by Adrienne of Natural Embrace

Hair
Is May over already? It went by so fast! I can’t even remember what I was doing to my hair. I know I played around with Curlformers once or twice, plus a braid out here and there, and kept my hair in mini-twists for two weeks which definitely led to a lot of growth/retention. I told myself that I would keep them in longer, but I’m going on vacation to the beach and I’m afraid of sand sticking in my hair if I keep it twisted.

When I get back from vacation, I have a blowout and trim planned for the day after my birthday. I’ll either have my cousin do some kind of braided or two strand twist updo for me, since she’s really good at braiding. Heck, I might even get her to do some kinky twists for me or maybe even just mini-twists again. I know my hair does best when twisted up and left alone (even though I love the ease and simplicity of a wash and go … but they usually lead to single strand knots). But, I get sooooo bored rocking the same style for days and days, that it’s really hard for me to stick with what my hair needs for growth and retention. I love braid outs and twist outs, but those styles don’t last long if I’m working out consistently. I sweat away all of the definition and have to start over that evening by re-twisting or braiding and that just feels like too much manipulation.

Other than that, I’ve been doing very well at applying my Jamaican Black Castor Oil to my edges and I think it’s helping a little with the thin areas. I’ve also continued to pre-poo/deep condition before my
Mudwash and my hair is staying moisturized so much longer now. I’m going to stick with it. As of June, I started taking the Viviscal vitamins so…we’ll see how that goes. I have a wedding to attend at the end of July and I really want to see some length by then. So, I really want to go into a protective style, which can last anywhere from two to four weeks, after my trim on the 22nd. But, like I said, long-term styles drive me crazy after a week. Plus, I like to steam with my pre-poo every week so … I  gotta find a style that allows me to do that.

Health & Fitness
As for working out, I’ve recently started playing tennis on the weekends with the SO and it’s been a lot of fun! We are getting a great workout in without it feeling like … work. It’s been my main form of cardio lately. Other than that, I haven’t been working out very diligently … nor have I been eating very well. As a gal that already works twelve hour days, I tacked on a few extra hours to make up for the time I’m missing on my vacation … so, really, I’ve been too exhausted to work out. And, when I’m tired, I start to get signs of a cold … so yeah, my 1.5 hours of free time between jobs has been spent taking power naps. But I do walk 30 minutes every day and I do a lot of moving around at work, so it’s not like I’m being a total sloth.

♦

Check out Adrienne’s other GOC-The Sequel posts here:

Initial Submission
April Update