2 Years Natural!!

Happy 2 Naturalversary to me!!

I honestly can't believe it's been two years since I did my big chop. In the months leading up to my big chop I had prepared myself for short hair, by cutting a little bit each month. So by the time I walked into the salon that day I felt more excitement than fear. After months of watching YouTube videos and reading books about natural hair, I was ready to discover my natural hair. This would be my first time dealing with my natural texture--my mother relaxed my hair at a very young age.

Leaving that salon I felt free and nervous. It was the first time that I was going to be solely responsible for the health of my hair. I knew that there would be failures and successes, and to be honest I was ready for the challenge. The first year being natural was all about building a regimen and finding products that worked for my hair. Click here to see some highlights of that first year.

This past year has been refining what I know about my hair, which included experimenting with hairstyles and products. I also decided to try hair vitamins, something that has been really beneficial and positive for the health of my hair. And I finally have a regimen that works for my hair. My natural hair journey has also allowed me to become a healthier and happier person!

I'm excited to see what the next year of my hair journey will bring. I also wanted to say thank you to everyone that supported me along the way. Your encouragement and inspiration means the world to me. And of course a huge thank you to my husband, who planted the seed several years ago about rocking my natural hair.

~Adventures of a Nappy Chica

Product Review: Soak My Body Muscle Milk Bath

Photo courtesy of  Tanglesandbeyond.com
*note-the muscle bath no longer comes prefilled

Price: $18.00 for an 16 oz jar

Where I bought it: www.tanglesandbeyond.com

Why I bought it: I love working out but the older I get, the more I realize I need to pamper myself after going to the gym, especially the nights I come back from pole. I usually only buy hair products from Ashley (owner of Tangles and Beyond) but I was curious about her other products. She, like myself, is a workout junkie and always posts about the muscle milk bath after her gym sessions. So, I thought I should try it out myself. 

Product Description: Pure Coconut Milk , Yogurt Powder, Himalayan Salt, and a blend of muscle relaxing bath tea with willow bark, sage, peppermint and nettle is what your sore muscles need after a hard workout!

Directions: Just 15 minutes of hot water, and maybe a candle or some music will set the mood just right. It's about time you did something for yourself!

Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate (baking soda), Coconut Milk Powder, Yogurt Powder, Pink Himalayan Salt, Coconut Oil, White Willow Bark, Sage, Nettle Leaf, Hawaiian Black Salt and a blend of essential oils and fragrances. (ingredient list taken from both my jar and the website)

How I use it: I like to use this muscle milk bath once a week, usually after my pole class. This is a great way to soak my muscles, listen to my 80s channel on Pandora and dream about the next pole move I want to master. If I had time, I would do this soak every time I worked out. But, most of the time I don't have that kind of time to spare.

What I love about it: Everything! This has become a favorite part of my workout ritual.

What I don't like:  I wish I had a bigger jar of this stuff! I was so sad when I ran out this past Sunday :(. I ordered some more during the recent drop, but it will be a little bit before I get it. For more info about the drop, click here.  In the meantime, I have a few bath bombs courtesy of my Spring FabFit box.

Final thoughts: If you're looking for an organic product to help soothe your tired, overworked muscles, then this is right up your alley!

Disclosure of Material Connection:  Any reviews or opinions expressed about items in this post are my own personal views. I purchased all items with my own funds and have not received any compensation for writing my opinion. I have no connection to the products or brands mentioned in this post.

Winter Empties 2016

This post is way past due but I wanted to show you the products I finished during the winter. I'm still working on downsizing my stash and only keeping the essentials/staple products. 

1. Mielle Organics Adult Healthy Hair Formula (x2)- You guys know I'm a huge fan of Mielle Organics. I've been taking the vitamins since September and my hair has really thrived. I like to take my vitamins first thing in the morning with breakfast. I plan on writing another update sometime soon.

2. Mielle Organics Detangling Co-Wash- This has been my go-to co-wash for several months now. It leaves my hair clean and makes my curls pop! I'm hoping Mielle will make a bigger bottle of this co-wash down the line. #agirlcandream


3.  Mielle Organices Babassu Oil and Mint Deep Conditioner - There are so many reasons why I love this conditioner. It leaves my scalp clean and my hair smooth, moisturized and healthy.


4. Juara Candlenut Body Creme- Because of my sensitive skin, I usually stick to using natural oils or fragrance-free lotions to moisturize my skin. But, when I got this cream in my FabFit box in the fall, I decided to give it a try. I'm so glad I did. I feel like a million bucks after using this cream and I haven't had a reaction to it. When I used up my free jar, I searched the internet and bought my own jar. I need to do some more research and find out where I can score this stuff locally.

What are your winter empties? Are there products you loved? Any products you wouldn't purchase again?

 

Wash Day| Curls, Curls, Curls!

Hey everyone!

I know, it's been a little over two weeks since my last post. But, life has been a little crazy. We wrapped on Grimm season 5 last Thursday and I have been basking in my new found freedom. Anyway, over the weekend I went to my natural hairstylist Cher'e for a killer style for the Grimm Season 5 Wrap Party. Here are the details from this Saturday's wash day.

Relaxing underneath the hooded dryer

One of the main reason why I love going to the salon every 6 weeks or so is to give myself a break. Don't get me wrong. I love taking care of my hair but sometimes it feels good to let someone else do it. So when I first learned about the wrap party, I knew that I would be visiting Cher'e for an epic style for the night 

As much as I love the results of the perm rod set, I'm not sure how often I rock the hairstyle. When I first arrived at the salon I was treated to a shampoo and a deep conditioner treatment. In order to make the process go a little faster, Cher'e used the tension method to partially blow dry my hair. She knows that I'm #teamnoheat so she only used the blow dryer for a limited time with a very low setting. The goal of using the blow dryer wasn't to get my hair straight but to have a little stretch to my hair. If you have air texture like mine, than you know that once water hits our strands, it shrinks to about 75% of it's actual length.

 Unfortunately, the thickness of my hair resulted in several hours of applying the perm rods into my hair. Cher'e is a champ and braved the many hours it took to set my hair, My one attempt at the roller set resulted in a less than desired result and I have sworn off doing it again, After Cher're finished setting my hair I sat under the dryer for about 35-40 minutes.

I have to admit I was a little nervous. The only time I wore the perm rod set was when I tried to achieve the look on my house. Let's just say the hairstyle left more to be desired. It was during that funny/horrifying ordeal that I decided that I would never attempt perm rods by myself. 

Day 2 hair

The plan is to keep these curls for at least a week, maybe more if I can swing it. So far to preserve my curls I wear a bonnet every night and apply EVCO in the mornings.

How was your #washdayexperience? Did you try anything new?