Hi L💋VABLES!!!! It's been a super duper long time since I've blogged and so much has happened, but I'll save that for another day and blog about it. Early this year I went on a "hair challenge" where I took some vows concerning my hair. In a nutshell, I said that I was going back to my original holy grail (the products I used when I first returned to my natural hair state). I also said that I was only going to wash my hair once a week, moisturize, protective style, detangle, deep condition and use my satin bonnet and/or pillowcase. (For more detail, please check out the post here. So it's been approximately 6 months since I took the challenge. For the most part, I did what I vowed to do with a few exceptions. Due to a lot of product buildup on my scalp, I had to shampoo/cowash more than one time a month at least once during that 6 month period. I did protective style as much as possible, which included buns, twist-outs, and flat twists. I did change a few of my products because I ran out of it. I stopped using the Profectiv Mega Growth Leave-In Conditioner (I ran out) and started using the Shea Moisture Manuka Honey and Mafura Oil Intensive Hydration Hair Masque and the Baobab & Tea Tree Oils Low Porosity Protein-Free Leave-In Conditioner. Now as for those two, the hair masque made my hair really soft but it shrunk my hair so small until I looked like Samuel Jackson and I have a decent length of hair. His expression on his face explain how I looked at my hair in the mirror every time I used that product LOL. Anyways, I stopped using that products for more reasons that one (including Shea Moisture Ad, which I may discuss later). As for the Leave-In Conditioner. I don't know that it really made a difference in my hair whether I used it or not. Also, as a shampoo I tried the Camille Rose Sweet Ginger Cleansing Rinse and that was a BIG NO NO!!! That shampoo caused me to have a lot of single strand knots and left my hair super stripped. My hair felt like it was coming out in clumps no matter how much conditioner I used. So I quickly stopped using that.
Now it were three products that I added to my hair regimen that are my newest holy grails. They are the Tailored Beauty Everything Butter (link to product), Wild Growth Hair Oil & Wild Growth Light Hair Moisturizer (link to products). I learned about Tailored Beauty's Everything Butter because of the Taliah Waajid's 20th Anniversary Natural Hair Show 2017. I received a sample of their product and when I tell you it is sooooooooo moisturizing. It truly locks in your moisture and less is more. It doesn't take a whole lot of product and it leaves your hair soft, moisturized, shiny, and smelling amazing. It has a shea butter base, which I now know for sure works well with my hair. The Wild Growth Hair Oil & Light Hair Moisturizer is amazing also. I use it after I wash my hair as well as during the work to oil my scalp and moisturize my hair. I use it 3x a week. It has a slight order to it but it doesn't bother me. Also, it isn't a long lasting scent and if used at night the smell is gone by the morning or within the hour after using it. Now I have thinner edges, but I have seen my edges begin to use this product. In addition, it has reduced my hair from shedding tremendously and the the light hair moisturizer acts a hair barrier for shampoos, keeping it from stripping the natural oils from my scalp. I have been using this product for about 2 to 3 months and can tell a difference in the thickness of my hair and somewhat the length. I'll be able to give more information about the length of my hair by December. But you should definitely give these products a try. If you do please follow the instructions on the website. :) Now for my next challenge, I am currently trying out a health challenge. I have cut out all junk food, sweets, drinks (minimal juice- only used in smoothies or drank once a week), potatoes and bread (SN: I think I'm getting ready to cut out rice/pasta to be on the safe side). Anyways, I am also doing a water challenge where I'm drinking half of my body weight in water which comes up to 2.5 Liters of water daily (or at least trying too lol). I am starting an exercising regimen which I have yet to figure out what I'm going to do. I think I'm going to stick with what I know work, Shaun T's Hip Hop Abs. If not, I will try once of the regimens I've found on Pinterest. I'll list some examples below. I plan to continue this weight loss plan until October. I'll let you know it goes!!! In addition, I want to see if changing up my diet will assist in my hair growth/ length retention. Well that's all I can think of for now. I hope you enjoyed my update! Until next time, Lovables.... PEACE OUT! Love Ya, ~Jae #purposelyvalued #naturalhair #weightloss #health #healthylifestyle #life #goals Exercise #1 Exercise #2
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First let me just say I've never used a product with such a Long name! LoL
Anyway, I have hit the complete jackpot in my recent product purchases; first with the Camille Rose Naturals Sweet Ginger, and now with the Shea Moisture Manuka Honey Hair Masque. When I put it on the first section it immediately melted into my hair. The more I used the more my hair just soaked it up. I had become used to using three to four pumps of Aussie Moist and having it kinda hang out on the surface of my low porosity hair until I sat under the hair dryer, that I was totally and completely taken aback at how this mask instantly penetrated my hair shaft. I was scared I was going to use the half the jar, because I didn't know how much to use; again, the more I used the more it absorbed. This hair masque is so THICK and CREAMY! I would compare it to room temp butter or a smooth cake batter. At first I thought the perfume-ish scent was going to be a problem for me, but I guess I was so in love with what it was doing for my hair that after a few minutes I didn't even notice it. After applying it to all the sections of my hair I covered it with a shower cap and sat under the dryer for the recommended thirty minutes, and I rinsed most of it out. Let me say, this is the second Shea Moisture hair masque I've used, the first being the Raw Shea Butter Deep Treatment Masque, and I despise that one. I've tried and tried to make it work for my hair and it just doesn't. But this Manuka Honey more than makes up for it. Along with this I used the Shea Moisture low porosity leave-in (which I'll review in the coming weeks), and the Lotta Body Coconut and Shea Oils Moisture Me Curl & Style Milk (aka Lotta Body hair milk); and I must say my two strand twist looked and felt highly moisturized. Even a week later, my hair feels light and silky and I haven't had to remoisturize yet; it really is intense. So if you don't own this product yet, I fully encourage you, if you don't buy another hair product this year, this needs to be the one exception to that rule...you won't be sorry. If you already have this masque, have tried it, or intend to try it leave me a comment and let's talk. Until next time... Peace, Love and Natural Hair. Ashley #SheaMoisture #HairMagic #ManukaHoney #NaturalHair #MyHairIsCurly Since my last post I've used the Camille Rose Sweet Ginger again, and I really do love it. I will say it kind of makes my hair feel stripped, like that squeaky clean feeling, but once I use the Aussie Moist as my deep conditioner it feels hydrated and lively again.
So this time I decided to stray from my usual twists, and I did a perm rod set; my first rod set in about a year. And since the rods I used were small I decided to try a twist/braid and curl. I Love It! The combination of products and technique reminded me why I loved doing this style in the first place. And because I did the twist and braids, it didn't take me six hours to do; and that in itself was a plus. So the other products I used were my usual leave-in, the Cantu Repair, Lotta Body Hair Milk, Cantu Custard, and JBCO. And this combo is a miracle worker. My hair is so light, soft and moisturized! I am literally in love with my curls!! I purchased the Shea Moisture Manuka Honey and Mafura Oil Intensive Hydration Hair Masque, and I'll see how that works with the Camille Rose cleanser. But until then... Peace, Love and Natural Hair Ashley #CamilleRoseNaturals #NaturalHair #CantuLeaveIn #GirlsWithCurls In the last few years I've seen many YouTube reviews for Camille Rose Natural hair products and I've seen them on the Target shelves but I've always been deterred by the price, I finally decided to try it for myself; and I can honestly say it was an investment I'm glad I made.
I don't exactly know my hair type; early on in my natural hair journey I was really into that, but after dealing with heat damage and getting to know the different textures on my hair I don't concern myself with that anymore. But this product claims to be for all hair textures, and since I've seen that before I wasn't 100% convinced, however, that was the deciding factor. So I got the product home, and while doing my hot oil treatment I read that it improves hair texture with consistent use, so I proceeded to wash my hair. Now I have to say I feel like it takes a lot to clean my scalp and hair thoroughly, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that this cleanser did just that. Both my hair and scalp looked and felt clean. Now, the way my money is set up I didn't get the Camille Rose conditioner, but instead I used the Aussie Moist conditioner as a deep conditioner. And while applying the conditioner and finger detangling I saw awesome curl definition. But the real excitement came after I'd rinsed our the conditioner; while applying my leave-in and styling my hair, the definition was still there! The front of my of my hair is more loose than the back of my hair, and in my opinion I see more waves than curls in that part of my head, but this time I actually saw a few curls. So my initial guess is this product actually does what it says and improves hair texture, (not to be confused with creating curls), with consistent use. And for that reason I can't wait to wash my hair again. Hopefully this product continues to cleanse my hair, because if so Camille Rose Naturals has gained another happy customer; especially if I can eventually rock my first wash-and-go. I'll give it a few more uses and report back, but until then... Peace, Love, and Natural Hair! -Ashley #NaturalHair #CamilleRoseNaturals #GirlsWithCurls Happy New Year L♥VABLES,
(10 days later lol) Recently, I have been doing a lot of research about my hair. What is my hair porosity? What is my hair type? What type of products are good for my hair? Should I use cold or warm water when I'm rinsing out my conditioner? Question, after question, after question... just one after the other. I've googled it, pinterested it, youtubed it, taken quizzes for it and still couldn't find the answer online. After ALL of that searching, I finally found the answer. It was right in front of me the whole time. The truth be told, the answer was never online. The answer was on top of my head. I realized that just because my hair texture, type, and porosity looked like someone elses didn't mean that the products which worked for one individual, would necessarily work for me. I will admit that I am a product junkie and I've tried everything from Taliah Waajid and Shea Moisture to Mixed Chicks and Curls. While some of these products didn't work for my hair others did. Nevertheless, I have come to realize that my hair is different from all others. It's funny how genetics work, like no two fingerprints are alike and I believe no two textures are exactly alike. Furthermore, I realized how much I took care of my hair when I first went natural compared to the present. When I first started learning about my hair, I used to use the LOC method (unknowingly) with Organic Shea Butter, castor oil, and I used Cantu Leave-In Conditioner. My favorite shampoo at that time was Aussie Kids Grape Shampoo. It was very gentle on my hair and made my curls pop. The shea butter was a miracle worker for my twist outs. However, over the years I changed up just to try out different products because my favorite youtubers used it, it was recommended, or just because I was curious. Now, after using all different types of products, I am convinced that I should return back to my original staple with the exception of a few products that I currently use. Last month, I only washed my hair once, and used leave-in conditioner, hair grease, water, and curl activator to moisturize my hair when it was dry, alternating the products depending upon how my hair felt at the time. Now some of you may say, it's not good to wash your hair once a month. However, I do not use a whole lot of heavy products on my hair, which gave me the liberty to do so. I wore a protective style (mostly flat twists and/or two-strand twists) the entire month with the exception of the last two or three days. I can honestly say that I see a difference in my hair since last month. It isn't shedding as much, it looks a lot healthier, both my hair and scalp was moisturized, and my scalp was not itching or flaking as it had been the last few months. I can truly say that I am pleased with my hair results just within the last month. On wash day, I fell in love with my hair all over again. Hence, I have come up with a few hair vows/ regimen that I would like to share with you. I plan to keep these vows for the next 5 months, just to see if this regimen will promote hair growth on not. Hair Vows 101 **please note that I did clarify my hair prior to starting this vow/regimen** 1. I vow to only wash my hair one time a month (an exception can be made if heavier products such as gel is used on your hair) 2. I vow to moisturize (with a moisturizer of your choice) at least 2-3 times a week. 3. When moisturizing, I vow to detangle, Detangle, DETANGLE!! 3. I vow to wear a protective or low manipulative styles 5 times out of 7 times a week. 4. I vow to wear a satin bonnet or use a satin pillowcase nightly. 5. I vow to love my hair no matter what and give it tender love and care!!! 6. (Optional) I vow to stick to the same products for the next 5 months. (Currently, I'm using Mixed Chicks clarifying shampoo, Cantu Moisturizing Curling Activator, Aussie Mega Moist 3-Min Miracle Deep Conditioner, Aussie Mega Moist or Chi Argan Oil Plus Moringa Oil conditioner, Profectiv Mega Growth Leave-In Conditioner, castor oil, and a medicated hair grease.) **In the very near future, I will be purchasing Organic Shea Butter to add back to my regimen. I am not using the Cantu Leave In because I am trying to use up the products I already have. I could not find the Aussie shampoo at Target so I settle for the conditioners** I will ocassionally post and let you know how everything is going or if I made any changes to my regimen. I hope you enjoyed this post and let me know if you choose to join me or what you think about my hair vows. Be You, Stay You, Naturally Be-You-tiful!! ~Jae♥ #hairchallenge #naturalhairjourney #kinky #curly #purposelyvalued Hi L❤VABLES,
Where do I begin?!?! This natural hair journey has been a long, tedious one. It all started about 5 and a 1/2 years ago-- well let's start maybe a year or two prior to that. I've never been a hair girl. I always depended on my mom to do my hair, right up until the time I went off to college. I had to grow up in so many ways, once I left home. My first few years of college, I always kept my hair braided or I got a sew-in and I would keep until it was time to for me to come home for the holidays, then I would get it relaxed. (Ok, maybe a few times I let my roommates do my hair, but it wasn't too often.) Let's fast-forward to 2010-2011, when the "natural trend" (if you will) had just begun and a lot of my fellow young, black, gorgeous sistas were returning to their native hair roots (or at least that's when I noticed it lol). I had a friend of mine who was reverting to being natural and was constantly talking to me about how bad relaxers were for me and how they thinned your hair and made it fall out, and all of this other stuff. She gave me a lesson every chance she got lol. My response was always "oh well, all of my hair will just have to fall out because I'm not going natural. It won't look good on me and it's not for everybody". I'll never forget, one Summer I was home from school, and Ash came over my house, and I washed my hair while she was over there. (Apparently, I hadn't had it relaxed in a while, so I had some "new growth" lol) I remember her looking at my hair and admiring a curl or two in the back of my head and she said, "Awww look at your little curls. They're so pretty. I think you'll be cute, natural". I told "oh no. Natural doesn't look good on everyone and it won't look good on me." I was #TEAMCREAMYCRACK all the way lol. I was also dating a guy at the time who loved natural hair and was always encouraging me to go natural. I told him the same thing I was telling everyone else. The answer was NO and nothing would or could ever change my mind. I also thought that only those people with "good hair" were able to go natural and it look good on them but boy was I wrong. So this is how I went natural. It was a total mistake. One winter break, I came home and I got my hair cut with one side short and the other side long. You see, I loved cutting my hair! I was still in the process of my finding myself. While I was at school, I let one of my roommates color my hair, cherry-cola red. I loved it, but the color did not love me,. So, by the time it was time for me to go back home for the summer, my hair had broken off from the color and relaxer. Now, let me cut to the chase, during summer 2011, I ended up getting my cut in a mohawk. (Now that's another story because that's not what I told the girl, I wanted, but when she turned me around, she had chopped ALLLLLLLLLLL of my hair off. I was so hurt!!! It also taught me a lesson about cutting my hair as well.) When we got home, my mom relaxed and styled it for me, and the cut actually looked better than I thought it would. When it was time for me to go back to school, I didn't have a whole lot of hair to work with anymore lol, so I kept getting braids, senegalese twists, and sew-ins, one after the other lol, not realizing that I was slowly but surely becoming "a natural". When I came back home Spring 2012, I had very little permed ends (maybe an 1/4 to 1/2 inch) and my hair was natural. My mom trimmed off the little permed ends that I had and then I was completely natural and that made a year without a perm. Being natural for me was initially really hard. I would cry all of the time because I didn't think I was pretty like that and I couldn't accept the hair that was coming out of my head because it didn't curl up like other girls. I didn't understand that being natural was a process, just like it was with any other hairstyle. I didn't understand that natural hair was something that had to be managed over time and I had to get used to it. I even had a few people who laughed at my natural hair (which made the situation 10x worse). My mom would braid it up for me and style it, to show me that my hair was just as beautiful, as I am. The guy that I was dating, though we had broken up by that time, would always tell me how healthy my hair looked now that I was natural and how beautiful I was. It took a minute for me to see, what everyone else saw in me, especially with the natural hair. However, today, I love every inch of the hair that comes out of my head. That's not to say that I don't get frustrated or discouraged with my hair sometimes, especially when it seems like it's not growing, but I still love it. It's mine, God gave to me, and I am embracing it and learn more about it, every day. Now you can't tell me anything lol. I can walk proudly with my head held high because I know who I am. More importantly, I am not defined by the hair that grows out of my head. I am defined by my character, my integrity, and most important by God. I had to learn not to compare myself to anyone else and just be me. It's funny how there's a lesson in everything you face. So, the lesson is no matter what man thinks about you or even how you feel about yourself, YOU must constantly remind yourself that YOU are FEARFULLY and WONDERFULLY MADE BY GOD. This mean that He didn't make a mistake with any part of you, that's from the top of your head, down to the tip of your toenails! You're beautiful from the inside out and don't let anyone or anything (including yourself) make you think or feel differently! You're amazing! I hope you enjoyed my natural hair story! :) If you're natural or even relaxed , feel free to tell me how you feel about your hair!! I must give a shout out to Ash for encouraging me along the way!! I don't feel like I would have made it this far in this journey without you and your encouraging words! I love you, Boo! ❤ ~Jae ❤ |
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July 2017
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