Impromptu Length Measurement & 2014 Protective Style Challenge

Happy Saturday all !

Another year is coming to close and since I'm embarking on a 2014 Protective Style Challenge, I figured I do a length check before I hide this hair later on today. My hair has been stretched for the past two days so these should be pretty accurate measurements.

First up here are my measurements from a year ago 12/25/12:
Back: 8 1/4 inches
Side: 8 1/4 inches
Front: 8 1/2 inches
Middle: 8 1/2 inches



Fast forward to today 12/28/13:
Front: 11 1/2 inches
Left Side: 11 inches
Right Side: 9 1/2 inches
Middle: 11 inches
Back: 10 inches

So pretty much my hair has grown about 1.5 to 3 inches all around. My right side is shorter than my left because I decided to cut off a few of my colored ends so that's why there is a large difference between the left and the right.

But any who my mission is to pretty much double my growth from 2013, I would like to reach 15 inches all around my head and hopefully reach BSL by end of 2014.

So with that being said here are the details to my personal #LPF Protective Style Challenge:
Begins: January 1st, 2014
Ends: December 31st, 2014
Goal: Healthy Hair and Length Retention

Rules:

Eat Balanced Meals:
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Snacks in between that promote healthy hair growth; Walnuts, carrots, spinach etc.

Increase Daily Water Intake:
According to a water calculator online, my daily intake should be about 2 Liters a day. I will be keeping track with a water intake app.

Take Daily Vitamins:
This part is optional but I want to see if Hairfinity vitamins really are effective so I'm going to be taking them for a year straight.
Hairfinity vitamins
Target Adult Gummy Multivitamins

Wash Regimen:
Since my hair will be in a PS for pretty much the whole year, my wash regimen will be slightly modified.
It will look like this for the winter/spring months:

Shampoo - once every 4 - 6 weeks
CoWash - once every 3 weeks (depending on my style)
Protein Treatment: every other wash day
Deep Condition: 1x a week
LCO & massaging edges: every 2-3 days

For the Summer/Fall months:
Shampoo - once a month
Cowash - every other week
Protein Treatment: every other wash day
Deep Condition: 2x a week
LCO & massaging edges: every 2-3 days

Protective Style:

I'll be hiding my hair for about the whole 2014. I'm only planning on straightening my hair for my nappiversary in July.
But for those of you who want to still wear their hair out, keep those ends protected for 5 out of the 7 days of the week.
Styles include: buns, two strand twists, box braids, yarn wraps, twist/braid outs, etc. Get creative.

I'm staying away from trims until my nappiversary.

Measurements:
I'll be posting pictures and measurements every two months.

January:
Right Side -
Left Side -
Front-
Middle-
Back

March
May
July
September
November
December - final measurements

That's pretty much it. The goal is to reach BSL by December 14 and of course grow healthy hair.
Will you join me?
Peace and Love <3

Black Friday Damage

Okay okay..so I went a little crazy this BF in the hair department. I mean my hair is currently in a protective style for the next few weeks sooo I don't even know how I'm going to even have time to use some of these products I purchased. But that's never a problem for a product junkie. :)

So I'm going to share with you all everything that I purchased for Black Friday minus my purchases for  my son..he's the reason my bank account is so bare...you are all free to judge me six ways to sunday..lol there is seriously no shame. I just won't share any prices with you all because then you will think I'm some sort of rich person..WHICH I'm far from and I can't let AES know I'm spending my funds on hair and body products when the extra could be sent to them.


Oyin Handmade: Now Oyin is a staple line from me so I couldn't pass up on any type of sale that was going on. I purchased my products on the ground (OTG) at WholeFoods for 25% off but I know online they were offering 20% with free shipping for orders over 50 dollars..I think. Anywho I picked up:
1. x1 Honey Hemp Conditioner. 16.9 ounces
2. x1 Burnt Sugar Pomade. 8 ounces
3. x1 Honey Dew (LOVE THIS STUFF..HOLY GRAIL product.) 16.9 ounces
4. x1 Whipped Pudding (also loveeee.) 8 ounces

Hairveda: This is a first time purchase from this company, but I've read great reviews about this company on the countless hair forums I'm apart of. I believe they were having a 20-40% off sale on everything:
1. x1 Whipped Cream
2. x1 Vatika Frosting ( I read some great reviews on this stuff.) 9 ounces
3. x1 Sitrinillah DC (I'm on the quest to find the perfect deep conditioner so I figured why not purchase this.) 16 ounces.
4. x1 Almond Glaze. 6 ounces

Shescentit (SSI): Now I have ordered from this company in the past and have always had great results from her products. They were having a 30% off sale so of course I had to pick up a few new items:

1. x1 Avocado Conditioner (one of the few conditioners I haven't tried from this line and I'm exciting to use it because I've read wonderful reviews on this product.)  9 ounces
2. x1 Okra Hair Repair Reconstructor (I'm looking for a staple protein conditioner and I figured I give this a shot.) 9ounces
3. x1 Blueberry Cowash (a new product to her line and of course I coudn't pass this up.) 9ounces
4. x1 Juicy Berry Buttercream (another newer product to her line that I could NOT order ha) 5.5 ounces

Cream and Coco: I had ordered from Cream and Coco in the past but my hair really didn't mesh well with her products so this haul was more so a body haul. I had heard and read wonderful reviews on her body products, specifically her pink cookie soap and I figured now would be the perfect time for me to pick up a few things. I do believe she was having a 35% off sale. But I picked up:

1. x1 Pink Cookie Soap. (This is a soap specifically for lady "cookies". ha again I had read great reviews and I'm moving towards all natural products so I decided to give this a shot) 5.50 ounces
2. x1 Honey Pot Soap (yet another lady soap I had to try) 5.50 ounces
3. x1 Honey Butter Toning Moisturizer (eh.. I was looking for a moisturizer for my face.) 4 ounces

Hairitage Hydration: So first of let me say that ordering from this vendor has been a total NIGHTMARE. Now don't get me wrong I love to support black owned businesses especially when the owner is a Pittsburgh native, but after this crazy experience I'm more so hesitant. I had found out about this company from a hair forum I'm apart of and the ladies there KNOW THEIR STUFF so I figured why not give them a shot. After doing some more research I found out that she was having a 40% off pre black friday sale...sounds a little to good to be true right? *rolls eyes* but anywho she had quoted a 20 day waiting period..fine cool I can wait that long especially since my hair is currently covered sooo whatever. Long story short she had back to back sales..both her pre BF sale and then another sale spanning BF/Cyber Monday weekend. CRAZY right? A whole coupon fiasco happened..blacklash and drama arised and needless to say this young woman has NO..I repeat NO business skills, and is very unprofessional and "homegirl" driven. I finally received my order after filing a dispute with Paypal, of course that was completely overlooked and my products were sent..eh whatever. I will try out the products and if they work..oh well I'm completely turned off by the whole experience and actually feel sorry because she got greedy and made promises that she couldn't keep so now countless women are canceling orders due to the wait time and her lack of professionalism. But here is what I picked up:
1. x1 The Deep C conditioner (again I'm on the search for the "Holy Grail" DC) 4 ounces
2. x1 Castor Infusion (my hair has been in love with Castor Oil lately..so yeah) 4 ounces
3. x1 Soft Coconut Marshmallows (the ladies on the hair forums RAVE about this leave in, so of course I was going to pick this up, I wish I would've picked up more. :-/) 8 ounces.
4. x1 Sticky Honey Hash Conditioner (HONEY and my tresses are in LOVE) 8 ounces.
5. BONUS: Liquid Gold Cake Batter: since her site is down I can't really figure out the ingredients in this product but I'm not sure why I received a FULL SIZE product of this maybe because I'm from Pittsburgh..not sure lol but I will be sure to review it.

I believe that is it..there were tons more items I wanted to pick up but my hair funds were limited. However, since my Christmas shopping is pretty much completed I am quickly building funds for my after Christmas sales so I will be able to pick up more things then..lol don't judge me but my inner PJ is slowly making a comeback.
Once I'm able to actually use some of these products, I will be sure to do a full review!

Peace and Love <3

How To Avoid Natural Hair Boredom

Next year marks my four year nappiversary and I CAN NOT WAIT. As stated in one of my hair goals for 2014 I'm hoping to reach BSL. However I often get asked, "Don't you get bored?" or "How do you keep from reverting back to the creamy crack?" Year 1 was a rough time in my natural period because I was still finding things out and still learning my hair after the horrible years of torture I had been putting it through. However I can note that my implusive nature helped to keep me from reverting back to the torture. I simply love trying new and exciting styles and that's the one way that I avoid natural hair boredom. 

However if you aren't implusive like me and have a hard time switching from style to style rather quickly, I have located a few tips that will help to avoid boredom. The following tips are from an article over at 

Longing 4 Length

Set Healthy Scalp Goals. Hair scalp health is crucial to healthy hair. If you have dry scalp and/or your scalp tends to flake a lot invest time in learning your scalp and treating it. Research different scalp treatments and things that you can do internally to help, too.

Set Hair Length Goals. I’ve never set a hair goal BUT now that I’ve hit BSL (bra strap length) I wouldn’t mind shooting for waist-length. Wouldn’t that be something…? Set a realistic hair length goal for yourself. But, keep in mind that length for most people is hereditary and length retention can play a major part in how long your hair is or appears to be.

Try New Styles. You have to experiment with your hair. If you’re not good at something, take a little extra time to practice. Once you perfect it, you will feel even better and have additional options when you style.

Get a Protective Style. Hide it and forget it! Whether it’s a weave or box braids, it can be really nice to have a semi-permanent change.

Get Color. Now I know color isn’t for everyone but if you have been thinking about it, DO IT! Make sure you get a professional to do it, if you’re not licensed.

Get a Cut. If you don’t have a length goal and you’ve been eyeing a new fierce cut go for it. You’ll feel sassy and enjoy a new change.

Ask Other Naturals. When all else fails, ask for help. That’s what I do. Maybe a natural curlfriend of yours can suggest something you haven’t thought of. If you don’t have a natural curlfriend, ask your favorite blogger. Tag them on twitter or post a question on an Instagram pic. We’re always happy to help.

Do you have any tips to add? I have done a lot of these steps and they do help with boredom.

Peace and Love <3

2014 Goals

I’d figured it be the perfect time to list both my personal and hair goals for the upcoming year. No you won’t hear no “new year, new me” lol, I’m making SMART goals which mean they will be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely.

Let us begin with my hair goals:
1. Reach bra strap length (BSL) by December 2014. I’m currently grazing APL length in certain areas but I’m hoping with the changes I’m making to my current regimen that I will be able to successfully reach BSL.
2. Narrow down staple products. Despite my PJism, I’m purchasing products that don’t work well with my hair and in turn wasting precious coins.
3. Dye my hair back to black.
4. Remain consistent in my routine, don’t slack off.
5. NO HEAT.
6. Continue to document my journey.

As for my personal goals:
1. Take GRE and LSAT by December 2014
2. Narrow down potential grad schools by June 2014.
3. Successfully complete 2013-2014 Public Allies cohort.
4. Apply to be a second year ally in Pittsburgh, DC and Chicago.
5. Get back to clean eating my January 2014
6. Get back in the gym by January 2014
7. SAVE MONEY!
8. Travel the east coast with Dhani at least twice this summer.
9. Continue to volunteer with an organization that aligns with my passion.

So that is it, they’re all pretty realistic and attainable. I will print these out and keep them handy in my room and on my desk so every time I achieve a goal, I will cross it off of my list.
What are some of your goals for 2014?

Peace and Love <3

Welcome Back!

Hey all!
So I totally been abandoning my poor blog. I've been cheating on blogger with wordpress...sorry yall.

But I have big plans for this blog in the upcoming year. I'm going to do more product reviews that work for us lo pow divas as well as different hairstyles. I'm open to any suggestions as to what you all would like to see featured on my blog.

So with that being said, I hope you all have had a great holiday and a wonderful New Year!

Signed,
E.Nicholle

Rhassoul Clay Hair Mask

Hey all!
So I was off yesterday, nursing my little king back to health and I decided to pamper azizi (my hurr). I had recently ordered some rhassoul clay from Etsy and figured that it was the perfect time to try it out.

Courtesy of sheabutterlicious’ etsy shop:
There is no question, that a banana mask is good for the hair. A banana hair mask can increase the moisture content in hair, smooth frizzies, and soothe your scalp. It keeps hair healthy and hydrated, helps nourish scalp and control dandruff. Bananas contain minerals and other nutrients that promote hair recovery and rehabilitation, but who wants to try get mashed bananas chunks out of their hair. That’s where this honey banana mask comes in, it cleanses, detoxifies and conditions scalp and hair.
Rhassoul Clay cleanses and detoxifies hair. Honey and Banana nourishes, moisturizes, and conditions hair. This hair clay can be mixed with water or Aloe Vera juice, make into a thin paste and apply to hair and scalp. Leave on 15-25 minutes and rinse thoroughly. Then follow up with your usual hair routine.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/118751191/rhassoul-clay-hair-mask-honey-banana

So I don’t really follow directions when it comes to mixing things…yeah I know..don’t stone me. But I eyeballed a medium sized amount of the rhassoul clay mask and added to it, warmed milk, raw honey, amino acids (for a little protein), JBCO and some sheascent it conditioner just to thicken it up a bit. I then applied the mixture to my hair and placed a shower cap over it and a hat and let it sit for an hour.
After an hour I washed it and and…WHOA was my hair extra soft and my curls were poppin hunny. My hair felt clean, but not stripped and it totally tammed my frizzies.
….HOLY GRAIL ALERT: I followed up with Oyin’s Handmade Honey Hemp conditioner… & let me just say that this stuff is the BOMB baby. Since discovering I was a low po diva, honey & I have became BFFs and boy did this conditioner treat Azizi well. Soft supple hair, detangling was a breeze and left the curls looking amazing. This condish does contain hydrolyzed silk protein but my hair doesn’t mind small amounts of protein so all was well.
http://www.oyinhandmade.com/hair/honey-hemp-conditioner-180.html
I then did my LCO method using, L: KCCC leave in, water & jbco oil C: Oyin Handmade Whipped Pudding (love this stuff as well) O: JBCO infused with lavender
Lastly, I installed my third set of marley twists and this time I made smaller parts and used 3 strands of hair to get a thicker fuller look. I’m going to boil the ends with perm rods tonight.

Peace & Love <3

Introduction to Hair Porosity

Courtesy annabeloo of lowporosityhaircare.wordpress.com


Hair porosity is your hair’s ability to absorb and retain moisture (i.e. water). Retaining moisture is the key to healthy hair. In order to properly care for your hair, understanding your hair’s porosity is a pre-requisite.

There are three types of porosity: low, high and normal. Porosity is determined by the position of the cuticle, which is the outermost part of our hair made up of a layer of overlapping dead cells. It provides the hair with strength by protecting it from harsh elements and by protecting the inner structures of the hair. It also controls the water content.

Normal porosity
If you have normal porosity, consider yourself lucky. Normal porosity hair requires the least amount of maintenance. It easily draws in water, however does not allow too much water to enter the cortex. This type of hair tends to be shiny, hold styles well and is easy to process (e.g. color, highlight, perm). A occassional deep conditioner and light protein benefits this type of hair.
High porosity
Think of your hair as a sponge. It can absorb its weight in water and easily allow all the water to escape. Cuticles of high porosity hair are too open and allow too much water to enter the cortex. However, just as easily as the water enters, it also escapes rapidly, making it a challenge to keep moisture. This type of hair may be damaged, because of chemical processing. High porosity hair benefits from heavy creams, thick oils or emollients and butters, to seal in moisture. It also benefits from routine protein treatments, which may help to fill in some of the gaps in the cuticle. Additionally, cold water rinses, low PH products such as diluted vinegar or aloe vera, help to seal the cuticle.
Low porosity (lo-po)
The focus of this blog will be on low porosity. Despite the plethora of information on the web about porosity, there are not enough sites that thoroughly discuss caring for low porous hair. This type of hair has flat, shingled cuticles. Picture the shingles on the roof of a house, when it rains the water simply glides off the structure. As you can imagine, it’s challenging for water to enter the hair shaft. This type of hair often takes a while to wet in the shower and it takes forever to dry. Product buildup is a common complaint, as products just seem to sit on top of the hair. Chemical processing is long and difficult.
The trick with low porosity hair is getting the moisture in the hair shaft. Once it’s in, the hair retains moisture quite well and is lustrous and shiny. One of the most helpful methods is deep conditioning with heat or steam to open up the cuticle and help the hair absorb moisture. Additionally, washing and rinsing the hair with warm water helps loosen up debris and open up the cuticles.
If you’re low porosity and looking for some useful tips and advice, well, you’ve come to the right place. This blog will be dedicated to lo-po hair and more methods for caring for lo-po hair will be discussed in detail on this blog. I’ll also include my experimentation with my lo-po hair and what works and does not work for me.

In the meantime, to find out the porosity of your hair. You could take a clean, freshly washed (without products) strand of hair and place it in a cup of water:
If the hair stays afloat for a long time (more than 1 hour), without ever sinking, you’re likely lo-po
If the hair immediately sinks to the bottom of the glass, you’re likely high porosity
Keep in mind, this is not a glass half empty or half full matter. Whether high, low or normal, the important is figuring out how to properly care for your hair. What’s your hair porosity?

I'm a low po diva and proud of it.
:)

Review: Shea Moisture Purification Masque

Hey all! So I’m here to finally do a review on this AMAZING product. Now I know this has been around for quite some time but I never thought to pick this up because I was so set on using the deep treatment masque. However, I finally decided to purchase this product from Tarjay when it was on BOGO and boy was I happy that I did.

Sooo what’s included in the purification masque?

Deionized Water , Cocos Nucifera Oil (Coconut) , Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) , Mangfera Indica Seed Butter (Mango) , Persea Gratissima Oil (Avocado) , African Black Soap Extract , Sea Salt , Cetyl Esters , Kaolin Clay , Grapeseed Oil , Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil (Jojoba) , Behentrimonium Chloride (Conditioner) , Salicylic Acid , Salix Alba Bark Extract (Willow) , Melia Azadirachta Seed Oil (Neem) , Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil (Tea Tree) , Sorbitol Esters , Aloe Vera Leaf Juice , Tocopherol (Vitamin E) , Rosemary Extract , Salvia Officinalis Extract (Sage) , Plantain Extract , Lonicera Caprifolium Flower and Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract (Honeysuckle and Japanese Honeysuckle)

This products does not contain: sulfates, parabens, phthalates, paraffin, gluten, propylene glycol, mineral oil, synthetic fragrance, PABA, synthetic color, DEA, animal ingredients or sulfates Cruelty free, no animal testing

What is the purification masque supposed to do?

Detoxify, condition and soothe hair and scalp with gentle Kaolin clay, herbal extracts, botanical enzymes and essential vitamins. Our intense treatment relieves dry, itchy scalp, removes product buildup and preserves hair by sealing in natural moisture. Treats dandruff, eczema & psoriasis.

Plantain Enzyme: Helps to alleviate itchiness and irritation
Tea Tree: Removes buildup for enhanced shine and volume
Willow Bark Extract: Exfoliates and detoxifies hair and scalp.
(courtesy of Veronica of Pretty Girl Rock)

My Experience: I’ve currently used this product twice and each time I constantly asked myself why I’ve never purchased this product. I suffer from dry, itchy and flaky scalp at times and man did this stuff soothe my scalp. Not only did it aid in removing product buildup but it left my hair feeling buttery soft. The first time I used it as a prepoo and detangling was a BREEZE. I was able to detangle my naps in a flash, the slip is awesome. The second time I used it as a deep conditioner and again it surprised me. My curls were poppin hunny. The only thing that I didn’t like about it was the smell, it wasn’t too overbearing but it does have quite a weird smell.
Overall, I will be repurchasing this product and for the price of 9.99 at Tarjay, my wallet won’t be too upset. Also, its a great product for us low po divas because it aids in removing buildup which we all suffer from.

Have any of you ladies used this product? How did you like it?

Vlog.. Introduce yourself.