Hair Crisis

I'm still sticking to my natural hair challenge. Last Saturday, I went through the usual regimen and two strand twisted my hair. While I was doing my hair, I knew that something was off. My hair just felt weird. It wasn't soaking up the moisture like it normally did.

Throughout the week, I couldn't figure out what the problem was. I moisturized my hair like normal, but my hair felt horrible! I added pure coconut oil to my moisturizing mix and it became crunchy and dry-looking. No shine at all.

 I completely forgot that coconut oil freezes on the hair in the winter, giving it a very hard feel. If you've been wondering about coconut oil and would like to try it, wait until spring. It's useless in the fall and winter.

So yesterday, while I was in Cosmetology class, I was examining my hair and looking through the textbook for some answers.

Then it dawned on me that I had not clarified my hair in forever. In fact, I couldn’t' remember when the last time I clarified was! So I had to violate my Natural Hair Challenge rule and wash my hair earlier than I planned.

I used Apple Cider Vinegar, or ACV for short, as a clarifying rinse. The point of clarifying is to remove all of the gunk from the hair that has built up over time. Regular shampoos are, or rather, should be moisturizing. They should not leave the hair feeling 'squeaky clean'. 

I mixed ACV with water in a 1:3 mix. 1 part ACV. 3 parts water. This should be mixed in a spray bottle for easy distribution.  Wet hair, spray mix on thoroughly, scrub hair vigorously, , wait 5-10 mins, and rinse off.  I have to do this twice because my hair is thick. Keep in mind that ACV is very drying. Skipping the conditioner step could result in a lot of unnecessary breakage.

I conditioned old school style with mayo. I mixed 1 cup of mayonnaise with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of honey. I put the mix on my hair and let it sit for 30 minutes. I usually condition for a lot longer, but I don't want to be smelling like a hamburger so 30 will do.

This time, I two strand twisted with Eco Styler Gel, which gave me the BEST HOLD EVER. I'm in love with it. My hair and scalp feel awesome.

Moral of this story: Listen to you hair!

I Quit!

 I am a quitter.

That was hella hard to type but hey, I want to be honest with you guys. I started my transformation on January 10 and here it is, 10 days later, and I've thrown in the towel. 

I'm not making ANY excuses at all. I'm just telling it like it is. I don't have enough motivation to do it. My house is full of crappy stuff to eat and I don’t have enough willpower to resist. 

That coupled with the fact that there's no way I can go to the gym provides a double whammy. We have a wellness center at our  local hospital but my mom says that it's full of pervs and the membership is too costly. My other option is a rather dilapidated gym that has a few cardio machines in good working order and weights. No strength training equipment at all.

Bad eating habits + me sitting on my a$$ = the body that I have (and detest) now.  Point blank.

My thing is, I don't want to see the bad food AT ALL. If I see it, I'll eat it. Especially if it's easier to prepare than the healthy stuff. I keep suggesting to my mom to throw the bad stuff out but she's not having it.

I can easily wake up early. I used to wake up at 5 to get a good solid hour in. But I negate whatever progress I made that morning with the horrible foods that I eat. And I've yet to see any DELICIOUS diet food. Salads and egg whites ain't for me.

I don't know what to do now. Maybe I'm not ready. Maybe the timing is all wrong. Either way, I'm calling it quits, for now. 

Did anybody struggle during their body transformation or is it just me?

Product Review: Jane Carter Solution

I've finally used the majority of the products that I ordered from the Jane Carter Solution.  The two that I'm going to talk about today are the Revitalizing Leave-In Conditioner and the Nutrient Replenishing Conditioner.

First up, the leave-in.

As per about.com, a leave-in conditioner is supposed to reduce split ends, add shine, and improve the moisture content of hair. This stuff DEFINITELY does that. This is one of the best ways to seal in the moisture for my 4B hair. It has a wonderful smell and is very light. It was worth the buy.

Overall Rating: 4/5

Next, the conditioner.

When I Youtube'd this product, lots of girls were talking about the awesome slippage of this product. They had shown how easily they could detangle their hair. That did NOT happen for me. I have yet to find a product that can help me EASILY detangle my hair. Every time I detangle with this conditioner, I get a pretty decent sized clump of hair on my comb.

BUT, on a good note, it also has a nice smell and I've noticed that my hair does not break nearly as much as it used to. My scalp is never itchy or dry.  Will I buy it again? Probably. But I'm still searching for my wonder-product.

Overall Rating: 3/5

Feel free to ask my any questions about this brand.

Comments are ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS  welcome.

Thanks,

Lexi

Natural Hair and Self-Esteem

Making the decision to go natural at 15 years old was a BIG step for me. Actually going natural at 16 was even harder. I think I experienced every emotion under the sun during my transition. I faced a lot of BS from my family, friends, and people I don't even know.

When I first told my family that I was going natural, my uncle jokingly said that a TWA (he didn't know that was the actual term) would make me look like a butch, which is a masculine acting/looking bisexual/homosexual woman.

During my first few months of transitioning, I was told that my hair was too 'ugly' and too 'nappy' to go natural.

Halfway through, a guy at my school told me that I look uglier with natural hair.

Even now, I'm looked at with disgust by some people because of my hair.

A lot of people will say that 'it's just hair', but to me, it's not just hair. It's a reflection of who I am. Just like the clothes I wear, music I like, and choices I make, my hair is an outward reflection of the person I am. I'm not saying that my hair is some kind of political statement. I am NOT down with the movement and against the man.  It was a personal choice.

Going natural tested my character and my limits. My self-esteem took a serious beating and there were many times that I wanted to give up and conform so I wouldn't have to go through the things that I went through. During my transition, there was so much uncertainty with going natural. What will it look like? Will it grow? Will my hair be short forever? Is it gonna grow down my back? Am I gonna look like who shot John and what for?

Most ex-relaxed naturals have NEVER seen their natural hair. So, going natural is a serious leap of faith. I always say fake it until you make it during your transition. If you transitioned for a long period of time like I did, people will get used to it in time. They may not like it, but once they realize that it's not going anywhere, they will respect it.

The Importance of Mini Resolutions

     My only New Year's Resolution for this year is to make mini resolutions. Mini resolutions are just like any New Year's Resolution except the time frame is waaay shorter. Sometimes I get the impression that the only time that I can implement any major change in my life is on the first day of the year. Obviously, that's not true. I can change whatever I want whenever I want.
   Also, New Year's Resolutions are so static. You can't change them. The goals that I have for right now won't apply 6 months down the road. The goals are typically very broad and I often don't know what steps I need to accomplish them.
     I think monthly resolutions are the answer.  I still want that 'fresh start' feeling. So, each month, I'm going to make a new resolution.  Take a look at my January resolution.
January
1. Get an Exercise Regimen
2. Be Happy
3. Take Care of Hair
4. Love Myself Completely
5. Don't Slip Up on Challenges
This was made on December 28, 2010. Making the resolutions BEFORE the month makes it seem more 'official'.    There are more in depth explanations of numbers 1, 3, and 5 on these posts: 
I'll be back with the February resolution during the last week of January.

January Fitness Plan

I really want go get fit for the spring/summer. I want to proudly wear bikinis and short shorts. I want a healthy lifestyle that will continue on to college. The girls in my family have  had a really bad history of being in great shape when they're young and then being in not so great shape when they get older.

I don't want that to happen.

So, I've got to be proactive about it. I'm at a decent weight right now. I'm not too big, not too small.  I'm 5'4 and 130 lbs. My BMI is 22.

I honestly don't want to lose weight. I don't want to get any skinnier. I want to tone up. And if that means that I gain 10 lbs of muscle and end up at 140, that's okay with me. If I look good, all of the other stuff doesn't matter.

So. What am I gonna do about it?

I love cardio. Love it, love it, love it. But I DEPLORE strength training. Lifting weights does not seem FUN to me. I don't even like going to the gym. But I digress.

My January plan is to do cardio every day and use the 100 push up challenge.  The cardio that I'm using will be the Just Dance 2 wii game. I simply use the Non-Stop Shuffle option and dance my heart out. I MIGHT use a P90x CD. 

I do want to note that my first cardio workout that I did before I bought Just Dance 2 consisted of freestyle dancing to music on my computer for 30 straight minutes. 

Start Date: Monday, January 10

End Date: Monday, January 31

Number of Cardio Workouts: 23

Length of Each Workout: 30 minutes

Total Time: 11.5 hrs

Push-Up Plan:

Number of Workouts: 10

Should be able to do 25 push ups by January 31.

Comments are ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS  welcome.

Thanks,

Lexi

How I Moisturize My Natural Hair

Moisture is one of the most crucial aspects of any hair regimen.  This is especially true for all hair that falls under the "4" category. To some extent I think that the hair itself becomes drier as the curl pattern becomes less distinct. 4a hair is probably less dry than 4b and 4b is probably less dry than 4c. I'm sure the moisture difference isn't that noticeable, but I still think it's true.

For ME, a 4b gal, moisturizing can be a little complex. I do NOT want dry hair and I'm sure you don't either. The main thing to remember is that water is the only true moisturizer for hair. The goal of moisturizing is to keep the water from escaping the hair shaft. That means that one must seal the hair.

This is the process that I use on my hair year round and in every hairstyle.

1. Section hair into four parts.
2. Start with water. Spray 1st section with water. Another option is a leave in conditioner that is  WATER BASED. Water MUST be the first ingredient in the ingredient listing.
3. Apply any oil of your choice to your section. Examples include but are not limited to : olive oil, coconut oil, sweet almond oil, grapeseed oil, vatika oil, etc.
4. Last, apply melted pure shea butter. DON'T OVER DO IT. You'll quickly realize if you've put too much on your section if the hair has a white cast or appearance. But don't worry if that happens. Your hair will absorb some of it overnight and if the hair still looks white the next day, a quick blow dry on low heat should remedy the problem.
5. Repeat on remaining sections.

The main thing to remember is my moisturizing mantra 'Water. Oil. Shea.' For some, shea butter is too heavy for the hair or there may be allergic reactions.  In that case, I would substitute shea butter with plain ole conditioner or aloe vera.

This method makes my hair extremely soft and manageable. I've had very little breakage and I'm very pleased with the result. I hope this helps any moisture problem you're having.

Comments are ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS  welcome.

Thanks,

Lexi