Featured Post

So whats new??

Just a little update on my life and most of the things that I have going on at any point in time. :) So many things, so little time!! I...

Saturday, July 21, 2007

The beginning of something new!

My splurge on butters and oils has led me to start something new. I am planning on starting an ebay store selling my home made body and hair lotions, butters, and oils. I have created a few formulas and gave out a few samples. Needless to say the enjoyed the product. I am looking to start off small and work my way up into a profitable business.
The products will be moderately priced. They will not contain any mineral oil, petroleum, or parabens. They will be all natural and gentle enough for use on a baby's skin.

The products I will start off with will be as follows:
1.a few body massage oils with different scents
2. two hair oils one with EOs and one without. No sulfur oil yet.
3. Body lotions and hair lotions

I'm going to start off slow because I have alot going on right now. I am hoping to build this into a really profitable business that will benefit others as well as myself.


About the hair...
I am in the sew in now. Its been two weeks so far. The weave is curly with two colors layered, #4 and #30. The color is pretty, but then I always wear these two colors when I have a weave in. I am planning on wearing this for another 4 weeks, maybe more. I'm hoping to have 1/2-3/4" worth of growth when I take this out. I am using the sulfur oil every other day also. Going to continue to protect my hair like crazy to keep these ends nice.
I am still debating on when to get my hair cut. I am wondering If I should do it before I put in the braids or after. I think I just might end up doing it before like in August or September. whatever. Ill figure it out when I get there. I think that the longer I put it off the worse it will end up being so I may cut when I take the weave out.

Friday, July 06, 2007

My July purchases

Today I splurged a little. I bought a bunch of oils and butters from oilsbynature.com. I am happy that I found this site because they are super cheap, plus they had a couple sales going on.

This is what I got:
32oz. almond oil $4.80
32oz. castor oil $6
32oz glycerin $3
1lb mango butter $7.40
8lb palm kernel oil $12
8lb shea butter $28.40

I have not seen prices like this any where. I am very happy with my purchase. The only thing that I really wanted that was out of stock was the avacado butter. I will buy some of that and some other stuff later in a few months.

My wish list:
hempseed oil/butter
more mango butter
jojoba wax
shea oil
avacado butter

I'm going to experiment with these so I can have a good heavy moisturizing leave-in for the winter.

My Best hair tips!

Protective styles:
1. The more product the better. When in a ponytail/bun whatever my hair does best when I use alot of heavy products. I get less breakage from tightness and the holder.
2. At night when wearing ponies loosen the holder or take it off, moisturize, and scarf it twice to preserve.
3. Alternate styles. I cant wear ponies for longer than a week no matter what I will get breakage.
4. When wearing ponies make sure the holder is not too tight at all. I didn't notice at first but after a while my ends began to thin something fierce.
5. Soak all holders in oil. I use evoo.
6. Baggie method! I am in love with this method. But I am finding that the more I do the pony baggie the more my ends break, but that's probably because of tight ponies, hairs still moist. Doing only full head baggies Until I see an improvement.
7. NO GEL! unless absolutely necessary. I only use IC sparklelites to smooth my ponies when needed.
8. Braids or sewin weaves are the best PS for me. I get no breakage unless I completely ignore the hair, or the braids are too tight.


Washing
1. Wash in braids as often as possible. Stops tangles b4 they start.
2. frequent cowashing increases moisture better than anything Ive tried.
3. Deep condition with every shampoo and twice a week when possible.
4. Use protein when having problems even when you think you don't need it. Protein treatments like aphogee stop breakage and helps the hair hold moisture, protein conditioners like CPR and other reconstructers build strength and I use for maintenance between treatments. With any protein always do a deep moisturizing treatment after to maintain a good balance.
5. Use clarifying poo to rid buildup. Use moisturizing poo after. Always pre poo before and DC after.
6. Make sure to detangle thoroughly under running water in the shower after DC.

Straight Styles
1. Rollerset to straighten instead of pressing.
2. Flat ironing roots only instead of entire head.
3. Find a really good heat protectant.
4. wrap/pincurl to maintain.
5. Try a silk wrap, its one of the best methods out there. After straightening wrap and wrap in plastic sit under dryer 10-15 min. Unwrap and you will be in heaven.

Other Tips
-Always wear a satin/silk scarf to bed and/or when inside.(hell, I even wear it outside)
-DO NOT use heat often. I use it at the most once every 2-3 months, and only for trims and to check length.
-For a straight look do a rollerset and silk wrap. I get amazing results with this.
-When in need of a break take one, put in some braids or a weave
-Don't forget the hair when in the braids/weave. Still moisturize.
-Keep a good protein/moisture balance.
-Clarify every 2-3 weeks to remove buildup.
-moisturize and seal with oil every day or every other day.
-use porosity control or an ACV rinse when hair is porous.
-Protect ends as much as possible until you get past SL and/or until you reach your next goal.
-Weaves/Braids are great protective styles.

-last but not least- consistency. When you find your staple products and techniques stick with them. They may change overtime with length, adjust accordingly.

Will be back as I come up with more to add to the list.

*DISCLAIMER*
These techniques/tips are not designed for everyone. They may not work for everyone. So don't sue me if all your hair falls out!:)

Monday, June 25, 2007

End of june measurments

Measurments

front 12"
back 9 1/2- 10"
sides 10.5"
middle 7.5-9"


I cut the middle the shortest on purpose, because I kinda wanted it layered and mostly because of the breakage. It looks ok but I really want a profesional cut. I will do that at the end of he summer maybe before I put in the braids.

I finally found out what lace braids were and I am going to put those in instead of the micros. The micros probably wouldnt have looked right nyway because I would have to braid it so far down. With the lace braids all that would be seen is the hair and the base of the braids in the front. I have seen a few pics of them and they are really cute! I cant wait.

So the plan is.......
1. wear my own hair for the next week or two, DC 1-2x a week
2. put it up in the sew in for 1-2 months
3. wear own hair for a while, DC 1-2x a week, natural wngs, twists...
4. go to dominican salon for rollerset, cut, and to see their technique
5. finally, do a protein treatment and put in the lace braids for a couple months.

I know I will get good growth from this regimen so I am hoping for the best. Wish me luck and BSL by the end of the year or bust!

Sunday, June 24, 2007

Decisions.....

I have decided to cut my hair little by little until the end of the year. I have cut off between 1-3" of hair so far. In the middle I ended up cutting like 2" and the rest like 1/2". Then I cut again. I straightened my hair out so I could see how it lays. It is so much better than the last time. lays nicely and its getting longer. I havent done a measurment yet so cant tell how much longer it is in inches will do later this week.

I bought a new flat iron a FHI 1". I love it, it makes the hair so nice and smooth. I also splurged on a bunch of products. I even bought the big bottle of aphogee for $20. crazy I know! I did a treatment and I wish I would have done it sooner cause the strength is amazing. Also finally got some eqp dpr 11. I tried it and cant say it was the best thing ever but it really was not bad. I will buy again.

I have been experimenting with my rollersets and this time I used very little product. It was good but it still took forever to dry. I then flat ironed and did the silk wrap. very nice! it came out so smooth and silky, will do this every time. the only thing is I need to get rid of the frizz. wearing it down is terrible. I think it s the heat protectant i have been using, fantasia ic pink one. Ill be on the look out for a better one, I want to try redken heat glide next.

I dont know but I hope that i am getting some extra growth from the vits I am taking. I wont be able to really tell how much growth im getting until i get these ends right. If I'm getting exta growth then I will be BSL before the end of the year. We will see.

My styles or the summer after I wash out this roller set will be a sewin worn for like 1-2 months, then for the rest french braids, twists, and ponies until the school year starts when Im going to put in some micros. I am not going to straighten for a long time unless I feel like it. I am going to be focusing on my ends, keeping them strong moisturized and protected so I wont have to cut anymore.