Behind the Scenes on a Television Set

It's been well over a month since my last post. Although I've thought about posting something several times, the truth is I haven't had the time. Since moving to Portland in May, my main goal has been getting experience in film and tv production.

After a couple of months working on independent film projects, I scored a job on a television show as a production assistant in Portland, Oregon.  Working in television has always been a dream of mine so when the opportunity presented itself, I jumped on it.  The past month has given me a chance to experience television production firsthand.

Here’s what you may not know about life behind the scenes on set:

Creating ‘Hollywood Magic’ Takes Time

Think of your favorite scene or moment from your favorite television show. That one particular scene might have taken up to two hours to film. Unlike a normal 9-5 job, a typical day on set can last anywhere from 12-16 hours.  Each take of a scene is reviewed by the director, the script supervisor, director of photography and hair and makeup, just to name a few. Making sure the lighting, the make-up, props and camera angles reflect the script and the director’s vision sometimes takes several takes.

In addition to looking for continuity errors, the director will often discuss certain aspects of the scene with the actors and other members of the production team. This process will continue throughout the filming of the episode, which typically lasts eight days.

Dressing the Part

One of the best parts of my job as a production assistant (PA), besides being able to see how an episode comes together, is my work attire. Because I work long days on set, my work attire is all about being comfortable. Most days you will find me in jeans, a comfortable shirt, a pair of Merrell shoes with a hooded sweatshirt around my waist or stashed in my backpack.

Go to Strong Is Our Sexy to read more about life behind the camera.

Wash Day Experience: Nothing Special

Happy Sunday

This post is a little late but here is a recap of Monday's wash day:

Pre-Shampoo: Hair Trigger for 40 minutes

Co-Wash: Shea Moisture's Cleansing Cowash Conditioner

Deep Condition:  Tangles & Beyond Deep Moisture Conditioner for 30 minutes under a plastic cap. 

ACV Rinse: I sprayed the rinse in my hair and massaged it into my scalp for a couple of minutes.

Tea Rinse:  No tea rinse this wash day but I plan to do one this coming week.

Leave-ins: SheaMoisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil,  SheaMoisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie and Tangles & Beyond Deep Moisture Shea Butter Creme.

As usual I opted for my signature twists. This time however, I did a simple two strand twists. As much as I love my twists, I feel like I need to switch up my hairstyles. I plan to do that after my next wash day.

                                                                  How was your wash day? 

Wash Day Experience: It's way past time for a Trim

Happy July!!!

This is going to be a busy but hopefully fun month. I'm determined to get back in the swing of things, which hopefully means I will post more this month. 

Here is a recap of Monday's wash day:

Twist out style I rocked before wash day

Pre-Shampoo: Hair Trigger for 45 minutes with light finger detangling before rinsing it out.

Co-Wash: Shea Moisture's Cleansing Cowash Conditioner

Protein Treatment: I decided to skip the protein treatment after last week's wash day. I'm actually going to lay off the protein treatments for another 2 weeks.

Deep Condition: SheaMoisture Raw Shea Butter Deep Treatment Masque + Tangles & Beyond Deep Moisture Conditioner for 30 minutes under a plastic cap. 

ACV Rinse: I sprayed the rinse in my hair and massaged it into my scalp for a couple of minutes.

Tea Rinse:  I used three bags of Earl Gray this week. I made sure the water was boiling before adding the tea bags. Then I continue to let the tea brew for another 10-15 minutes. Once the tea is cool, I add it to a spritz bottle and spray the rinse in my hair.

Leave-ins: SheaMoisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil,  SheaMoisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie and Tangles & Beyond Deep Moisture Shea Butter Creme.

Every since my last wash day, my hair has felt weird. My hair won't stay in twists, which suggests which what I already know...I need a trim bad. But my trim in September has made me a little apprehensive about making an appointment. Well, I finally broke down today and scheduled an appointment. Anyway, since my twists weren't working I set my hair in Bantu knots instead. Unfortunately, my Bantu knots did not come out the way I wanted them to. So, I made due with what I had and came up with the style below.

                          

I rocked this style for a day and the did semi-chunky twists and wore a bow from Vine80.

How was your #washdayexperience? Join the linkup to share your experiences.

Protein Overload?? + UpCrown Funk (UpTown Funk Parody)

Is it just me or has this month flown by? It has been a great month hanging out with friends and getting more work in the film industry in Portland. I haven't shared a lot about my hair routine as of late but,for the most part nothing has changed. Well, that was true until last Sunday's wash day.

Rocking a twist out before wash day

For the past few months my go-to protein treatment on wash day was ApHogee Intensive Two Minute Keratin Reconstructor. My hair has done really well with this light protein treatment. But, I have thought about switching it up and trying something new. So, when a fellow blogger posted about a protein treatment that she loved, I figured why not give it a try. The treatment didn't sound to intense and also didn't have any parabens or sulfates.

              

I co-washed with my normal SheaMoisture Co-Wash and applied this strengthening masque after. I made sure to really work it into my hair and left it on for 10 minutes (per the directions).  I followed up with my go-to deep conditioner (Tangles & Beyond Deep Moisture Conditioner) for 30 minutes.

I didn't know what to expect once I finished my wash day routine. But, I assumed since I did a deep conditioner my hair would be soft and manageable. Instead, my hair felt hard and was unmanageable. The only thing I could do to salvage it was to twist my hair. Imagine my surprise when even my twists didn't work. In the end I had to pin up my "twists" for an updo. So, my question is: What did I do wrong? Was it the masque or my choice of deep conditioner that caused the hard hair? Please give me any suggestions or advice on finding a new protein treatment.


Whitney aka Naptural 85 is one of my favorite hair bloggers because of her advice and tips for easy natural hair care. I also love her fun approach to sharing info with her subscribers. For some reason, I missed her UpCrown Fun parody but when I came across it yesterday on YouTube, I knew I had to share it with you. Enjoy!


        


~Adventures of a Nappy Chica

Completing the Pack: How We Became Pooch Parents to three rescued dogs

As some of you may know, the hubby and I are dog parents to three Pit Bulls. But you might not know the story behind all three of the rescues. 

In 2009, my husband and I were in a rut. We were both in school and were looking for a way to become more active. My future mother-in-law suggested that we get a dog.  After talking about it, we decided it was a great idea.

While we were looking for a dog to adopt, it just so happened that my husband’s boss found a dog on her property in Northern Kentucky. She knew that we were thinking of getting a dog and she couldn’t keep him, so she suggested that we give it a try.

But there was only one catch: he was a Pit Bull.

I have to admit that when we heard that, we were a little nervous. At the time, I didn’t have a lot of experience with dogs, let alone Pit Bulls, as my family only briefly had two dogs when I was a child. My husband, on the other hand, grew up having dogs and other animals in his family, but he wasn’t familiar with Pit Bulls. Ultimately, the thought of the dog not finding a home troubled us, and we agreed to give it a try. Once we met Chancho, I knew right away that we would keep him, because he was fun-loving, playful and affectionate.

Now, I would be lying if I said that first year with Chancho was smooth sailing.

We definitely had our ups and downs. There were many, many times we felt a tad overwhelmed and unprepared to be dog parents.

Our man Chancho, chillin' out

To read more about our journey with Chancho and our other two dogs, go to Strong Is Our Sexy.

Old Faithful: Three Strand Twists | The #WashDayExperience

Summer is here and as always I'm looking for easy no fuss hairstyles. Before yesterday's wash day I rocked a half down, half faux updo. Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures but I will share pics next time. Although I love wearing my hair out my hair gets extremely tangled. Which is why I'm only wearing my hair out once or twice a week.  Anyway here is a recap of yesterday's #washdayexperience:

                                           

Pre-Shampoo: Hair Trigger for 45 minutes . I like to do a little finger detangling during this step. Plus, this leaves my hair so nice and soft after.

*My hair has been shedding a lot recently. Has anyone else experienced this lately? Is it because it's summer? I swear I'm finding little hairs everywhere. Lol.

Co-Wash: Shea Moisture's Cleansing Cowash Conditioner

Protein Treatment: ApHogee Intensive Two Minute Keratin Reconstructor for 2 minutes.

Deep Condition: SheaMoisture Raw Shea Butter Deep Treatment Masque + Tangles & Beyond Deep Moisture Conditioner for 35 minutes under a plastic cap. I had a little bit of the Deep Treatment Masque left and decided to mix it in with the Deep Moisture Conditioner. Once I started using it again, I realized how much I love this conditioner! I started to use the Denman brush to detangle but opted for my wide tooth comb instead. With all of my recent shedding I thought it would be more effective.

ACV Rinse: I sprayed the rinse in my hair and massaged it into my scalp for a couple of minutes.

Tea Rinse: For this week's tea rinse I used three bags of Earl Gray (my gray/silver strands on the side have been laughing at me recently) and two bags of green tea. I usually pour the mix over my head and repeat until it's gone. But this ends up being so messy and I'm not sure if I get all the black tea in my hair. I'm going to go back to putting the tea rinse in a spray bottle and applying it that way. #nomess #nofuss . I apply a cotton t-shirt on my head for about 15 minutes to catch any excess liquid.

Leave-ins: SheaMoisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil and SheaMoisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie

 

I think this might be my best three strand twist. Before I started twisting, I put my hair in five sections (front, middle, back and one for each side). Instead of waiting until the end I did the front section first. Then I did the sides, the back and finished with the middle section. And guess what, this made the whole twisting process so much better! I know, some of you probably already do this, but hey, this was a breakthrough for me. Lol.

                    How was your wash day? Join the link-up and share your #WashdayExperience

10 Cool and Creative Summer Date Night Ideas

Summer is here and I'm back from my unplanned hiatus from the blog. May was crazy with all the moving (in Monterey) and then to Portland. I just needed some time to take it all in. But now I'm back :). Now that summer is here it's time to spice up your date nights. With the beautiful weather there are tons of fun and creative things you can do with your honey. Not sure where to start? Here are a few fun date night ideas to try with your sweetie.

1. Go to a brewery

Nothing says summer like sipping an ice cold beverage and relaxing on a patio. Head to your local brewery to learn about the great brews in your area and don’t forget to sample something from their menu! 

Don’t know where to start? Most breweries have “flights” or samples of their beers served in small tasting glasses. This lets you sample the types of beers they brew before you commit to one.

If you’re not a beer drinker, head to the nearest winery to enjoy a nice glass of wine while touring the grounds. 

2. Plan a game night outdoors

Take game night to a whole new level by bringing it outdoors.  Find your favorite childhood games like Twister, Monopoly, Uno or new games like Cards Against Humanity and Heads Up and have a fun night of competition. Make it a double date or a couple’s night by inviting your friends and family.

You can even find outdoor-friendly games like Giant Jenga nowadays!

3. Have a Picnic

Take your lunch or dinner and head to your local park, backyard, the beach or your favorite outdoor location. Be sure to pack your sunscreen and a blanket to get cozy while you eat. If the weather isn’t cooperating, enjoy your picnic indoors.

4.  Host a Barbecue or Bonfire

Grilling is one of my favorite parts of summer. It is a fun and a relative easy way to enjoy great food. So grab your favorite food and drinks and fire up the grill! Not a grill master? Opt for a nice relaxing bonfire with s’mores and your honey.

To see the rest of my summer date night ideas, visit Strong Is Our Sexy.