Product Alert!1/3/2013 Hi Ladies! I am sooooo excited about the new Cantu Shea Butter line for naturals! There are several products, but I have only tried the curling cream.  I used the curling cream to do my twists after a wash. Of course I ended up adding olive oil and I added macadamion nut oil (I have recently been using this oil instead of coconut oil. I love it!). Anyway, it blended very well.  After putting it on my hair, I noticed how it defined my “slinky-like” curls. I also noticed how it elongated my twists. The final test to know if I will make this my new staple product is when I take my hair down. If my hair is moisturized when I take the twists down with minimal tangles, then it will definitely be a keeper. I will let you know.  The next product I am sooooo excited about is the Creme of Nature shampoo with Argan Oil. I am definitely making this my new staple shampoo. Remember, I only use a shampoo every two washes (click to check out my hair washing routine). I noticed an instant difference with this shampoo.
The shampoo left my hair soft and moisturized! Also, it is sulfate-free : ) I think there is also a conditioner. If so, I may try it out. If I do, I will definitely let you know. . . For more information about the hair products I use, please check out my hair products page.
Comments
Length Check1/3/2013 Ok, I have been on a "no heat" hair challenge since December 9, 2011. I know some of you are wondering what in the world does a no heat challenge have to do with a length check? Well, I was suppose to straighten my hair December 9, 2012 to compare the growth, but I didn’t. But, however, I still wanted to do a length comparison to see the growth. Keep in mind, I have had to cut the top and sides several times due to improper care, so there won't be a big difference. I have also trimmed the back several times. I think I have learned some better handling techniques (such as finger detangling, tying my hair down each night, and using products that better moisturize my hair). Anyway, see the comparisons below. *Remember, my hair is flat ironed in the 2011 pics. My hair is curly in the 2012 pics.
If you have any questions or comments, please click on the comment link, or contact me!
2013 Hair and Health Goals1/1/2013 Please don't laugh too hard at my video below. I look and sound really ridiculous! I wanted to try something new : ) 2013 Hair Goals
My hair goals for 2013 are quite simple. I will be focusing on the sides of my hair and my troubled areas. I want the sides to grow longer and thicker. My overall goal is for my sides to eventually catch up with the back. I know some of you may be wondering how in the world will the sides ever catch up with the back. Well, I really do not care for the back to get any longer, so, I will either continue to trim the back, OR, I will do a major cut in 2014. I don’t know !!!!!! Anyway, I will continue to use very little to no heat. I am a firm believer that HEAT IS NOT MY FRIEND! Now, just because it is not my friend, does not mean that it is not your friend. There are many naturals that use heat with no problem. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2013 Health Goals This year, I really want to become a stronger runner. Last year was not a good running year for me. I broke my foot in February while training for the Mercedes-Benz Half Marathon. Also, I had surgery on both of my feet during the summer. I am still working to regain my longevity and speed. I want to work more on toning. For some reason, I do wayyyyy more cardio than toning. Could it be because I absolutely HATE doing pushups and squats? I am hoping to be more consistent with toning. Finally, I want to cut out one of my “pig out” days. A “pig out” day is when I eat whatever I choose (Please click for more information on “pig out” days). Currently, I have two “pig out” days a week, which are on Saturday and Sunday. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ What are some of your hair and health goals for 2013? Please share! Getting Fit10/25/2012 I was happy to walk with my friend Dixie and her daughter Anna today. We walked 2 miles and did a set of stadiums at Oxford High School. I used my 5 pound weights for an additional challenge. I sure hope Dixie exercises with me again : )
 I am so glad I came out and completed this walk. It was really for a great cause. I was so glad to see so many people to come out and support the cause!  These are some of the people I walked for today.  These are the breast cancer ribbon earrings I made to match the WJR Club breast cancer awareness t-shirt. WJR Club Raynard, Me, Connie, and Clarice-After the race Hair Challenge (No Heat)10/20/2012 I have been on a "No Heat" challenge since December of 2011. I have never really been fund of putting heat in my hair (even when I had a perm), so this challenge has been super easy for me. Below are pics of my hair blow dried and flat ironed.
The first pic is freshly flat ironed hair. I put several plats in my hair after I flat ironed it, which resulted in the waves you see in the second picture. When I flat iron my hair, I never get it bone straight. I really don't care to have it bone straight because I know I will not keep it straight for long. Oh yeah, that is not my underwear showing in the first pic. Those are tights : ) I am making plans to flat iron my hair for my birthday in February 2013, so my challenge will actually last longer than a year. I will keep you posted!
Hairstyles10/3/2012 These pics are of me at my cousin's 50th birthday dinner. I made one big jumbo twist out of all the twists in the back of my hair. I tucked the end of the jumbo twist under, then secured it with hair pins. I made one jumbo twist from all the twists on the left side at the top, then secured it with hair pins as well. I left the right side down in the top.
 On another note, my outfit was put together at the last minute! The dress I was going to wear was too revealing, so I had to go with plan B. The top is by Fleurish, the skirt is by Catch My I, the belt is by Betsey Johnson, the shoes are by Impo, and the Earrings are by Unique Ears : )
Shout Out! Vivian Faye Lewis-Adkins9/23/2012  I would like to send a big Shout Out to my cousin Faye for her 50th birthday. Faye had a wonderful dinner at the Classic on Noble to celebrate this blessed occasion. She flew in from Florida just to share this special occasion with her family and friends. Faye looked stunning in her sparkling silver gown. She was definitely the center of attention. She really is 50 and fabulous :) Photos from the Golden Celebration!Early Run (6 miles)9/23/2012 So, I decided to challenge myself to run six miles. My friend Tam and I met up and ran first thing in the morning. This is the first time since I broke my foot back in February that I have attempted to run six miles. Also, we ran the same course at Golden Springs where I broke my foot, so, it brought back bad memories.
Anyway, the run was great and I felt great running it. The weather was great and the sun wasn't beaming down on me. For some reason, I like doing courses and trails better than tracks when I am running long distances. Recipes: Brussel Sprouts and Bacon9/11/2012  Brussel sprouts and bacon is a match that I have grown to love. My friend Dixie turned me on to it. Of course, I had to add my own special twist!  Ingredients: A container of brussel sprouts 1-2 large sweet onions 1 package of sweet peppers 1 package of pre-cooked bacon (6-8 slices) 1/2 cup of olive oil Tony's Creole seasoning salt Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the brussel sprouts and sweet peppers in halves. Cut the onions into large chunks. Slice the bacon into 1 inch pieces. In a large bowl, toss all of the brussel sprouts, peppers, onions, and bacon in the olive oil. Season with the Tony's Creole seasoning (or any seasoning of your choice). Spread the mixture onto a baking pan (or cookie sheet) and bake for 30-40 minutes.
Wjr Club and 13 miles9/1/2012 I would like to give a big shout out to all of the WJR Club members and friends who showed up and completed the first unofficial 13 mile club walk at Ladiga Trail today. My feet are still feeling this walk. I am glad I was able to complete it!
Girl's Night Out Hair Pics8/8/2012  My girls and I were headed to Huntsville to celebrate our girl Tina's birthday at Rosie's Cantina. So, I had to figure out what I was going to wear and what I was going to do with my twists. This is always a struggle for me because I hate dressing up! The picture to the left shows my twists before I actually tried to make them look decent for the Girl's Night Out.  What I ended up doing was pulling my twists up into a high side-ways pony tail. I pulled the twists up and over, then I used one of the side twists as a pony tail holder by wrapping it around the other twists and securing it with hair pins. I left about 3-4 twists out at the top, then made one big twist with them down the side of my face. The picture to the right shows the finished look. After returning home at 3:00 a.m., I still had to make sure my twists were tied down before I went to sleep. I took all of the hair pins out, then I tied my edges down with my scarf. I then used my second head scarf that looks like a sock or bag to tie up my twists. The pictures below should give you a better understanding. Please look over how I was looking. I was soooooo sleepy!    Troubled Areas7/31/2012  The front edges and sides of my hair are definitely my troubled areas. I know some people may wonder why the top and sides of my hair are so short. Well, due to improper handling, I have had to cut the top several times. If you look at the picture on the left, you will notice that the twist itself is thin, and it becomes even thinner as it gets to the end.  The picture to the right shows some of the breakage that I have. It has been really hard trying to get the broken areas to grow back. Below are just some more pictures of my troubled areas! I am working on nursing these areas back to a healthy state. I am making sure that I keep my troubled areas moisturized and I twist each troubled area separately so that I can make sure I give each area special attention :)    Tina "Featured Natural"7/29/2012 I would like to introduce the beautiful Mrs. Tina Abel. Tina decided to join the natural side in January of 2011. She completed her "big chop" in October of 2011. Below are pictures of a "two strand twist" and a "twist out" that Tina did on her loose curls. She said that she is finally loving her twists. I can't wait to see the different hair styles to come.   Oh. Did I forget to mention that Tina is a Product Junkie? Road to Recovery7/23/2012 As I stated before, I had surgery on both of my feet this summer and it has been tough. Some of my good habits have been replaced with bad ones and I have not worked out since my first surgery! I could have continued to do upper body workouts, but I am just too lazy. Background:I had been running for quite a while. I was training with some of my friends to run the Mercedes Half Marathon ( 13 miles) in February of this year. The Thursday before the run, I broke my foot. Everything went down hill from there. I had to wear a boot for about 2 months. The boot was extremely heavy. It felt like a child was strapped to my leg and I had to carry it around all day. My eating habits changed, and it seemed like I kept a cold and ear aches.  Lions Club Run for Site At the end of March, my foot was healed, so I began to run again. I was nowhere near where I was before I broke my foot. It was just like starting all over again. I am happy to say that I did complete my first official 5k run (3 miles) before I had surgery for the summer. Surgery:I had my first surgery on May 24th and the 2nd surgery on June 21. To go from my lifestyle of doing for others and working out to depending on others has definitely been an eye opening experience. My feet are healing, but I don't know when I will be able to do long distance running again. Back to Square One:I will begin walking hopefully by the end of July. I am going to be over the walking division with WJR Club (Walk Jog Run Club). It will be just like starting over for me, so I do encourage anyone who would like to start walking, to please join me.
Wash and Go. That's a NO!7/23/2012 I must say that the Wash and Go thing is definitely not for me! 
It started out ok, but then it just got out of control as the day progressed. The shrinkage is just too much. I had massive tangles everywhere! So...  Twists it is! Atleast I gave it a try. I must say that I did and I do like the braid out. I will probably wear that more often. Anyway, I think the twists are the best for me and my hair type.
No More Twists7/22/2012 As I said before, I am the queen of two-strand twists. You can rarely catch me without them. I am challenging myself to get rid of the twists. I am trying to wear my hair out more, so I will be doing my own version of the "Curly Girl" method, and I will also be doing more wash and go styles. I decided to change things up because the twists make me lazy and I end up neglecting my hair. I don't moisturize my twists like I should, so my hair becomes extremely dry. I took my twists out and I washed my hair with the intentions on doing a wash and go (even though it was at night and I was going nowhere but to bed). Instead, I decided to do a braid out. Below are pics of the results.        I must say that overall, I enjoyed the style, but my hair was very flaky. I had used gel and conditioner, so the next time I will not use the gel to see if that will help. The next day, my hair was awful, so I ended up doing a wash and go. I will post pics soon.
 I have been on a quest to live a healthier lifestyle.
Categories
All
Favorite YouTubersArchives
July 2021
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WJR Club
Walk Jog Run Club
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
