PSA

"Just because he got you pregnant, does not mean you just got a pass to change your relationship status from single to married."

Hair Inspiration of the Week: KinkyKurlyQueen

KinkyCurlyQueen is what I would call a low manipulation natural. Natural for about 3.5 years, KKQ keeps her 4a/3c hair in twists quite often; so much so that she has become known for her gorgeous mini/micro twists. Check out her youtube page:   http://www.youtube.com/user/KinkyKurlyQueen#p/u/19/IBckpLGjdag , her website http://naturallyobsessed.net/ , and her fotki http://members.fotki.com/KinkyKurlyQueen .

 

**I do not own this picture. Property of naturallyobsessed.net

 

Figuring out what products work for your hair

One of the hardest things to figure out during your healthy hair journey is what works for you hair. While some people may luck out and figure out their "go to" products early on, many others take months or even years to truly master their product combination. Here are a few tips to consider when trying to figure out what products work for your hair.

 

1) Avoid trying multiple products at once. Doing so will only confuse you when it comes time to figure out what does and doesn't work for your hair. If your hair feels dry now but you changed your shampoo, conditioner, and moisturizer, how will you know which one is the culprit? The best thing to do is to change only one product in a given week. This allows you to compare if the state of your hair has changed for the better, worse, or remains unchanged with the new addition.

2) Pay attention to what your hair is telling you. At each step of your hair regimen, pay attention to how your hair feels. If your hair felt soft up until you put that conditioner in or your hair got tangled when  you put the shampoo in, or it stayed soft & moisturized for days after using that new moisturizer, then that should tell you how your hair is reacting to that product. Also, it is important for you to learn about your hair in general. Is it dense or fine, thick or thin, porous or not, damaged or healthy, protein hungry or moisture hungry, etc? This is helpful to know because it may help to point you towards a certain product line that caters to porous hair & thus has a lower pH in their products (ie: Joico) or one that specifies that it's for fine hair, etc.

3) Read ingredients & take notes. Pay attention to what products your hair responds to both favorably and unfavorably. Take note of the ingredients in each and note trends. By doing that, you may start to notice that your hair reacts poorly to products with X ingredient or that your hair tends to love products with Y ingredient, making it easier for you to choose what products to try or not try.

4) Take product tips from hair cousins. These are people who have the same hair qualities in density, strand thickness, porosity, reaction to products and environmental factors, etc. These can be people who you know in real life or people on hair forums, fotki, or youtube. Though there is no guarantee that what works for them will work for you, it is more likely that you'd have better luck with asking them versus someone else who does not share similar hair qualities.  Just because Sue is black & natural, doesn't mean that the products that work well for her thick, dense, low porosity hair hair that thrives with oil based products, loves silicones, and butters, will work for your fine, thin, overly porous hair. But if Ashley also has fine, thin, overly porous hair that also seems to frizz easily, does well with henna and with light protein, seems to hate shea butter & glycerine based products, but thrives with water based products just like your hair, well then maybe you should be more inclined to try the products (and even hair care practices) that she has found suitable for her.

5) Don't become a product junkie. It's easy to spend tons of money on products because of all of the youtube or forum raves, or because this person and that person swear that it's the best product. What happens is that you quickly begin to accumulate tons of products and waste hundreds of dollars,  although you've found several that worked well for you. Rather than wasting money and time by doing this, remain focused on figuring out what works for your hair and be systematic in your approach to trying products by applying some of the previously mentioned tips. That way, even if you're initially a product junkie (which is not atypical early on in your journey),  at least there is a method to the madness. Likewise, if you find something early on that works fine, keep it in the rotation. In other words, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

6) Look for product samples when you can. Some lines allow you to purchase sample size products which helps to save some money and prevents you from collecting liters of products that you realize that your hair hates. Also, some hair forums have product exchange opportunities where you can swap hair products with someone else at no cost or buy  half used product that didn't work for someone. Take advantage of sales and promotional codes to try new products. Or get them for cheaper at places like Marshalls and Ross. All of these things can help you save money while trying to find your holy grail products.

7) Break up product lines. Contrary to what some believe, just because you use the shampoo of a particular brand doesn't mean you must use the conditioner and moisturizer from that company as well. In fact, it is not unheard of for a company to have great conditioners and poor shampoos, and vice versa. Let go of the " I have to use all of the Organics products" mentality and instead, mix and match to figure out what hair products from what companies work for you.

 

With these tips, you'll be on your way to finding the products that work for you in no time.

 

 

Happy Growing!

 

B

Online Hair Terminology

If you're new to the world of the online hair communities, you've probably been at a loss trying to figure out what all the abbreviations mean. I know I naturally use some abbreviations myself but may forget to explain what they are. To help with the situation, I'm giving you a list of common hair lingo that may help you to navigate the hair boards/forums/yt videos. I'll add to the list as I remember more.

ACV: apple cider vinegar

APL: arm pit length

AVJ: Aloe vera juice

AVG: Aloe Vera Gel

AO: Aubrey organics

AOWC: Aubrey organics White Camelia

AOHSR: Aubrey organics Honeysuckle Rose

BC: Big Cut; This is most often used to describe the final cut that eliminates the rest of ones relaxed ends/locs to become fully natural or a loose natural.. Others may use it to describe a major cut of >3 inches.

BSL: bra strap length

CON: Cream of Nature

CON green: The holy grail original formula of CON that everyone seems to love

Cones: short for Silicones

EVOO: extra virgin olive oil

EL: Ear length

HE: Herbal Essences

HE LTR: HE Long Term Relationship

HTH: Hope that helps

HH: human hair

IMO: in my opinion

KCKT: Kinky Curly Knot Today

KT: Kimmaytube

LHCF: Long Hair Care Forum

LF: Lacefront

MBL: midback length

NG: new growth

NL: neck length

SLS - sodium laureth sulfate

SL = Shoulder length

 

 

HTH!

B

couchsurfing.com

Red Lobster 4-course Seafood Feast for $15

That's right! Red Lobster is offering this steal of a deal until July 25th!!

So what do you get?

A choice of soup:  New England Chowder or Potato Bacon Soup

A salad: Fresh Garden Salad or Caesar Salad

An Entree, from which you can choose between:

• Shrimp-and-Scallops Alfredo
• Spicy Coconut and Citrus Shrimp
• Garlic-Herb Shrimp and Chicken
• Wood-Grilled Tilapia
• Parrot Isle Jumbo Coconut Shrimp
• Cajun Chicken Linguini Alfredo
• Hand-Breaded Shrimp

 

And dessert:  Sweet Cinnamon Doughnut Bites, Triple-Chocolate Brownie a la Mode or Key Lime Pie.

Not to forget the unlimited melt in your mouth cheddar bay biscuits.....mmmmmm......

 

So whether you're looking for an affordable girl's night out, a chance to take that special girl out on a simple & affordable date, or a family dinner for a great price, Red Lobster is a great option for the next week.  I'll definitely be taking advantage of this deal.

 

Happy Feasting!

 

B

Thank you

First off, I want to say Thank you to the great God almighty who sustained me through these last two months. As some of you may know, I was studying for the second part of my medical board exam. The board exam is a 8 hour exam, taken during the course of a 9 hour day, that is meant to test you on all of your medical knowledge over the previous years. There are 3 parts: the first taken between 2nd and 3rd year of medical school, the second between 3rd and 4th, and the final during your intern year of residency. The completion of all three of these exams allow you to be officially licensed to practice medicine. But aside from that, those exams may dictate whether you get to move to the next school year, what type of specialty you'll be able to practice, or the caliber of residency program for which you'll be eligible. Needless to say, it's a pretty big deal.

So, please understand the celebration that exists in my heart now that I'm done (I'm trusting and believing that there will be no failing). Though I won't receive the scores for another 6 weeks, God has already given me the victory over this exam. So I am thanking Him for what He's done for me and what He will continue to do for me.

The other big thank you goes to all of you guys. Your prayers, kind words, encouragement and understanding while you got a little less attention, mean the world to me! Those things do a lot when you're getting burned out and tired of studying.  I pray that God will meet the needs of every one of you. Amen.

 

A toast to moving forward and higher in life! A new chapter begins.

 

 

Love,

 

B

 

 

Free Slurpee Day at 7-11

In honor of their birthday, 7-11 is giving away free slurpees all day. FYI the slurpee cups are a mini size, 7.11 ounce cup (how fitting....or cheap?) . But hey, it's hot outside and it's free.  Another FYI, you might have to ask the cashier because the location I went to seemed to be trying to keep it on the DL.

 

Unh Unh. Not with me honey.

 

 

Enjoy!

B

 

Repost: This site will KILL any diets that you might be on!

**I'm reposting this because I JUST realized that the link was incorrect in the original post. And I'd HATE to be the person who kept someone from discovering the deliciousness of this website:-) It has been corrected. Sorry to those who may not have found it.

........Or at least threaten to kill it....fast. Now, I'm a foodie y'all. A hard core one. You know, the kind that can tell you exactly what's cooking with a few sniffs? The kind that can tell you what seasonings went into a meal by it's taste? And definitely the type that can go on websites like the one I'm about to give you, and just drool for days. Mmmm.........

Ok, so I'm giving any of yall who are on a diet a warning. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT  go to this website if you don't want to be tormented. It is that serious! lol

Now that I've warned you, YOU HAVE TO GO TO THIS WEBSITE:  www.foodgawker.com . I've known about this site for over a year now and it has got to be one of my favorite food sites. I haven't even made a recipe on there yet but I just go and literally gawk at the deliciousness on my screen (....what??.....don't act like you don't do things like that! ) . I anticipate my schedule freeing up a little more very soon. And when it does, I'm going to be all over those recipes!

Anyways, check it out! Let me know what you think. And tell me that you don't have a big kid moment when you're on there!

 

Happy drooling!

 

B

Rain, Thunder, and Waiting for you

Dreary, rainy weather, plus boring studyiing = mushy moments and  daydreaming about where you are.....

Quick Fix: 5 min salad meal

Salads are always a nice healthy meal to turn to. They are quick, easy, and healthy. This is a prepacked romaine lettuce based salad ( forego iceburg for darker greens which pack more nutrients), topped with tuna made my way (recipe for another day), chopped eggs (which were already boiled and in the fridge from a previous day) and tomatoes. Serve with a light dressing of your choice, and you have a nice lunch or light dinner in no time.

Hair Inspiration of the Week: Ninapruitt

Nina is a long term transitioner who has been on the road from relaxed to natural for almost 2 years. For those of you who are considering long term transitioning or who have started the transition and need some tips  on how to do so more effectively, check out her videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/ninapruitt

 

PSA

"You should never give someone else the power to make you persistently unhappy in your own life. "

PSA

"God shouldn't hear His name being called only when things are going bad in your life. "

Short Posts

If you follow me on facebook, then you know I'm in hibernation mode while I'm studying for the second step of my medical licensure exam.  As a result, I don't really have time to make long thought out blog posts. However, that doesn't mean I shouldn't blog at all, right?  That said, I've decided to blog daily, but I'll be keeping  things short and sweet. So what can you expect:

1. The return of quick tips  and  hair inspiration of the week.
2. Finally posting some of the millions of pictures that I keep taking for hair style and meal inspiration.
3. The beginning of a new post series called PSA (public service announcement). These will be short 1-2 sentence long messages of random things that float through my head. Beware-there are a lot of random things that float through my head lol.
4. Links to articles or videos that I like or think  may be helpful

 

I hope that you guys will enjoy the daily blog posts!  And please keep  me in your prayers for this exam. I need all that I can get.

 

 

Happy Sunday!

 

B