3 Months Natural!

Saturday marked 3 months since my Big Chop! I meant to post on Saturday but with our move to Monterey two days away, we've been busy finishing up last minute details.

Current Length: 3" (I still need to do an official length check but I think this is pretty accurate)

Rocking a frohawk. 

My Go-to Styles this month: This month was all about the curly fro and two strand twists. Now that I have a little more length, two strand twists are a lot easier. Lately, I've been wearing the twists for 2-3 days before wearing a twist out. I tried doing twists the first month and my hair just wasn't long enough. But when I tried it this month, I was pleasantly surprised at how much my hair had grown.

Curly fro on July 4th

Twist out

Before a wash day

Hair Regimen: I used shampoo 3 times this month (one shampoo wash was with a clarifying shampoo, to remove buildup, etc). My hair and scalp seemed to be more refreshed/clean this month. I might try this again this month to see how it goes. I also switched my co-wash cleansing conditioner this month and I've been loving the results. My new co-wash is Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Co-Wash Conditioning Cleanser. I didn't switch my deep conditioner because...my hair loves it! For right now, I'm sticking with Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Deeeeep Conditioner. Now that my tea rinses are back in my regimen, I would love to try coffee rinses as well and compare the two.

Other naturals said that month 3 was hard for them but for me it was a great month. We'll see what next month brings :).

Until next time :)!

Wash Day + Castor Oil Challenge Week 7 Update

Hey everyone!!

I thought I would share my weekly wash day routine. I wash my hair twice a week usually on Sunday and Wednesday/Thursday. Since I workout a lot during the week, I find that washing it twice a week keeps my scalp clean. Here's my typical Wash Day routine:

[1] I pre-poo with a mixture of Tropic Isle Jamaican Black Castor Oil, JᾹSÖN Vitamin E Oil and Extra Virgin Coconut Oil. I added JᾹSÖN Vitamin E Oil as part of the 30 Days with Ceramides Challenge  . I  like to leave my pre-poo on for about 30-45 minutes under a plastic cap before rinsing it out.
[2] Co-wash with Shea Moisture's Coconut & Hibiscus Co-wash Conditioning Cleanser .You can find it at any Walgreen's or Target location. 
[3] Tea rinsed with Black and Burdock Root Tea. Check out  Jen's post on how to do a tea rinse. I put on my plastic cap and let the tea rinse sit for about 5 minutes. 
[4] Deep condition with Aussie Moist 3 Minute Miracle Deeeeep Conditioner
[5]  After rinsing out the conditioner, I do an ACV rinse. Check out it LiveNaturallyLove's video for a tutorial on how to do an ACV rinse. I let it sit for about 5 minutes.
[6]  I use an old t-shirt to towel dry my hair for about 30 minutes. Then apply I Kinky-Curly Knot Today  and detangle if need be.
[7] I apply Alikay Natural's Shea- Yogurt Hair Moisturizer and style my hair in two-strand twists.
[8] I leave my twists in for about 2 days and then wear a twist out on day 3.

My Two Strand Twists 

                                                        

Side view

Castor Oil Update Week 7 Update (a little late)

Week 7 was easy like the other weeks. I did notice more baby hairs around the edges :). You can see some of those in the pictures above. I actually have to buy more of my JBCO because I only have a little bit left!

That's it for now.

~Until next time :)

Castor Oil Updates Week 5 & 6 + 30 Days with Ceramides Challenge

Hey everyone!

It's been two weeks since my last post. A lot has happened since then. The hubby and I are moving to Monterey, Ca at the beginning of August. The hubby will be attending graduate school at the Monterey Institute of International Studies. Once we figured out logistics, we started packing and downsizing. We've got a lot done but we still have more preparations before our move.

Anyway, let's get to some hair updates:

Castor Oil Challenge Weeks 5 & 6

The Castor Oil Challenge has been an easy ride for me and I will continue to use JBCO after the challenge ends. Week 5 was our first official length check. I wish that I had taken more close-up pictures before the challenge to have a better visual. Also, I didn't focus on my edges in my length check but I will be sure to do it for the next one. I really like using my JBCO mixture of JBCO, EVCO and Jason's Vitamin E Oil to seal my hair and also to do my prepoo.

Fro's on the Fourth

A couple of days before the 4th of July I found out about Fros on the Fourth.  This was a great way to take pride in wearing a natural fro, so of course I had to participate.

30 Days with Ceramides

When Jen from Just Grow Already posted about the Cermaides Challenge, I decided to participate. I decided to use Jason's Vitamin E Oil mixed with JBCO and EVCO. I've noticed that my hair has been softer and has more shine. At this point, the ceramides seem to be working well for my hair.


That's all for now.

~Until next time :)!

Review of June's Goals + Goals for July

I had a lot of goals for June. Let's see how I did.

Goals for June
* Try at least one new hairstyle and post a pic on the blog. (done) I'm going to count the pic of me in one of my new Vine80 bows as a "hairstyle".

* Drink at 1 liter of water at least once during the week (Baby steps. Lol.) (done)-- I actually went even did 2 or 3 times depending on the week.

* Start the Kinky Curly Coily Me's Summer Castor Oil Challenge  and my update progress here throughout the challenge.  If you're interested in joining the challenge, be sure to register by Saturday, June 7th. (done)--I've been updating my progress each week. This week marks week 5.

* Continue to buy more hair accessories--This month's goal: more flowers & bows.  Oh and I'm in love with flower rings at the moment. So I'm going to try and buy some of those as well. (done)- I bought 2 bows from Vine80 and only scored one cute ring (it's a fruit ring and not a flower but I'm going to count it).

My cute find at the CAC Summer Sale

*  Use up at least one product before buying/trying a new product. (done)

* Shampoo at least once this month.  (done)-- I shampooed twice once with Alikay Natural 's Black Soap Shampoo & Alba Botanical's Daily Shampoo to clarify.

* Research a new deep conditioner to incorporate into my regimen for July. (done) Instead of spending money on a new deep conditioner,  I decided to try a homemade deep conditioner this month.

* Make at least one update/change to the blog. (sort of) Okay, so I didn't do a update here but I did create a Facebook page. Be sure to visit the page . Please like the page if you get a chance, I'm trying to reach 100 likes.

7 out of 8. June was a very productive month!

Goals for July

*Twist my hair every night before bed---I got lazy with this last month. Now that my hair is a little longer, this should be a normal part of my routine.

* Drink 1 liter of water at least twice a week

* Continue the Summer Castor Oil Challenge

*Try Naptural 85's DIY deep conditioner & incorporate it in current regimen for at least a month

* Continue experimenting with hairstyles

* Add a current regimen & list of products to the blog

*Participate in and complete Jen's 30 Days with Ceramides Challenge

* Participate in and complete Independencearmy challenge and Morehandstandlove Challenge (both fitness challenges)

Do you set goals (hair or otherwise) each month? Does it motivate you? What are your goals for this month?

Until next time :)!