weekly whenever I do my finger coils, since I use gel. I’m trying to ween off of shampoo completely and just use the beontonite clay to clarify my hair.
  • Deep condition weekly.
  • Henna monthly.
  • Honey/olive oil treatment every other week.
  • Apply regular castor oil every morning and night before bed.
  • JBCO on the edges every morning and night.
  • Trim, as needed I guess. I haven’t felt the need to do so yet.
  • Water. I believe that it makes a difference on my hair and skin.
  • Sleep 8 hours (feels like heaven).

(I may get braids again!!!)

Health & Fitness

  • I plan on finding an activity to help me tone up, whether it be yoga or kickboxing. We’ll see!
  • Oh, and more water and try out new veggies :/.

Reward: Shopping spree and my Huetiful Steamer!!!

Smooches & God Bless!!!

Advertisement
Apr18

GOC Contender #39: Freddie

Posted on by
Standard


Name: Freddie

Goals: Hair – Currently, my hair is just shy of armpit length at 9 inches in the back and 10 inches elsewhere. My hair goal is to retain 3 inches of length by the end of the challenge or bra-strap length. I’m going for length, because I want my hair to be much larger and more versatile.; Health & Fitness – My physical goal is to become consistent with exercising and to create toned arms and legs. I’m satisfied with my weight (132 lbs at 5’7″), but not my muscle tone. The demand of work, family and school has been my excuse to not work out, but not anymore!

Regimen:
I’m a recovering product junkie, saved by the Koils by Nature (KBN) products! I was always on the hunt for the perfect conditioner and leave-in conditioner to no avail. During the 2011 World Natural Hair Show in Atlanta, I talked to Pam, the creator of Koils by Nature. She was so sweet and passionate that I felt compelled to give her products a try. The rest is history. You should check her site out, koilsbynature.com. Back to the topic of regimen!

Hair

  • Clean hair once a week using KBN’s Lavender Foam Cleanser.
  • Follow with 30 minutes steam session using KBN’s Shealoe Conditioner (this stuff is the epitome of moisture and slip).
  • ACV rinse once every 2 – 3 weeks, as needed.
  • Every 2 -3 days, seal my hair with KBN Shealoe Leave-in Conditioner and Nourishing Hair and Body Butter.
  • Use protective pin-up or twist styles for a minimum of half of each month.
  • Straighten hair no more than twice during the challenge period.
  • Continue to take 5 mcg of sublingual biotin daily.

Health & Fitness

  • Perform Pilates for 25 minutes for 4 days out of the week (videos and bands).
  • Use kettlebells 3 days a week for 25 minutes.
  • Embrace the kettlebells mentally and not mistakenly fling one physically.
  • Drink half my weight in water (66 oz).

Reward: Hair – The additional length to my fro will be my reward at the end of the challenge, so I will give myself a pat on the back!; Health & Fitness – June: Reward myself with a cute sleeveless shirt to show off my arms.; August – A fitted dress to go out on the town with my hubby!

Documentation: I do not have a site that can be watched or followed. All the photos were taken toward the end of March, so I will be sure to take photos along the way.

Shelli, thanks for the encouragement! I will let you know if the kettlebells end up in my mid-summer yard sale along with the DVDs.

Apr18

GOC Contender #38: Madison

Posted on by
Standard

Name: Madison

Goals: I’ve only been fully natural for about two weeks. I stopped relaxing almost 2 years ago, but have been wearing weaves, braids, etc., until now. So, I’m EXTREMELY excited to learn what really works for my hair with the motivation of this challenge. I’m maybe a little shorter than armpit length right now. In 6 months, I’d like to be somewhere in between BSL and MBL. My hair is very thick and my curl pattern differs on each area of my head. My main focus is length and I think I should be able to retain, if I am consistent in monitoring the moisture and health of my hair. I’ve noticed that my bang section and side edges are significantly shorter than the rest of my hair, so I’m going to be giving them special attention.

Regimen:

  • I plan to wash once a week after finger detangling with Tresemmé Naturals conditioner or coconut oil.
  • Deep condition with Shea Moisture Deep Treatment Masque.
  • I wash with Trader Joe’s Nourish Spa and condition with the Tresemmé.
  • I co-wash as needed with my workout schedule.
  • I really like wash-and-go’s (LOVE my curl pattern), but it requires some blow drying to stretch (that shrinkage is no joke!) and I really want to keep that at a minimum.
  • So, I’ve been working on some braid-out/twist-out regimens that will not leave my hair frizzy or producty.
  • I use Giovanni Direct as a leave-in and seal with aloe vera gel.
  • I take down my twists with sweet almond oil or grapeseed oil.
  • When I wash and go, I use a tiny bit of Shea Moisture Curling Souffle under some Argan Oil Eco Styler.

Reward: Hair products! I’m a college student, so I’ve really had to put a hold on the shopping lately. But taking really good care of my hair is certainly a reason to treat myself.

Apr18

GOC Contender #37: Brittney E’Lise

Posted on by
Standard

Name: Brittney E’Lise.

Goal: My hair is currently at shoulder length for the shorter pieces (for example, in the front and the nape) and the longer pieces are at armpit length (almost everything else, but more so with the crown of my head). My goal is to reach mid-back length by the end of the year. I mostly want to do this because I am curious to see how long my hair can get with healthy hair habits.

Regimen: I’m mainly going to focus on a lot of protective styling. While I don’t wear my hair out much, I do think that my hair flourishes with the aid of this type of styling. I currently have yarn braids/genie locks in my hair and the (tentative) plan is to keep them in for three months with a maintenance check in 6 to 8 weeks.

Hair

  • I spray them with water and add a cream and/or oil moisturizer once in the morning and then at night.
  • I keep my scalp clean with either dry shampoo or regular shampoo watered down once a week.
  • I will deep condition bi-weekly.
  • Once I take out the braids, I will give my hair a small break (three weeks) before I re-install them.

Health & Fitness

I am also going to focus on not just what I put on my hair, but what I put in my body. I am going to focus on:

  • Taking in more vegetables and fruits;
  • Consistently taking my vitamins (pill or powder);
  • Eating leaner meats and;
  •  Increasing my water intake.
  • I will try to have two to three vegan/vegetarian meals per week.

The last part of my plan is trying to find a fitness plan. I have some undesirable genetic traits like diabetes and, while I’m not currently in any danger, I do think I need to be more active. This will also help with my job.

  • I am going to try out the free week at Corepower Yoga and I hope that I will like it.
  • If not, then I will get back to doing Middle Eastern dancing (belly-dancing).
  • I will try to do this for three days out of the week before I increase it to six.

Reward: After this will be either a mini splurge of either clothes, books, yarn (or a combo of all three) or a day at the spa. I am so excited and I can’t wait to get started (officially).

Yarn braids

Apr18

GOC, Buns, Dresses, Cardis & Skinny Belts

Posted on by
Standard

The GOC:
Whew, getting close to the end now!! Five more GOC submissions today and I should just about wrap this up tomorrow! It’s been hard work man!! But, it’s also fun and rewarding to be able to provide a platform where all of these wonderful ladies can share their journeys and, hopefully, help others who are following their progress. So, again, if you’re moved by a particular story or contender, please like, rate, comment and/or share. I’m sure that the recipient will appreciate your support and encouragement:)!

Hair Today:
In other news, I’ve been wearing my hair in a loose bun all week. I applied Carol’s Daughter Health Hair Butter to the length and used it to smooth my edges before using a Goody Ouchless elastic to make a bun. I put the elastic around my hair to form a high ponytail, twisted it once, folded my hair in half and then wrapped the elastic around a second time, close to the ends to form a bun. I left the curly ends hanging out around the elastic and used a hair pin or two to secure the curls that were hanging to long closer to the base of the bun. Then, *BOOP* … hair flower! LOL!!

OOTD:
And here’s my outfit from yesterday. I love this green watercolor print dress by Merona. It’s sleeveless with an asymmetrical cowl-like tie neck and empire waist. It was about $40 at Target and I got the long yellow cardi on clearance there too (I also snagged this cardigan in red and lime green … the latter of which I usually wear with this outfit, but didn’t take the time to look for it yesterday morning!). I almost always wear a cardigan over sleeveless and short sleeve dresses/tops when going to work because they try to cryogenically preserve you up in there!! However, to keep the look from becoming boxy and shapeless, I cinched the cardi with a skinny green belt secured at the empire waist of the dress. Then, I completed the look with flower earrings and one of my favorite shoe acquisitions in years, these leg elongating, camel-colored, knotted leather wedges by BGBG (I also have them in black, but they are a couple of seasons old and sold out everywhere:(.).

Man, I sure do love easy, breezy, summer dresses! I need to hit Target and Walmart to check out the newest offerings and supplement my existing inventory;)!! Oooooh, I see a few potential options here!!

************************************************************************************************************

What are your summer wardrobe staples? And no flip-flops!! They don’t count!! LOL ;)!!