December Goals...How did I do?

1. NO NEW PRODUCT BUYS AT ALL - I have goal absolutely crazy with buying products in November. So much so that I am fully stocked up on products for awhile. There is no need to buy anything new to try out...I did it, I did it! Lol I haven't bought a single product this month. Not even to replenish old products. Although, I almost bought some of those TGIN products 2 days into the month. Lol I am super proud of myself.

2. Take Manebolism Vitamins nightly - I'll touch on this in more detail in the future. I have finished my second bottle of Manetabolism.

3. Continue to deep condition with steam at least once a week -  I have been loving using steam during my deep conditioning sessions. I can't see myself using my dryer to DC anytime soon. I have kind off slacked a bit with this. I didn't steam as much I wanted to. Will be back at it next month.

4. Keep my Just Grow Already Journal up-to-date. - I fell off with using my journal for a few months during the year. I have been back on it since August. I believe she will have one for 2014 and I will be purchasing it. Even though I did update my journal I still didn't do after each wash day. I bought the new journal and will be updating it soon.

5. ABSOLUTELY NO HEAT. - I am not a heat basher in the least. I like wearing my hair down to relieve the tedium of bunning so much. As I mentioned before I hate that for some reason when I try to comb through my hair when it's straight that my ends tend to stick together (if that makes sense). So I will take it one month at a time and not use any heat until I get my touch up. I did not get my hair done this month. No heat has touched my hair this month.

I think I did. fabulous job this month with my goals. Lol

How did you do?

Liebster Awards 2013

I was nominated for the Liebster Award and I am totally grateful for that. Candice from Healthy Hair Diary and Sheila from Anything Hair Related were the two lovely ladies that nominated me. My blog started out as way for me to keep track of my hair journey and if it's provided any help to someone out there that's even better. So here it goes.

Both pictures are from Shiela's Anything Hair Related blog

11 Random Facts:

1. I hate critters... bugs are the worse

2. I have never owned a pair of Jordans in my life. Kinda want a pair just because. lol

3. I am a serious chocolate fanatic

4. I have been with my love for 13 years.

5. I am a huge Harry Potter fan. I watch the movies a lot. lol

6. I haven't been to Vegas in my adult years. That will be changing soon.

7. The Bahamas is my dream vacation spot and so is St. Thomas and St. Maarten

8. I haven't worn a 2 piece swimsuit as an adult. *insert sad face*

9. I am an interior designer in my head. lol

10. I have a really bad habit of chewing ice. I've been like since I was a kid.

11. I do not wear makeup. In fact, I don't own a piece of makeup. lol

Candice's Questions

1.       What is your favourite colour? Orange

2.       Describe your hair in 3 words. Healthier, Longer, Soft

3.       What length do you consider long hair? BSL

4.       How many blogs do you follow? A lot. I don't know the specific number

5.       What is your most expensive hair purchase to date? Ummm...Maybe my Shi-Naturals Conditioners

6.       Pink or red nails, which do you prefer? Neither. I like brighter colors. 

7.       Do you have any hobbies, share at least 2? No hobbies. I need one though.

8.       What is your favourite TV series? Scandal of course

9.       Are you left or right handed? Right

10.   Have you ever been to the Caribbean, which island? Jamaica and the Cayman Islands

11.   Do you have any siblings? Nope. Only child here

Sheila's Questions:

1. If someone asked you to give them a random piece of advice, what would you say? To not analyze every single thing. It takes the fun out of it.
2. Do you have a hair crush? No hair crush but I am loving Tressedforsuccess, Prettywitty, Onika, Megz, Traycee, and few other ladies
3. What is one of your personal goals for the New Year? To stick to my weight loss journey
4. If money was no object, what would you do all day? Lay on a beach in the Caribbean somewhere.
5. Do you prefer towel drying, blow drying or natural drying your hair?  I towel dry then air dry
6. What's your favorite quote? Don't have one 
7. If you could create your perfect hair product and sell it to others, what would this product promise to do on the description label? (Example: Hair Wonderland: Keeps hair moisturized for days without reapplication)  I would want to invent the perfect detangler
8. Do you have anything on your hair wishlist? Surprisingly No
9. What did your last Tweet/Facebook post say? My last Facebook post said "Alright Matt Forte". The Bears/Packers game is on as I write this. Go BEARS!
10. In a movie about your life, which actor or actress would you like to play your character? Oh wow I have no clue lol
11. What's your favorite iPhone/Android app? I have been playing the heck out of the Simpson's Tapped Out game

Candace's Questions:

1. What is goal length?

2. Who is your favorite sports team?

3. If you could vacation anywhere in the world, where it be?

4. What is one of your hair journey goals for the new year?

5. Who is your go to hair guru?

6. Favorite TV show?

7. What is the one thing you can't go a day without? 

8. What has been the best hair advice you were ever given?

9. What was the concert you ever attended?

10. Which do you frequent the most? Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter

11. How old are you?

I nominate any newcomer to blogging. Since a lot of the people that I follow have already done this.

Croc Clips

I can't keep up with anything. lol Yes I know I am missing 2 clips.

This is the only hair related purchase I made this month and it was well worth. I saw these clips on the Just Grow Already and Relaxed Thairpy Blogs. The first thing that popped into my mind was I have got to me some of those. I eventually did. These are some the best clips that I have bought to-date. The clips in the second pic will never touch my hair again. They have snagged my hair for the last time. I have noticed that they do not grip my hair well any more. They have been slipping off. That's when I knew it was time to retire those clips. The Croc Clips haven't snagged or pulled out any strands. These clips grip very well and have not slipped off. These are definitely a winner.

I can say with certainty that I won't be using these again

I took a page from Jeni's book and I have been using the Croc Clips to stretch the hair when I air dry. Ladies, when I tell you that this has been a life saver and I am not kidding. Since I have a lot more texlaxed hair and 18 weeks worth of natural hair, when my hair is completely dry it is very puffy. Using these to stretch has made it more manageable. I definitely recommend them.

Favorite Products of the Year

I have tried and tried many products this year. Some stuck around and others are collecting dust in the products graveyard. lol So let's see which ones made it to my favorites list.

Shampoos:

Purgasm's Cocoa and Yogurt Bar




This shampoo bar is great. It gets the job done. It cleanses my hair but doesn't strip it. It's like using a sulfate free shampoo. When I want to clarify my hair I use the Bobeam Cocoa and Rhassoul Bar.

Cleansing Conditioner:

As I Am Coconut Cowash

I rediscovered this product this year. I had written it off awhile ago and decided to give it try one more time. I am so glad I did. Honoraable mention: Eden Body Works Coconut Cleansing Conditioner

Conditioners: 

Hairitage Hydration Pink Grapefruit Punch Conditioner

This conditioner...OMG. lol When I first used I wasn't sure about it but when I tell you this conditioner is the truth...it is. It is my cowash conditioner. My hair feels extremely soft, moisturized, and easy to detangle. It's pointless to say that's a staple. Is still use TreSemme Naturals from time to time. I have no choice. You know why if you saw post about why I bought so many bottles of it a few months back. lol

Leave-Ins/Moisturizers:

Shi-Naturals Moisture Balance Leave-in (Chocolate Scent)

This is the absolute best leave-in ever. Shi-Naturals is such a great product line and will forever (at least while she stills makes them) be in my regimen. I use this leave as my daily moisturizer. Since I am very bad at covering my hair at night this product saves my hair every morning. What I love about it is that my hair never feels weighed down and it doesn't leave build up on my hair.

Hairitage Hydration Soft Coconut Marshmallows

This is another OMG moment. I am currently 18 weeks post relaxer and this leave-in gets the detangling job done. I use it on damp hair and when my hair dries it is left soft and moisturized. It has a soft lime scent because of the lime butter that is it. Great product.

Deep Conditioners:

Shi-Naturals Coconut Creme Conditioner

Shi-Naturals Peppermint Stimulating Conditioner

Shi-Naturals ACV Balancing Conditioner

These conditioners are bar-non some of the best deep conditioners that I have ever used. I find myself using these more often then the other deep conditioners in my stash especially the first two that are pictured above. What I love about them is how well and fast they sink into my hair. They are moisture/protein balanced. My hair always feels soft and moisturized when I use them.

Sealants:

Organix Coconut Milk Anti-Breakage Serum

I still use this product. I haven't deviated from it. It's a great way to put a little bit of protein in your hair but over do it. It has a nice coconut scent to it. Since it's freezing in Chicago, I can't really use Coconut Oil right now.

Gel:

Eco Styler Gel Argan Oil

This gel does a great job of laying down these edges. lol It doesn't flake and it doesn't weigh my hair down either. Two great and rare qualities in a gel.

What products made you favs list for the year?

Hair Inspiration

The video speaks for itself. I wish I had the patience to transition for 36 months. Her name is Alexxhes on Instagram. She recently posted a picture of her cutting her relaxed ends off. So enjoy the video and be inspired.

Wash Day Chronicles (12/18/13) and Hair Myth

It has been a very long time since I have done a wash day post on here. lol So here it goes. Last week, I wasn't feeling up to doing a cowash and deep conditioning session. So I skipped it which is something that I do not do. I am very strict when it comes to sticking to my regimen. When I finally got around to washing my hair it was so dry and bit a harder to detangle. Although I didn't lose a lot of hair after detangling, I can't see myself skipping another wash day. Those mid-week washes definitely help with the manageability of my hair. So let's fast forward to today. Today was a cowash day and I made sure I got it in. Due to laziness, I used one product and one product only, Hairitage Hydration Pink Grapefruit Punch Conditioner. I rinsed my hair with water then applied to conditioner to each section. I then applied a plastic cap and left it on for about an hour or so. I did end up putting my conditioning bonnet on to trap more heat. My hair was so soft and easy to detangle after I rinsed out the conditioner. I applied my Soft Coconut Marshmallow leave-in to help with detangling. Sealed with the Organix Coconut Milk Anti-Breakage Serum. As I am typing out this post, my hair is air drying using the scarf method to slick my edges down some. Overall, it was a very successful wash day.

Black Hair Myth #845 lol

*Relaxers can be striped from the hair..*

This is FALSE! There is no way, shape, or form that you can strip the relaxer from you hair. The structure of the hair has been permanently altered. No product can return your hair to it's natural state. You have to cut the relaxed hair off (either transitioning or big chopping) in order to return your hair to it's natural state. What prompted this part of the post is a video I saw that was posted today. The young lady wanted to give tips on how to prevent shampoo from stripping relaxers. It kind of made me cringe a bit. Although I do enjoy this person's videos, I don't watch for hair care tips. I had to comment on this video just because I didn't want her to give out misinformation and false hope especially to a newbie. I hope this helped someone.

The Mane Choice Manetabolism Healthy Hair Vitamin

I have, in the past, refused  to take vitamins. I just wasn't interested in them. Over the last 3 years or so, I have seen ladies take biotin, Hairfinity, and other hair, skin, and nails vitamins. Although I did look into buying biotin, at one point, I chickened out because I was afraid of getting really bad breakouts like I had read about. I deal with that enough on my own. I don't need the help from a vitamin. lol I'd buy regular multivitamins but would never finish the bottle. The only multivitamin I finished was the Target brand gummy vitamins. But I gave in and decided I was going to try them out. I was going to go with Hairfinity because of all the good results I was seeing being posted not only from the company themselves but from a few you tubers. After seeing some good results and also wanting to support a black owned small business, I went with You tuber CourtneyNaturalHair's Manetabolism Healthy Hair Vitamins.

I decided to buy a 4 month supply of the vitamins in order to see how much I really benefited from them. She had a 50% off Black Friday Sale and got 2 more bottles. I will have a total of 6 month supply. One bottle is already done. I do have a starting pic, although it was taken about 2 1/2 weeks after I first started taking the vitamins. I won't post any length check pics until I have finished the first 4 bottles. By then my stretch and no heat challenge will be over. Look here for more information on the vitamins. It is recommended to take 2 capsules at night right before bed because the body absorbs it better during that time. I usually have a little snack beforehand as well. Afterwards, I drink a full bottle water to help prevent any breakouts. I haven't had any problems with breakouts so far. Yay me. lol I think after I am done with these I might give Hairfinity a shot. We'll see.