Mini Twistin' on a Monday ! (Photo Heavy)

Happy Monday everyone !

I hope that you all had a wonderful weekend ! I definitely did despite the rain, which made me a little couch potato.

I had plans to attend the Baltimore Natural Hair Expo, but I just did not feel like making that drive! Lazy, right? I know, but there will be plenty of other Expos and Conventions ! If you attended, please let me know how you liked it ! I would love to hear about it !

So, on to the mini-twists ! I mentioned here that I had installed a set of mini-twists and that I absolutely love them ! I also wanted to do some comparison photos of previous mini-twists !

A Look Back :: New Year's Hair Resolutions

Yes, its March, I know, but I thought it would be a good time to look back and see how I'm doing with my New Years Hair Resolutions(NYHR). 

I posted my NYHR's here, take a glance for a refresher. I know I needed it ! So, I decided to take each resolution and see how I am helping my kinks and curls acheive their hairy glory !

I Got That Regimen Baby ! Part Three (3 of 3)

Hello again ! 

Continuing from the second post about regimen...

Wait, you HAVEN'T read it ? CLICK for Part 1 and Part 2... then come back !

Again, I would like to  remind you that the most important thing you can do when caring for your hair is to  LISTEN to  it!  

Do what shes asks and you’re in business ! 

I laid out the basics of a hair care regimen in the first post along with components; in the following post I went into detail about how often one should consider doing each part of a regimen. 

This post follows up with the final six. I will be posting a recap of all three posts for easy referencing ! 

Everything that follows are just guidelines, you should do what are comfortable with. It’s your choice. I am just the provider of the information. :0)

Let’s continue with;

How often to trim your hair ? 

This should be judged by the condition of your ends. Are they splitting ? see through ?, slightly ragged, slightly uneven ? These are all signs that a trim is in order. If you are uncomfortable trimming your own hair, by all means see an EDUCATED stylist and ask for a trim.  

NOTE If your ends seem to be in good condition but you notice a few split ends, you can opt for the “Search and Destroy” Method. Where you single out split ends and cut them with hair scissors. It’s best to cut higher than the split end. 

How often to have hot oil treatments This is also up to your choosing.  Hot Oil treatments can be used for added scalp moisture, repairing dry hair. It also helps to restore the strength of your hair.

How often to rotate your shampoos and conditioners—

This is something that I end up practicing because I run out of a certain shampoo or conditioner, not because I mean too! Lol. One can also determine which brands work best on their hair this way as well.

How often to Pre-poo and Co-wash –I absolutely love Pre-pooing ! If you are not familiar with this technique; you choose an oil or a mixture of oils and apply to your hair before shampooing. I apply a pree-poo mix and then cover my hair with a plastic cap.  You can pre-poo over night as well !  

I like to co-wash during the week when I feel like my hair has a little product build-up or I am just looking to get some extra moisture to my hair.  It is perfectly fine to co-wash daily. Word to the wise though, if in the wintertime, it might be best to dial back the co-washing, or at least doing so when you had time to let your hair dry fully before going outdoors. 

How often to moisturize—DAILY!   

The best moisture for your hair is water. Drinking water also ! It’s not enough just to moisturize your hair, you need to always seal your hair once you have applied moisture to seal all that goodness in!

Protecting your hair( from the elements, rough fabrics, at night.) 

To promote healthy hair you should sleep with either a satin bonnet, or on a satin pillow case. With regular pillowcases the fabric can tear, snag, and rip your strands!  Also if your hair is longer, you need to be aware that clothing can also cause this. Hair rubbing against collars of jackets and such can also cause hair to snag and/or tear.

I hope that this helps you all greatly ! It has helped me ! 

This sums of in great detail the various components of a hair care regimen, and what you should be keeping in mind when forming your own.

I will post a Recap Post to reference along with the Sample Regimen tomorrow curlies, so make sure to stop by ! 

I Got That Regimen Baby !! Part Two (2 of 3)

Hello again !

Continuing from the first post about regimen..

Wait, you HAVEN”T read it ? CLICK please… then come back.

Now before I start, I must remind you that having a regimen is great, but one must remember that the best thing a curlie can do is LISTEN to her hair. 

Do what shes asks and you’re in business ! 

In the previous post I laid out the basics of a hair care regimen and I also listed 10 components to keep in mind when forming your own. I will be going over the first 5 in this post and the last 5 in another post. :)

Deciding how frequently you will do certain aspects of a regimen is the next step.  (While keeping in mind to listen to your hairs needs.

Everything that follows are just guidelines, you should do what are comfortable with. It’s your choice. I am just the provider of the information. :0)

Let’s get started!

   1.How often to wash your hair   Weekly, Bi-weekly

I, personally, wash my hair with a moisturizing shampoo every 1-1/2 weeks. There are regimens that wash every week and some every two. My kinks start to get a little attitude-y if I go any longer than 1 ½ weeks. Sometimes I opt to use Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) instead of a moisturizing shampoo.

  2.   How often to clarify your hair  Monthly 

I clarify my hair monthly with my “Natural Hair Reset Button” lol or as normal people call it… Bentonite Clay. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Bentonite Clay. It’s amazing. It basically detoxes your hair and rids it of all the gunk.  You can also clarify with ACV, or a clarifying shampoo.

       3.   How often to deep condition  Weekly

I will always always always deep condition or do some type of treatment to my hair weekly. You can deep condition on dry hair or wet hair. This is your preference. I have done both. When I first combed out locs, I liked conditioning on dry hair because I felt like my hair just soaked up all the goodness.  On the flip side, when I would deep condition after a fresh cleansing, I loved it.

  4. How often to have protein/moisture treatments Monthly

I try to switch between treatments monthly. Most times I am doing a moisture treatment. When doing protein treatments, be aware of protein overload which results in dry, brittle, hair.    

     
       5. How to style it to retain the most length/Protective styling 
       Protective styling(PS) is a great way to retain length, also not having “Hand in Hair” Syndrome works as well.
      You know, sitting there absent mindedly twirling a curlie ?
       Yep, Hand in Hair Syndrome.
      There is a bit of debate as to whether one should PS all the time to retain length, or to be able to let the fro fly free !
      Again, this is up to you.

       I am a 50/50 type of gal. Unless I put in mini-twists or mini-braids—I usually leave these types of styles in for a month.

       Even though you are protective styling , whether with your hair, weave, wig, or extensions, it is KEY to remember to care for the hair you have. This means daily moisture and sealing, along with caring for your ends.  They are the oldest part of your hair and the most fragile.

 I hope this proves helpful ! Don't be overwhelmed, this are all just things to keep in mind.

Please, by all means, formulate a regimen that works best for you !

                                            Stay tuned for the final  six components ! 

P.S. I will recap all three posts for easy referencing including a sample regimen that you can save!

 

I Got That Regimen Baby !

What's a regimen ?

Why is it important ?

Why should one use it ?

A regimen is a simple(well, it’s supposed to be ;) ) schedule/routine for taking care of your hair !

Having a regimen is important to the overall health of your hair and scalp.

Having a regimen helps one to learn their hair through trial and error, whether it’s a product, application of said product, when you apply, etc.

Please Accept My Apologies : 0 )

HELLOOOOOOOOO Everybody ! 

First off, I would like to apologize for not posting for a whole entire week ! Shame on me ! Shame.Shame.Shame. 

Now, where to started to get you all up to speed........ *taps chin* hmm.

Okay, first things first,

 I would like to say yell “THANK YOU” to my newest followers ! I appreciate it so much, you have no idea !  : )  Also, we are now up to 547 total blog views ! It’s incredible, and in less than two months ! So, thank you again, to my new subbies and to all my viewers ! [ I hope those viewing do choose to subscribe as well though. ;) ] As a result, I think it is high time that I put Google Analytics to use !  It will show me  insights into my website traffic and marketing effectiveness.

Next up are the business side of things;  I have located a couple of located Small Business Association branches, and I plan on paying them a visit. I don’t know why I didn’t think to find a SBA branch near me sooner… SBA also has some online courses and certifications as well, which is OH SO exciting. Lol. I have already taken one *pats self on the back* Yay Me ! So there is one more site that will be added to my weekly stalking  learning list.  I was doing some random twitter searching during this week and I found new folks to follow with a lot of great information on small business, blogging, marketing, etc. I also found some great books that I will be hunting down on Amazon preeeetttyyy soon!

On to the hair side( but if you want to be technical, it’s all about hair. Lol ).

I recently purchased a BOATLOAD of new toys, trinkets, and goodies for mixing and such. I might have possibly went a little overboard. We will see when I do my Haul Blog Post. As of right now, the verdict isn’t in.  Speaking of hair ingredients, I have been putting my mixtures to use and I must say although, one of the ingredients I might be leaving out the next time, so far the results have pleased me. Plus I have gotten positive feedback from the 3-4 people who have tested them out.  I will be making another batch though, with different ingredients, and to serve different purposes. I am pretty positive that this batch will come out even better than the last. Oh, before I forget, I am not so sure if I am a strong lover of Eucalyptus, it is a pretty strong smell ! Possibly in smaller doses I could be a fan though. We shall see !

As for my hair, I finally put my lovely kinky curlies in mini-twists and I LOVE THEM ! They came out so well and I was surprised with the length. I wasn’t aware my hair had grown that much! I still trimmed the ends though, because I have a problem with split ends and Single Strand Knots. Death to SSK’s !!! Ugh, they are the BANE of my existence. I tweeted my mini twists btw, are you following _SimplyCare_ ? 

Go ahead and make that move ! : )  I always tweet when there are new blog posts, random moments in my life and the life of SimplyCare, and  #naturalhair chats too ! Which are Wednesday and Thursday ! It's a quick and easy way to stay up to date with SimplyCare's progress !!

Well, I think you are all up to speed now !  I can assure you that I will not go this long without posting!

Any new news from my readers ? I would love to hear about it !

Mixing Products and It Feels So Good !

Lol, btw the title is sung to the tune of  'Reunited' by Peaches and Herb... Hahahah

That is how I feel after tonight, I had a chance to put in some work in the kitchen and I just feel all light, fluffy, and happy.

Also, my hair feels as soft and as smooth as a baby's butt. Butt ( haha) more on that in a paragraph or so.

I have come up with two different gels with different products folded into the base of the gel. One mixture of gel yielded a light, thicker, smooth consistency. I took two sections of hair and I braided and twisted it with Mixture A. The braid is very smooth with little fly-a-ways with a curly end and the twist is tight, and fluffy. Mixture A has seemed to stretch the twist also.
     The second mixture, Mixture B is a darker, thin, liquid-y consistency that might better suit as a spray or foam wrap. I braided and twisted two more sections with Mixture B.  The braid is also smooth with little fly-a-ways but the end gave way to an 'L' shape( which my hair often does, it's crazy like that). The twisted section is loose, fluffy and shrunken, and curled up at the end.

I am going to take both out and see how the braid/twist out looks, feels, and how much definition each Mixture gave me. So, stay close by to see the results !

It's so exciting coming up with and testing new products ! Yay.

Now on the the "babys butt" hair.....lol. I deep conditioned with a mix of Coconut Milk, Mayo, Egg, Vitamin E, Banana, and Sweet Almond Oil. I left it on my hair for about an hour, then I rinsed it out and followed up with  a Chamomile Black Tea rinse.



Lawdamercy, my scalp feels amazing, hair is butter soft.... mmmph ! Pictures down below. No pics of finished hair yet because I am getting ready to put mini twists in. Hence all the prepping.

PLUS Thank you to ALL OF MY SUBSCRIBERS & VIEWERS ! I can't believe I have over 500 views and this blog has only been live for 1 month !!! : )

Books, Hair and Homecoming

Today I did a braid out on my hair for the first time in a year. I usually stick to twist outs because they take less time. With my braid out, my hair of course is longer(stretched because of the braids) and more defined than the twist outs. I found a photo of probably the 2nd braid out I ever did. Look at the differences in my hair. Now my hair is a richer, deeper, and healthier black. It has a nice sheen to it and it is almost double the length.

Check it out !

I picked up a couple of hair product books too. Mostly reference about ingredients and oils ! Fun !


Also, this weekend is HOMECOMING WEEKEND ! Good ole' Virginia State University : ) I plan on doing a really cute style, just stay tuned for photos ! : )

Oh, and here is my hair after the icky rain got to it ! >:-/  

Later Lovelies ! : )

Look and Feel of the Blog

My blog needs a face lift... which is why the look of it has changed a bazillion times since I first posted... lol. I just can't find the one I want and I really don't want to have to code it myself... blah blah blah that would be boring.

on another (Hair) note-- I think I will have a hair spa night... but if I happen to become to lazy I'll end up doing it tomorrow. I really need to go ahead and purchase a blender, some butters and some oils asap though.