Look What I Finally Got My Hands On

I am so happy to finally have a steamer. I posted not too long ago that I wanted one. I ordered the Secura Facial and Hair Steamer through Amazon for 79.99. I ordered it on the 10th and it was delivered on the 13th. I am a Amazon Prime member so I had free 2 day shipping. I had it just in time for my wash day on Tuesday and I think I'm in love. I'll have a more detailed review after I've used it a few more times but I will say that I love how much more the conditioner sank into my hair. I want to steam after each wash day but I'm a bit too nervous to do it. I'm afraid of causing moisture overload. Making sure that I continue to add protein conditioners it should be fine. I think that I will try it out and will keep a close watch on my hair to see how it reacts to it. We'll see.

Book Review

10 Easy Steps to Go Natural Without Cutting Your Hair Off by Nik Scott
*This is going to be a short review*

This book is very short and easy read. I honestly feel like I could have saved my money. This book mainly focuses on the psychological aspect of going natural and a lot of it is pretty repetitive and it's not very thorough. There really isn't much else to say about it. One of the main points that she focuses on throughout the book is referring to your new growth as just your natural hair. She crosses out the phrase new growth numerous times. She wants you stop looking at your new growth as a separate entity and think of it as one head of hair.

Ex: "I was ready for the over flow of new growth natural hair that I had, I was ready for the styling changes that I needed to do."

After awhile this got annoying but I understand where she is coming from.

If you are having a hard time wrapping your mind around going natural and you need a bit of mental kick this book is for you. If you are looking for more of practical approach, techniques, and tips you will not find it here. I was one of those people who was looking for more specific tips since she transition for a little over a year. Since I am not planning on relaxing/texlaxing anytime soon and those types of tips would definitely have been helpful. Although the book was a pleasant read it wasn't what I was looking for.

I'm Sick Of Buns

YES YES YES... It is time to put the buns to the side for a hot second. My hair has been in buns and ponytails since I got highlighted at the end of March. I am on a no heat challenge as well until the end of June but that's being put on hold as well. That'll be 9 weeks of bunning and no heat. I have decided to go to the shop and get my hair straightened for Memorial Day Weekend. I think I want a wet wrap. It's time to have some fun and enjoy my hair. I'll try to keep it straight for about a week then I'm back on track until the end of June/early July. I know that I can switch it up with twist-out, bantu-knot outs, and braid outs but these bone straight ends are saying otherwise. I'm excited to let someone else do my hair and to wear it straight for a bit.

New Read

I have been interested in reading some hair care books lately. The first I read was Ms. Kibibi's book, The 5 Hair Archetypes. Her book was very informative and very detailed. She broke down what the 5 Archetypes or hair personalities are. Here is the description: The book has COLOR photos, flow charts, QR codes to video tutorials, text boxes and much more! In The 5 Hair Archetypes, Sharifa Barnett details the innovative model for understanding your hair based on your current routine. The hair archetypes, or hair personalities, categorize women based on their hair habits, and share anecdotal stories of real women and Sharifa's own experience as that archetype. You can take The 5 Hair Archetypes Quiz to identify your current archetype. Sharifa dispels the most common hair myths and challenges you to reconsider your explanations for not having the hair of your dreams. This book also provides practical information for building a regimen that will yield results in 21 days, including: - Suggested regimen for each archetype, - Discussion on common hair problems and simple solutions, - A guide on properly using extensions to retain length, and much more! The 5 Hair Archetypes takes a comprehensive, systematic approach to hair care that will teach you how to achieve your hair goals.



Next up on the list is the "10 Easy Steps to Go Natural Without Cutting Your Hair Off" by Nik aka Long Hair Don't Care on You Tube. Since I want to stretch for as long as I can and even go natural eventually, I think that this book could probably help with that. I'm calling it a long stretch because calling it a transition sounds so official. lol Also, I don't want to call it a transition because if I feel like the condition of my hair is going downhill I would go ahead start back texlaxing because big chopping out of the question. I will be checking this out to see if there are any useful tips.

Aunt Jackie's Curls and Coils: Knot On My Watch Instant Detangling Therapy

Now that I am stretching long term, I need to keep the tangles and knots to a bare minimum. I have been pretty successful with that so far but I feel like it can be better. I have seen the Knot On My Watch Instant Detangling Therapy at my local beauty supply but never really paid much attention it. I start my detangling process in the shower and then continue it when I apply my leave-ins. I've even tried detangling before I wash by spraying either the Moisture Balance or the Protein Balance Leave-Ins on dry hair. That uses up too much of my leave-ins. I went to the beauty supply and picked this up. It has this really pretty peachy smell to me and the consistency is very thin. I really want this to be a successful long tern stretch, I hope this help with  detangling. I'll be using it on Wednesday when I co-wash. Stay tuned for a first impressions post. Also, this product is sulfate free. paraban free, has no mineral oil, and no petrolatum

Here is the description and ingredients from the website:

Have no fear! Your hair has its own personal Super Hero, guarding against tangles, knots and unruly, tresses! With the power of its "silky slip," Knot On My Watch helps the comb glide through hard-to-manage hair, leaving it tangle-free and protected from breakage, while restoring a healthy moisture balance.   Use as often as needed on wet or dry hair.  Great detangling solution for all hair types and textures.  

Use it: Apply a generous amount throughout hair, concentrating on areas that are more prone to tangles and knots.  Comb through with a wide-tooth comb. Do not pull tangles.  Apply more to difficult areas and gently comb in small sections, starting from the bottom of strands, moving upward, until comb glides through hair from roots to ends. Follow with CURL LA LA Defining Curl Custard.

INGREDIENTS: Aqua (Water), Propylene Glycol, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) Fruit, PEG-150 Distearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Glycerin, Parfum (Fragrance), Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, PPG-1 Trideceth-6, Cyclopentasiloxane, Phenyl Trimethicone, Lanolin Oil, Polyquaternium-37, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Acrylamidopropyltrimonium Chloride/Acrylamide Copolymer, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Stearalkonium Chloride, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, d-Limonene, Hexyl cinnamic aldehyde, Linalool, Amyl cinnamic aldehyde, Lilial,Benzyl alcohol, Citronellol, Hydroxycitronellal, Cinnamic alcohol, 5-chloro-2-methyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one, 2-Methyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one, CI 17200 (Red 33), CI 19140 (Yellow)

How did I do with my April Goals?

Another month has come and gone. Time to see how I did  with my goals.

April Goals

1. Drink 4 bottles of water daily - I pretty much had between 2-4 bottles of water daily. I think I did pretty good with this one.

2. Exercise 3 days a week - I exercised twice this month. So...yeah

3. Drink 3 glasses of carrot juice a week - I had two cups of carrot juice. 

4. No heat during the month of April - No heat touched my hair this month

5. Make sure to clarify this month - Used my Cocoa and Rhassoul Shampoo Bar to clarify this month
6. No new product buy (only if replacing a product) - I did not purchase any new products this month

Ramble: Finally Found It

You all know that I am really loving the color in my hair. I have been on the hunt for another box since I had it done. But this color system has been very elusive. According to some of the comments left on Shea Moisture's Facebook fan page, a good number of the Target stores that Shea Moisture says has their color system no longer have it in stock. But I got lucky and was able to snag a box from the new Target store in Downtown Chicago. I remember seeing the color there over a month ago. I was shocked that it was still there. I'll be retouching my color in August and I'm saving the box this time around. lol