Friendsgiving: A Fun Twist on a Traditional Holiday

 This year the hubby and I thought it would be a great idea to have a Friendsgiving. Now that we're out in California, flying back to Ohio for Thanksgiving isn't really an option for us at this point. Some of our friends (who are also in the hubby's graduate program)  couldn't go home for Thanksgiving either and loved the idea.

                                   

Some of us posing for a pic

The food was amazing and it gave everyone a chance to relax. The hubby and I brought the turkey (pre-cooked from Whole Foods). Unfortunately we don't have an oven, so we had to buy it. I have to admit, I was afraid that the turkey wouldn't be that great. But, the turkey was delicious! If you don't have the time, energy or space to cook a turkey, definitely check out Whole Foods.

Caught in the act

                                                                                                  

After our feast, we played Cards Against Humanity. I can't believe I just found out about this game! Now, this game is designed to shock, appall and make you laugh. Keep that in mind if you decide to purchase or play it. We ended up playing for hours until it was time to call it a night.

 

If you can't travel home for Thanksgiving, think about hosting a Friendsgiving. It was a lot of fun and something we'll do again in the future.

                                                    How did you spend Thanksgiving? 

Until next time!

~Adventures of a Nappy Chica

Wash Day Recap | 'Tis the Season to Be Festive

[1]  Pre-pooed with my mixture of Hair Trigger Growth Elixir and  JBCO under a plastic cap for an hour.  I did a scalp massage for about 10 minutes and then put on a plastic cap. This mixture tends to get a little messy, so I always make sure I'm wearing a towel around my neck.
[2]  Co-Washed with Shea Moisture Coconut Hibiscus Co-Wash Conditioning Cleanser

[3] Deep conditioned with Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Deep Treatment Masque

[4]  ACV + Water Rinse after I washed out my conditioner. I massaged the mixture for a few minutes and left it in.

[7] T-shirt dried my hair for about 40 minutes

[8] I applied my leave-in conditioners:  Carol's Daughter Black Vanilla Leave-In Conditioner, Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Restorative Conditioner and ApHogee Keratin Green Team Reconstrutor.

[9]  Finger Detangled

[10] Finished up by applying Shea Moisture's Curling Custard, Marguerite's Magic Restorative Cream  and JBCO before puttung on my bonnet & scarf.

The next day (Wednesday), I didn't do anything special to my hair. I wore my normal fro and called it a today. But, in honor of Thanksgiving yesterday, I decided to be festive. I opted for something easy and fairly quick: bantu knots. I love wearing bantu knots and I think it's a versatile hairdo. Instead of wetting my hair, I did the bantu knots on dry hair. I didn't add any products because my hair was still moisturized from my LCO application the night before. It probably took about an hour to do all the knots and I must say I was pleased with the results. I think I did a good job, seeing as I didn't use a mirror during the process. 

 

                                 Want to try bantu knots? Check out the tutorials below.

             How did your wash day go? Did you wear a festive hairdo for Thanksgiving?

Until next time!

~Adventures of a Nappy Chica

Natural Hair Journey: 7 Months Natural

Hey everyone!

It's the day before my favorite holiday and it's eerily quiet at work...so why not blog to past the time?



Overall, this was a great month. I feel like my hair and I are getting along quite fabulously. She has definitely bounced back from that unplanned cut back in September and I can definitely see some growth. I've really tried to make moisture retention my top priority and I think it's worked. But, I also realized that I need to balance out the moisture with protein. I finally did a protein treatment and I know that it's something that needs to happen regularly. I was so afraid that I would have a horrible experience but it turned out great!

I'm still not a fan of twisting up my hair at night but I need to  keep my hair from being matted in the morning (more on that a little later). I can't wait to see what next month brings!




Current Length:

The front of my hair falls right above my eyebrows. The sides are at the bottom of my earlobes and the back is at the base of my neck.


My Go-to Styles this month:

I still rocked my fro most of the month but I did do a fohawk and brought out a headband as well. I may try flat twists (one section only) or something different for Thanksgiving.

               

 

Hair Regimen: Besides adding a protein treatment to the mix, everything is pretty much the same. I don't plan on any drastic changes to my products or routine anytime soon.

I swear the back of my hair is noticeably longer than the front.

      

Plans for next month:  I mentioned earlier that I need to do something at night to prevent matted hair in the morning. My hair is too short for the pineapple method but I came across this on CurlyNikki and I want to give it a try.



To read more about the loose multi pineapple method, check out this post on CurlyNikki.


Well loves, I hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving with your loved ones! If you're a Black Friday shopper check out this post by Christina (Mane Objective) and Ijeoma (Klassy Kinks) for the latest deals from 60 natural hair companies.


Until next time!

~Adventures of a Nappy Chica

Wash Day | Protein Treatment

I've been talking about doing a protein treatment for awhile and I finally did one this past Tuesday!

[1]  Pre-pooed with my mixture of Hair Trigger Growth Elixir and  JBCO under a plastic cap for an hour.  Before I put on the plastic cap, I did a scalp massage for about 10 minutes. 
[2]  Co-Washed with Shea Moisture Coconut Hibiscus Co-Wash Conditioning Cleanser

[3]  Protein Treatment  After doing a lot of research, I chose ApHogee Keratin 2 Minute Reconstructor.  Although I use the Curly Girl Method and natural products, I felt this was the best protein treatment for me. At first, I thought about doing a homemade protein treatment but at this point I don't have the time.  I put on a plastic cap and let the treatment set on my hair for about 5 minutes.

[4] Deep conditioned with Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Deep Treatment Masque

[5]  ACV + Water Rinse after I washed out my conditioner. I massaged the mixture for a few minutes and left it in.

[7] T-shirt dried my hair for about 30-40 minutes

[8] I applied my leave-in conditioners:  Carol's Daughter Black Vanilla Leave-In Conditioner, Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Restorative Conditioner and ApHogee Keratin Green Team Reconstrutor.

[9]  Detangled with my Denman brush

[10] Finished up by applying Shea Moisture's Curling Custard, Marguerite's Magic Restorative Cream  and JBCO before puttung on my bonnet & scarf.

I could immediately tell the difference after doing the protein treatment. My hair looked better and felt stronger. I'm going to continue to use this treatment twice a month and eventually use it once a month.

                                                          How was your wash day?

Until next time!

~ Adventures of a Nappy Chica

Let them drink wine: My first trip to Napa

What do you get when you have a limo, a birthday girl and 8 of her friends? An epic weekend in Napa Valley.

Hanging outside Castillo Di Amarosa in Napa

This past weekend I got to see one of my best friends and celebrate another friend's birthday. Instead of driving the two hours from Monterey to San Francisco (where we were all meeting up), I took the Monterey Airbus. It was stress-free, reliable, affordable and convenient.
                                         

The airbus departs from Calle Principal in Monterey.

Friday night my bestie, the birthday girl and another friend went out for a late dinner/drinks in San Francisco.  Our first stop was Calzone's in Little Italy. If you haven't been there, you need to check it out. I highly recommend their roasted vegetables pizza, it's so good! After that we stopped by another bar for a quick drink (unfortunately, I don't remember the name) and headed back to our hotel to rest up for trip to Napa.

At Calzone's from left to right (the birthday girl, me, another friend and my bestie)

Our second stop that night. Such a cool bar.

The next day we met up with the rest of our group and headed to Napa in a limo. Yeah, that's right a limo. At first I thought it was unnecessary but if you think about it, it's genius. Everyone gets to enjoy the wineries and relax. It's a win-win situation. If you're going to Napa with a big group, a limo is the way to go in my opinion.

Our ride for the day

                                      



Heading to Napa

                                                  

Me with the birthday girl

Castillo Di Amarosa

This was our first stop on our Napa tour and definitely worth the visit. With the beautiful views and good wine, we were tempted to stay but we were on a mission to visit at least three wineries (more on  that later). 

                                                         

                    

                        

                   

                       

                       

                                      

                       

                The bestie taking time to pose for a pic.

                

                   

Posing with the bestie :)

"Engagement pic" with the bestie

                                                       

"Engagement pic" take 2

Cheers!

         

Franciscan Estate Winery

We were able to have our own private tasting at this winery and a private tour of the vineyard. I loved the staff, atmosphere and wine. I will definitely go back again with the hubby.

    

The birthday girl taking it all in. 

             

                     

               

                   

                  

                  

         \

            

            

Peju Province Winery--The Tour That Never Was

The goal was to make it to three wineries and we did. Unfortunately, we never got to go inside. We were having such a great time, taking pictures and laughing. The staff, however, decided to refuse a wine tasting to a few people in our group. We literally walked in, used the restrooms and took a few pictures while we waited to tour the grounds. I would say we were there for about 10 minutes. Those actions were enough to deem a few people too "drunk" to go inside. Now, were we loud? Yes. But, we were not disturbing anyone because we were the only ones in the lobby. Had we been drinking? Of course, but we were by no means drunk. The staff was rude and condescending. I definitely won't return to their winery.

Cigar Bar and Grill

We didn't let that encounter ruin the rest of our night and ended the night the only way possible--going salsa dancing. This place is amazing, if you can ignore the cigar smoke, and there is a live salsa band. I haven't been to a salsa club in awhile so I was soaking it all up. We owned the club. It went a little something like this........

Okay, maybe it wasn't quite like that but it was pretty awesome. Lol. It was just like the good old days in college.


                                               What did you do this past weekend?

Wash Day | Exfoliating My Scalp

Tuesday morning I stumbled across this post about how exfoliating your scalp can improve the health of your scalp and hair. A long-time sufferer of dry skin, eczema and dandruff (which I've been able to control with frequent washing and ACV rinses), I'm always willing to try things that can improve the health of my scalp. Luckily, the hubby keeps brown sugar in stock and I was able to incorporate this step in my wash day session. Here's a recap of Tuesday's Wash Day:


[1]  Pre-pooed with my mixture of Hair Trigger Growth Elixir and  JBCO under a plastic cap for an hour.  Before I put on the plastic cap, I did a scalp massage while humming Shake It Off and All About That Bass---two of my favorite jams lately. I did weekly scalp massages before I transitioned and it's something I'm going to incorporate on my wash days from now.
[2]  Exfoliated with brown sugar. After I rinsed out my pre-poo mixture, I put a handful of brown sugar in my hands and lightly scrubbed my scalp using the pads of my fingers. Since going natural, I've noticed that my scalp is sensitive in certain areas. It doesn't happened all the time but it has been a frequent occurrence. This is one of the reasons why I stopped twisting my hair at night or at all, really. Has anyone else experienced this? Anyway, I did this for a good 5- 10 minutes.

[3]  Shampooed with  Alikay Natural's Moisturizing Black Soap Shampoo. I haven't used this in a while and I felt like my hair needed to be shampooed.

 

[4] Deep conditioned with Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Deep Treatment Masque

[5]  ACV + Water Rinse after I washed out my conditioner. I massaged the mixture for a few minutes and left it in.

[6] Tea Rinse: I'm still loving the spray bottle method I incorporated last week. It works like a charm and helps keep the mess to a minimum. I've been on a green tea kick for a little bit, but I want to try other teas as well.
[7] T-shirt dried my hair for about 30-40 minutes

[8] I applied my leave-in conditioners:  Carol's Daughter Black Vanilla Leave-In Conditioner and Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Restorative Conditioner

[9]  Detangled with nothing. I will did some finger detangling when I pre-pooed and shampooed.

[10] Finished up by applying  JBCO and Shea Moisture's Curling Custard before putting on my satin bonnet and going to bed.

 

Overall, it was a good wash day. I have to admit that my scalp did feel a little cleaner. My plan is to exfoliate my scalp at least once or twice a month.

 

                                                                                The next day.....

 

 

 

 

         

 

 

 

I actually "styled" my hair! I've been rocking my afro since my unplanned second big chop in September. I figured, why not do something a little different to my hair?! It's nothing special, just my attempt at a fohwak. I took some trusty bobby pins and pinned back both sides. I did some fluffing here and there, and I was off to work.  The whole day at work I kept thinking to myself: "business in the front, party in the back". Lol. My hair is growing back, which is great, but I'm hoping I don't end up with a curly mullet. #thestruggle. 

 

Side note: I'm trying not to pay attention to the gray hairs popping out in the first picture. I swear, those two hairs grow faster and longer than all the other hairs on my head. Until I have the time, patience and space to do a henna treatment, I will continue to sport my Cruella Deville streak.

 

 

How was your wash day? Did you try a new hairstyle or did you stick to an old favorite? Be sure to share your wash day results below :).

 

 

 

Until next time!

~Adventures of a Nappy Chica

Shea Moisture BOGO Sale at CVS

So if you love Shea Moisture as much as I do, then you need to get to your local CVS and grab your favorite Shea Moisture products. You can visit www.cvs.com to see if your CVS has your favorites  in stock. Remember the sale is now through Saturday, November 16!

Photo courtesy of Shea Moisture



                                                          Happy Shopping!

Le Tote Goodies + Clear Proof Voxbox: Week 3 Update and 30 Days of Water Challenge

Hey everyone!


I just wanted to share my experience with Le Tote. In case you need a reminder of what I received in my first tote, check out this post. While I want to say that I loved everything, sadly that was not the case. Out of the five items I received, here were my favorites:

                               

A little bling to jazz up my outfit.

                                                           

The black and white dress made me feel like a million bucks. It was a little on the short side, so I paired it with a pair of black leggings and some ballet flats for work. I have to admit that it was my first time wearing leggings (as part of an outfit) and I loved it! I will definitely wear more leggings in the future. As much as I loved the dress and the bracelet, I sent them back to Le Tote. I'm still considering purchasing the black dress though...we'll see. All in all I'm still happy with Le Tote and excited to see what the next one will bring :).

Clear Proof Voxbox: Week 3 Update

Exactly three weeks ago today I started using Clear Proof by Mary Kay. My skin has cleared up and I haven't experienced any major breakouts since I started using the system. Initially, I tried using the products twice a day and I experienced severe dryness.  For me, using the system once a day works better for my skin. 

I still have 9 weeks left before I finish the system. Based on independent studies, participants who used the system for 12 weeks saw continued improvement while using Clear Proof. Once the 12 weeks are over, I will write a complete review of how the system worked for me. Be sure to stay tuned!

                                            

                                         

                                                          

                                                              

* To see before pictures and pictures after one week of using Clear Proof, check out this post. 

                                                                30 Days of Water 

                                   

                                                Image courtesy of Just Grow Already and Relaxed Thairapy

Just Grow Already and Relaxed Thairapy have teamed up to sponsor a 30 day water challenge. The rules are simple, you must drink at least 32 oz of water a day for 30 days. As you all know, drinking enough water has been a challenge for me in recent years. My goal is to drink more than 32oz per day during the challenge. I would like to drink anywhere between 48-64 oz of water per day.  I know that increasing my water intake will give me healthier skin, hair and body. I'm going to keep track of my water intake each day and even set reminders for myself. Feel free to join the challenge :).

That's all for now.

Until next time :)!

~Adventures of a Nappy Chica