All wigged out!

I love protective styles that look pretty and protect my hair. For a while I have been seeking using wigs as a method of protective styling. Years ago I used to wear half wigs...but I wasn't a big fan because many of them have a "hump" that makes it hard to blend with my hair. I started researching using lace fronts as type of half wig. 

Meet: Freetress Angela. 

Her lace is cut along the front and she is placed about an inch or two behind my actual hair. The hair in the front is my own. I brushed my hair over her to cover the beginning part of the wig. I like this idea more than half wigs because the lace fronts lay much flatter, giving a more natural effect. Plus it is very comfortable. This will be my cocktail hour wig.

I'm hoping to find one that matches my natural hair so that I do not have to straighten my hair. The ideal wig would mimic the way my hair looks when it is in a braid out. On my search I go...

You can call me "Elle Kardashian" lol!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas all! May your day be filled with happiness, big hair, and cheer!

Year End Results...

These pictures mark my progress from January 2011 to December 2011. This is the first year that I have truly embraced being natural. I'm excited, I really didn't think I made much progress this year. I guess I can attribute my results to:

1) Moisturizing and sealing
2) Using Henna
3) Not overusing/abusing heat
4) Deep conditioning weekly
5) Using Low Manipulation and Protective Styling

Soooooooo....Can I officially claim BSL?

Kimmaytube's Leave-In Conditioner

Eureka! I have found a new staple!

I don't quite know what inspired me to try the Kimmaytube Leave-In Mix but I tried it out about two weeks ago. My braidout results were amazing. Fluffy but not frizzy. Defined. Curly on the ends. I thought to myself "no, maybe that's not it"...but it was the only new addition to my hair routine. I tried it again this weekend and scored another great braidout. So I am attributing this success to the Kimmaytube Leave-In.

The thing that I love about this leave-in is that it includes one of my favorite leave-ins: Kinky Curly Knot Today. And the rest of the recipe is below:


Recipe:

2 tablespoons of Knot Today Leave-In


2 tablespoons of Aloe Vera Juice with (pH 4.0 or 4.5)


2 teaspoons of Castor Oil


2 teaspoons of Another Oil (I tried Hot 6 Oil with my first batch, Alma Lite Oil with my second batch...came out the same. Some people use Jojoba Oil.)


*I make sure to put the mix in the fridge when I am done using it. I have been reading that Aloe Vera can spoil at room temperature and I didn't want to take my chances....

Karishma Henna

I have been using henna for over a year. I absolutely love the wonderful effects that henna has on my hair. Henna strengthens my mane, elongates my hair, and even gives it a pretty reddish tint in the sun. I also like that it provides it with an unbeatable moisture (which my hair seems to lack in the winter). I have used two brands since I have started using henna: Hesh and Jamila. Both are great brands of henna. Recently I tried a new brand that I fell in LOVE with, Karishma Henna.

I like that this henna is mixed with herbs such as Alma and Shikakai. This henna stands out from the other bands that I have used because it made my hair feel amazingly soft, like cotton candy soft. Also my curls have been more defined and less frizzy. If I could buy stock in this company, I would. It's just that good :)

She's baaaaack!

I wanted to leave the install in for just two more weeks...but I was feeling separation anxiety from my hair underneath... ;)

F.O.T.D. - Face Of The Day

Lately I have found my interest in makeup growing. I have never been a makeup person. The most that I will do when I go out is put on some lip gloss, mascara, and maybe some eye shadow. That's about it. But  throughout the year I have found myself checking out makeup blogs, browsing Sephora and Ulta online and also picking up a few items here and there. A good friend (LIvoirienneUSA) advised me to check out the drug store brands, especially since I'm not sure of what colors will look best on me and also because I'm a newbie. Maybe one day I will work up the courage to go to the MAC or Nars counter and make a purchase lol.

Again, I am absolutely no expert on makeup but this look was extremely easy for me to achieve. I think this would make a nice everyday look since it is very subtle. 

Lips: Revlon - Colorburst Lipstick 075 Peach

Eyelashes: Lancome - Hypnose Drama

Eyes: Revlon - Illuminance Creme Shadow - Not Just Nudes

Foundation: Maybelline - FITme!  

The Weave Chronicles

I've been having random moments of sadness because I miss my hair and all its big fluffiness. So I have developed the top five things that I am going to do in two (or three...hehe) weeks when I remove this weave...

1. Deep Condition (I might even do some Herbal Essences style Oooohing and Aaaahhhhing as I am Deep Conditioning because I miss it so much)

2. Henna. I am going to try and review on the blog Karishma Henna. One of my friends tried it and I swear her hair is cotton candy soft, I had dreams about it two nights in a row...

3. Play in my hair. Yes, I am going to abuse all natural hair laws on this one.

4. Try out some new styles. I want to try some new up-dos and I would like to re-try banding my hair.

5. Rock some funky looking beanie hats. Natural hair and beanie hats are like a match made in heaven.

I am not going to lie, I'm loving this protective styling break. I keep the hair moisturized underneath with shea butter and hot 6 oil. This also helps relieve my scalp of the itchies. Hopefully if I have maintained some hair underneath, I can incorporate weaves and wigs into my protective styling regimen!

Hair, Nails, and Shea Butter

It is now week three and I'm still protective styling with my install. I have noticed some tangling. This I'm guessing is to be expected because the hair was bought from the BSS and also because I'm wearing it curled rather than straight. As a result of trying to untangle the hair nightly (which takes about one minute...nothing major), the hair sheds. I have only noticed this when using the vent brush on my hair though. 

The first week I co-washed the hair with Herbal Essences. It kind of left the weave hair feeling weighed down. So in doing a little research, I heard that Pantene Pro-V works wonders on Remy. I surely was surprised by the results. This will be my weave staple. I'm hoping to go at least two more weeks with this hair. Can't wait to see if I've gained an inch or two during this time spent protective styling.

My new obsession is black nail polish. I thought it would give others the impression that I have gone to the dark side. Or that I'm trying out for a lead role in a vampire movie. But shockingly, it doesn't. I actually like it...a lot!

Here is my first successful Whipped Shea Butter **applause**.

I have always loved the moisturizing effects of Shea Butter in the colder months. It's the only product that got my hair through the winter of last year. It will be my main moisturizing boo again this year. Allow me to share the recipe...

Ingredients:

Raw Shea Butter (2 cups)

Coconut Oil (1/4 cup)

Castor Oil (1/3 cup)

Directions:

I melted the shea butter in the microwave until it was completely liquified. (Some people don't recommend this because it takes longer for it to solidify.) I then used my hand held blender to mix the Shea Butter, Coconut Oil, and Castor Oil together in a bowl for about 10 minutes on a high setting. The  liquid began to thicken slightly, but not enough (remember, I lack patience). I placed the bowl in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes. Once removing the bowl, I noticed that the mixture was much thicker. I used the hand held blender for another ten minutes and then poured the Shea Butter into small containers. 

That's all folks!

Goodwill Haul!!

One of my secret obsessions is thrifting. I just discovered this about a year ago while being an avid lurker on Looking Fly on a Dime's blog. I used to sit in awe at my computer screen wondering how she managed to get such great items for practically pennies. I emailed her during the summer and asked her if she knew of any great thrift store locations. Unfortunately she is more familiar with New Jersey and New York, but she did lead me in the direction of The Thrift Shopper. This website has wonderful reviews of thrift stores, all you have to do is put in your zip code or the name of your city. With luck, I managed to find three locations all under an hour away from me.

During my recent venture (actually today...lol), I grabbed these items.

I scored 6 items for under $20.00. I do not normally purchase shoes from the thrift store but the flats above were brand new. I tried them on and it was like heaven. Unfortunately there was no brand name in the shoes :(. The clothes above consist of: A black and white wrap dress, a short sleeved Express shirt, an Anne Taylor Cardigan, a Katherine NY Sweater, and a Style & Co. skirt.

I'm really feeling the Katherine NY Sweater above. I don't think the picture does justice. You might not be able to see it but the sweater is very vibrant and has little specks of sequins on the front. 

When I look at some of the things people give away I wish I knew who they were so that I could grab them by the shoulders and shake them while asking: "Why would you give this away!?!?" Then again, one woman's trash is another woman's treasure! 

Has anyone else discovered great items while thrifting?

Ding Dong. Who is it? It's your shoes...

My shoes arrived today! Well, not the Steve Maddens...those were supposed to arrive last week. But stupid me thought that UPS has a "return center". I was all kinds of wrong. I called to inquire (after their third attempt...hehe) how I could pick up my shoes. They told me they were en-route to the warehouse and that I would have to go back online and repurchase them (for 30.00 more). I was heart broken, distraught, all of that....

So after searching on their website for about an hour, I found a pair of nude BCBGeneration pumps. They were 41.00 (ten  dollars more than the Steve Maddens when I purchased them)...but I bought them anyway because they had good reviews. I'm in love...

And here are some more pictures of my install...

A friend pointed out that I didn't have any pictures posted

yesterday to show the length of the hair in the back.

The curls were created with a curling iron in a spiral 

motion. I used a little bit of Garnier Fructis Hair

Serum on my leave out and CHI Iron Guard

on both my weave and my leave out. 

I put four orange flexi-rods in my hair

nightly to maintain the curls. I think when I wash my hair

(two weeks from now...hopefully I can last lol) then

I will go for a style that requires less maintenance...maybe

straight?

Got my hair did...

I'm weaved up for a couple of weeks. Yay! (I will still be updating the blog even though I am protective styling with the weave.)

I like the idea of having little to no maintenance on my hands for the upcoming weeks. So far I have gotten lots of compliments with this install. It blends very nicely with my natural hair, even though the color (#2) is a bit lighter than mine.

yuck...lol, my manly cornrows. She sewed my actual hair together so that it
wasn't so bulky. It also helps to make it impossible to unravel.

A Little Autumn OOTD

As were are in the midst of one of my favorite seasons (obviously Summer is first)...I am realizing how much I fall more and more in love with this season! One of the main reasons is because it's boot weather. Next to hair and nails I am developing another obsession: shoes. I just ordered a pair of Nude colored pumps from 6pm.com, for their up to 75% off Steve Madden Sale. Literally, the pumps were over 100.00, and I got them for 29.95. I will make a post with pictures of my newbies once they arrive this week. 

In the mean time, I leave you with some pictures of my OOTD...And the straight hair is still here. I'm crossing my fingers to get weaved up this upcoming weekend. I'm going to have a friend do my sew in, because I am not one for keeping styles for too long. I can't see myself paying 100.00 for something I might not even keep in for a week. So I figured I'd keep the straight hair until then....

I've suffered from noassatall my whole life, but I love skinny jeans too much to care!

Outfit Details -
Shirt: Thrifted (3.99)
Jeans: Gap (34.99 during their 50% off  sale)
Boots: Barefeet (bought these about 3 years ago...I don't remember the price..)

I lied...

I said I wasn't going to take pictures and put them on here of my hair straight. I heard the camera calling my name though, so I decided to pose for the camera for a *flick* *flick* *flick*...

To maintain my straight hair I wrap it every night/nap. Yes, I said nap. Yes I will be thirty in three years and still take naps. Who gon' check me boo? haha

My intentions are to keep it straight for one more week...

I am contemplating (probably because of the gorgeous young lady Tierra @ Badd Hair Day Blog) getting a weave before the end of the month. I've got my eye on possibly doing 10 inches on the top and 12 inches on the bottom with a U-Shaped leave in on top (also with the sides out). I would like to leave it in for 6 weeks or more to give my hair a much needed break. But I have hair anxiety. I can't go long periods of time with my hair feeling stuck to one style. Which is why I have been alternating between curly and straight lately. I'm hoping this will give me my straight "fix"...

I guess we shall see!

Nails

I get kind of bored with straight hair quicker than the average person...so I don't want to bore you all with more pictures of it. Instead I figured I would update with pictures of my nails from earlier this week. I know the half moon manis might be a little outdated to some but I still consider them as an "in" inside of my world lol.

Length Check, Check, Check it Ouuuut

Got my hair did today...lol

I'm sure I'll have some better shots in the upcoming week, this is just a quickie ;) 

Closing in on bsl. My goal is to make it to BSL, then cut above the bra strap to
obtain healthy ends.

And here is a picture from May 2011, 4 months ago.