Big Chop Video, First Days As A Natural + Review of April Goals & May Goals

Hey everyone!

 I have a lot to post about today. It has been a hectic week and I didn't have a chance to post until now.

Big Chop & Big Chop Celebration

In case you didn't know, I big chopped on Saturday!! It was such a great experience. Everyone kept telling me that I would feel liberated and they were right. Driving over I felt a little nervous mostly about what I would look like after. I said goodbye to the length of my hair at the start of this journey, so I was more curious about my natural hair. My hubby came along for moral support and to record the big chop. Now without further ado, here is the video of my big chop.


After it was done, we went out to lunch and later that evening I had a Big Chop Celebration.  A group of our friends met for dinner and drinks at Lucy Blue in OTR. It felt great having everyone share this important milestone with me.

First Days As A Natural 

I am loving the new me! The first two days, I rocked my picked afro to run errands and to go to work. Sunday night, I decided to be brave and play with my hair a bit. I have just enough hair to do two strand twists. Every night I twist my hair and undo the twists in the morning. I also added a flower to jazz up the style.  I will probably experiment a lot during this twa stage to see what works and what doesn't work.

All of my family, friends and co-workers have been so supportive with their words of encouragements, texts and Facebook messages. I truly appreciate all the love!

Day 2

                               

                                               

                                                                  Day 3

                    

 

Day 4

                                         

Day 5 (after working out)

Review of April Goals

    * Drink at least 5 glasses of water a day--- Still working on this!

    * Buy more earrings (at least 3 or 4 pairs)

    *  Make or buy hair accessories    This is about 60%. I bought a couple of flowers but I need to buy or make more.

    *  Make an appointment for the BC

    *  Schedule a BC celebration with friends & family

    *  Do scalp massages at least twice a week --- I did great at the beginning but fell off the last full week of April

    *  Compile list of TWA hairstyles / ideas on Pinterest    I'm sure I will continue to add more.

    *  Read  The Science of Black Hair  --- I didn't have a chance to reread this

4 out of 8, not bad. It was a busy month but I feel like I accomplished a lot.

My goals for May

* Buy/make hair accessories

* Drink at least 5 glasses of water a day

* Read/look over The Science of Black Hair & Thank God I'm Natural: The Ultimate Guide to Caring for and Maintaining Natural Hair

* Do scalp massages at least once a day

* Pick a regimen/routine & try it out for the entire month

* Do more additions/renovations to the blog

Here's to a productive May. 

Until next time :)!

6 Months Post Relaxer + Big Chop Celebration

I did it [throws confetti in air and does a happy dance]!! Friday marked 6 months since my last relaxer. There was a rough patch there in mid January to early February but I got through it. Here's how I felt the whole day:

I can't believe in a few short hours, my transition will officially be over. To celebrate the new me, I'm having a Big Chop Celebration. The plan is to have dinner at Lucy Blue's on Main Street in OTR at 7 p.m. So if you want to see my new "hairdo", come have dinner and a few drinks with me. Otherwise, you'll have to wait for me to post pictures/video on my blog of my TWA (teeny weeny afro).


Well that's it for now!


Until next time :)!

My Obsession With TWAs, Lupita's People Cover + Updates On the Blog

With the BC only 3 days away, I've been obsessing over Pinterest. I have to admit in the beginning of transitioning, the thought of rocking a TWA (teeny weeny afro) scared me. I didn't know if I could imagine myself with a short nappy fro. I was also afraid of the reactions I would get from friends, family and co-workers. Now, it is all I can think about. I also love that everywhere I look, there are women embracing their TWAs. Then this morning Lupita Nyong'o was announced as People's Most Beautiful person. For me, it was just confirmation that I made the right choice. I'm a firm believer of signs and this was a huge one for me. It is also refreshing to see that the concept of beauty in the U.S. is starting to change. For such a long time, in order to be considered beautiful you had to look a certain way. There has also been a huge shift in the way black women view their beauty and their hair. The natural hair movement has grown tremendously and doesn't appear to be slowing down. In case you missed it, here is a picture of Lupita's People cover.

(Photo cred: People Magazine)

  

Check out some of my other TWA favorites on Pinterest and share your favorite TWA pictures with me there.

Oh and before I forget, the blog has been updated a little. I added a contact section and now you can leave a comment on the blog without creating a Google + or any other account. So now you can post your comments on the actual blog :). I added a picture gallery of my relaxed hair days. I still want to work on the layout of the picture gallery and add more photos as well. I will continue to work on improving the blog and adding more content.

That's all for now. Have a great night!


Until next time :)!

Heading Into The Home Stretch

Happy Easter everyone!

I hope everyone had a chance to spend today with family. It was a great day and I'm a little sad to start the work week again. However, I am excited that I'm in the home stretch. Only 6 more days and I'll be a fully nappy chica :) My goals for this week are: 1) to decide which products I want to try on my TWA and 2) possible hairstyles.

Also, I finished my earring shopping (at least for now). Here are the earrings I got this time around.

      

That's it for now.


~Until next time :)!

Spring Cleaning: Revamping My Stash of Hair Products

Spring is here and it's time to do some major cleaning. We actually started our spring cleaning three months ago but we're still finding things to donate or give away.  With my Big Chop two weeks away, I also want to clear out unused hair products.

I admit that when I started my healthy hair journey last year, I tried a lot of new products. Experimenting with products helped me learn about my hair and also made me a product junkie. Once I decided to transition to natural hair, I focused on only buying products that I absolutely needed. Believe me, it was hard. Of course, I still have products that I either 1) didn't like or 2) stopped using because I found something that was better. Instead of throwing out these old products/appliances, I hope to donate things to friends or a local charity. Here is what I have so far:

Herbal Essences Touchably Smooth Split End Protector- Only used twice.

 

Caruso Professional ProSet Steam Hairsetter- used several times

                                             

Lottabody Setting Lotion

This post  also suggests reevaluating your hair regimen and maybe starting fresh. Either way, spring cleaning is a great way to gear up for the summer :).

What products are you getting rid of this year? Are you interested in any of the items listed above? If so, let me know!

Until next time :)!!

It's Official: I Scheduled My Big Chop!!

So excited that I finally scheduled my big chop today! It feels good to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Kudos to everyone that does a long-term transition to natural hair, I applaud your patience! Although it's been a great learning experience, I'm definitely ready for it to be over.

The countdown begins today: 17 Days!!!!!


Until next time :)!

Time To Get Crafty: DIY Hair Accesories

One of my goals for this month is to stock up on hair accessories. Ideally, I want to have a collection of headbands, flowers and scarves to spice up my TWA. Unfortunately, I have yet to find anything worth buying. A friend suggested making my own accessories because it would be cheaper. However, I don't consider myself to be crafty. Sure, I like being creative and I enjoy making things. But, could I really make something worth using?

I was still toying with the idea when I came across two videos. The first video is by Naptural85. In the video, Naptural85 shows three ways to make wire headbands and bun ties. It seems like a simple way to create the headbands that I want. I'm excited about choosing the colors/patterns that will work for my style and personality. This is something I will definitely try..it's too easy to mess up, right?

The other must-have hair accessory is something I see in almost every TWA YouTube video: flower hair clips. Now, I know some of you will say, "there are plenty of affordable flower clips out there". Yes, almost every store has a selection of flower clips to choose from. But, I'm looking for a specific type of flower clip. Almost every store has this type of clip:

                                                 

Photo Credit (goodbadquirky.blogspot.com)

The teeth on this type of clip always get snagged and caught in my hair. I also find these clips to be uncomfortable. I browsed other websites and found this video on making flower hair clips. Again, it looks like a fairly simple process that I should be able to follow.  

                                          

I hope to try both projects next week. Are there other easy  DIY hair accessory tutorials? Please feel free to share ideas or videos below.

Until next time :)!

Review of March Goals + Goals for April

Well, I should start by saying...I cut off my hair tonight. I was just tired of it and I completely shaved my hair. Man, it feels great!

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APRIL FOOLS!

I've been waiting to trick someone all day. Lol. I'm stoked that it's April and I can officially start the countdown to the BC! March was a good month because I checked off most of my goals.

Goal #1:  Drink at least 5 glasses of water a day.  Almost. I did it about 90% of the time.

Goal #2: Use up at least 2 products.    I actually used up 3 products :) (Elasta QP Mango Butter, Organix Awapuhi Ginger Shampoo and Califia Moisturizing Spray by Komaza Care.

Goal #3:  Try to take at least 3 or 4 hair related pictures (hairstyles, new growth, etc) and post on the blog.  Done 

Goal #4: Finish reading Better Than Good Hair.   Great book, I would recommend reading it.

Goal #5: Trim off 1/2- 1" of relaxed hair.      My good friend Serah did this for me.

Goal #6: Decide who will do my BC.    I just need to make the official appointment.

Goal #7: Start shopping for hair accessories and earrings.   Almost. I bought several pairs of earrings. I still need to figure out hair accessories. 

Goal #8: Continue my transition. 

Goal #9- Use Jamaican Black Castor Oil at least once a day on my edges.

I'm proud of all of the things I accomplished in March. I hope to do the same in April.
                                         
                                             Goals for April 
                                             * Continue my transition

                                            * Drink at least 5 glasses of water a day

                                            * Buy more earrings (at least 3 or 4 pairs)

                                            *  Make or buy hair accessories

                                            *  Make an appointment for the BC

                                            *  Schedule a BC celebration with friends & family

                                            *  Do scalp massages at least twice a week

                                            *  Compile list of TWA hairstyles / ideas on Pinterest

                                            *  Read  The Science of Black Hair

That should keep me pretty busy this month. What do you think? Is there something I should have added? Please feel free to comment below.

Until next time :)!