Journey to 100 - Kickoff Week - August 20 - 27th

So, my church had a free blood pressure screening last Sunday.  Mine was 130/90.  Not bad, they categorize it as "prehypertensive".  But since I have a genetic predisposition for hypertension, I decided to do my part by starting a cardiovascular workout plan.  When I left church I drove to WalMart and bought 2 DVDs.  Billy Blank's Bootcamp Cardio Sculpt & Dancing with the Stars Latin Cardio Dance (I took salsa lessons for 2 years so I figured this would be a fun way to work out).  I did the Latin Cardio Dance video for an hour on Sunday...check!  Here is the rest of my workout schedule for the week.

Saturday 8/20  -  20 min Arc Climber,  butterfly presses, barbell lifts, triceps pull down, shoulder press, and ab work at gym  - total work out time 1 hour
Sunday 8/21  - Dancing with the Stars Cardio Dance DVD  - 1 hr
Monday 8/22 Billy Blank's Bootcamp Cardio Sculpt DVD  - 1 hr (my arms hurt so bad I couldn't lift air afterwards...LOL)
Tuesday  8/23  Donna Richardson's Sweating in the Spirit DVD  cardio portion only 30 mins
Wednesday  - REST
Thursday  8/25  Donna Richardson's Sweating in the Spirit DVD toning portion only 20 mins
Friday 8/26  Billy Blank's Bootcamp Cardio Sculpt DVD  - 1hr (easier b/c I used 3 lb weights but I was still sore in places that I didn't even know I had muscles)
Saturday 8/27  REST

I was very proud of myself!  Even though I have a gym membership, I didn't want the drive from the house to the gym to prevent me from working out so I worked out at home a lot this week.  I will change it up (DVD's, outside exercise, gym) to keep it from getting boring. 

What suggestions do you have for keeping my heart rate up that is creative so I won't give up?  I need continuous encouragement to keep me going ladies!  Any encouraging words are appreciated!

Step by Step Braidout Tutorial

This past Tuesday, I had the opportunity to attend Jill Scott's Summer Block Party featuring Anthony Hamilton, Mint Condition, DJ Jazzy Jeff & Dougie Fresh.  I'm a huge Jill Scott & Anthony Hamilton fan and this concert did not disappoint.  I would have liked to have seen a little more of Mint Condition, but what I saw was good!  Anthony tore the house down and took us to church!  Jill put on a great show as well.  This woman's vocals are sick! I loved the format of the concert with the old school hip hop music between sets.  They took us waaay back!  Grown folks music ya'll!

I wanted to wear BIG hair for the concert so I decided to do a braidout.  I knew we would be sitting outside in the evening so I decided to compare two products to see which would hold up to the humidity of the evening dew best.  I used Miss Jessie's Curly Pudding on 3 sections and my shea butter mixture & Curls Goddess Curls Gel on 2.  Though my hair was pretty much undefined when I got home (LOL), I would say that the shea butter & Curls Goddess Curls Gel held up better for the braid out.  Check out the slide show below to see how I achieved the look above.

Slideshow created with Smilebox Here are some additional photos of a braid out I did Labor Day Weekend.  I only used the shea butter & Curls Goddess Curls on this style & I rubbed a little Aveda Brilliant Anti-Humectant Pomade on it to keep the frizz causing humidity away.  I loved the results!!  Here are pictures of my first braidout from February of this year.  Just 6 months later, look at the growth! I remember being so frustrated at how I couldn't get definition all over.  It just goes to show that patience and care with you hair pays off!

Turning a Style from Expressive to Protective - Cinnabun Take 2

A puff is a convenient "go to" style for a lot of naturals, including me.  But one of the things that I have found is that a puff will leave my hair in tangles especially at the ends.  So it is best for me to create an updo that will protect my ends.  This isn't to say I will never do a puff, however, it will be rare for me to wear it on consecutive days.

I have done one take on the Cinnabun hairstyle.  Here is another.   This is a great protective style for the hot summer months to keep your hair away from your face and your ends protected.   Very little maintenance is needed, just an occasional spray with your favorite moisturizing spritz and go!


The pictures below show a comparison shot of the first Cinnabun look versus the most recent.

July 2011

August 2011

 

 

 

I kept my flat twist in the front and accessorized with this cute headband.

 Please check out my friend, The Trendy Socialite's tutorial on how to create this look.  She's 2 years into her natural journey. 

So what protective styles have you tried?  How long do you usually wear your protective styles?

Hairstyle Fail - Roll, Tuck & Pin

You guys know I usually don't post pictures about my hairstyle fails.  However, for those of you who may have tried hairstyles on Youtube or even some of the styles I've posted on my site and had them go awry......just know.  It happens to the best of us.  This roll, tuck, and pin was just NOT going my way.  Even once I got most of my hair rolled.....alas....I had hair sticking up in the top like Alfalfa from the Little Rascals (I'm dating myself here..)


BUT....
You can turn a failure into a success.  One of the things that I love about natural hair is that it is so easy to change a bad hair day into a good one.  Check out the fierce side puff I rocked after failing at this style!

Hair of the week - Coil Out

You guys have seen coil outs on me before and this is just another version where I created a side part.  I had a family reunion this weekend and needed a style that was carefree and would last thoughout the weekend without a lot of additional maintenance and this style didn't disappoint.  Even after being in 100% humidity under a picnic shelter while it poured rain, I did get puffy in the roots, but the coils maintained their hold.  I used Miss Jessie's Curly Pudding for this style.  This is day 4 of the style so I may end up altering it by my wash day.

What I do like about this time is that I am starting to get the hang of creating more curls from my original coils.  It only took me an hour and a half (which is good for me!) to coil my hair and about 30 minutes to do the coil out.  I'm refreshing each day by rubbing a 1/2 a dime size amount of Oyin Handmade's Burnt Sugar Pomade on my hands and fluffing with my fingers.

If you need some tips on creating finger coils or a coil out style, check out this well done video by SimplYounique below.  My hair isn't as long as hers (she's about 2 years natural) and my curl pattern is tighter so I got a different look.  It just goes to show that you don't have to be at the same place in an individual's journey to create their style and make it yours!

Recognizable Natural - Janelle Monae

This week's recognizable natural is Janelle Monae.  This young musician is being featured not only because of her natural hair but also her individuality of style. If you look at the pictures of Janelle, you can tell that she is strikingly beautiful, however she had chosen to redirect her fans to her music and performances by wearing a tuxedo as her signature performance costume.  I applaud her for consciously choosing to be different from the current pop culture in which women are often objectified and seen as sex symbols first and regarded for their talent second. 

Monae at age 25 is also a savvy business woman.  Though she is signed to Bad Boy records, their objective is really just to facilitate her exposure because she had already released an EP, Metropolis (Suite 1) through her own label, the Woodlands Arts Society.  She really did not need to be developed as an artist, she WAS an artist already when she arrived there.  She also had been featured on Big Boi's Idlewild, and he was the individual responsible for introducing her to Sean Combs.  Nice Job!

On the natural hair front, Janelle Monae is as well known for her signature coif as she is for her tuxedo.  Enjoy the pictures below which feature her in a way we rarely see her with her hair out.  Simply stunning!

Check out her explain the meaning behind her Grammy nominated single, Tightrope below.

Recent Haul's - Forever 21 & Charming Charlie!

Ok, so I realize this has nothing to do with natural hair, BUT as many of you know, since I've gone natural I've stepped up my accessory game.  Well, this week I had an opportunity to treat myself to some very cute accessories that I can't wait to wear!  In fact, I'm wearing two tomorrow.  LOL

Forever 21

I got these cute flowers from Forever 21 this weekend.  The pink and yellow flowers were both $2.50 each and the blue flower with feathers was $4.50.  I can't wait to wear the blue one!

Charming Charlie!

Can I just say I've been waiting MONTHS for the Charming Charlie to open in my city.  As soon as I found out the store was open I went the same day to check it out.  Look at all the goodies I found and these items were all on sale! 



This pin that I'm actually giving to my mother was marked down to $7.00.



These earrings were all just $1 each.



This necklace and earring set was marked down to $6.00

The bracelet was marked down to $4 and the earrings were marked down to $3.



 

This bracelet which is my favorite puchase was marked down to $7.    Cool deals, hunh?

The end of a season is always the best time to stock up on clothes and accessories as stores are trying to make room for the inventory for the next season.  It's often when I make the bulk of my purchases!

Protective Style - Twist Out Up Do - Revisited

You may recall the twist out up do that I did back in May.  Well, I decided to revisit this style as a protective style this past week.  I used the Curls Goddess Curls  to twist my hair.  (Have a mentioned I like this gel for my twists?) Instead of untwisting the twists, I kept them in for a week, pinning them on the side.  Check out the pictures below.

After a week, I untwisted the twists & have been wearing a twist out. 

First day twist out

Day 4 twist out  - I retwist my hair each night.  I lightly mist my hair with my moisturizing spray and then twist in medium/chunky twists.  As you can see it results in a more fluffy twist out.

Shed Hair vs. Broken Hair - How Can I tell the Difference?

I mentioned shed hair in my last post.  Many women on their natural hair journey get very concerned about the presence of hair coming out during their wash routine.  The assume their hair is breaking.  Just a few shedding facts:  On average we shed between 50 - 100 hairs per day.  During the resting period of the cycle, the hair folicle is reaching the end of the cycle and the hair bulb moves closer to the scalp.  During the normal process of shampooing or manipulation of the hair, it will detach.  As these hairs detach, a new hair begins to grow creating a cycle of continuous growth and detachment of hair.  This is normal. source

Here are some ways you can tell you have yourself a shed hair: 
1.  The hair is long in length.  If you constantly see short hairs lying around (unless your hair itself is short), examine your regimen and see if you are being too rough with your hair or if something you're using in your regimen is causing it to break (i.e. brushes, heat, protein sensitivity, medication)

2.  The hair has a white bulb attached.  Examine the picture above.  If you click it, it will enlarge.  This is some hair loss during a recent detangling session.  If you look closely you can clearly see about 3 white dots in the picture.  These are shed hairs.  If the hairs that you are loosing do not have a white bulb attached, those are probably broken hairs.

Examine the hairs you loose during your next wash session.   Are your hairs broken or shed?

No Longer A TWA - New Detangling Technique

I officially no longer have a TWA.  So what does this mean?  Well, it means a lot of things.  One of the first things it means is that I can no longer just slap conditioner on my hair and run a wide tooth comb through it.  I now have graduated to detangling my hair in sections.  My hair regimen just got longer. Sigh.  (LOL)

Once I have finished shampooing my hair, then add about a silver dollar sized amount of Herbal Essences Hello Hydration to my palm and apply to my hair.  I like this detangling conditioner because it is inexpensive and it has great slip.  Once I've smoothed the conditioner through my hair, I then part it into 4 sections.

Instead of using a wide toothed comb first, I use my fingers to detangle my hair and remove any shed hairs.  One reason why I use this method is that traditionally (even when relaxed) I was very rough with combing my hair.  After Taji saw a little area where there was some breakage during my last salon appointment, I wanted to take the time to ensure that I was being more gentle with my strands!  I still detangle with a wide tooth comb, but only after I finger detangle.  By using my fingers to detangle first, I can "feel" any knots and gently separate tangles without snapping them off as a comb would do. By the time I run the wide toothed comb through, there really aren't any tangles to separate!

Finger detangling the 1st section

Fingers coming through the other side

After finger detangling the first section, this is the amount of hair that has come out on my fingers.

 Why technique do you use to detangle your hair?  Do you finger detangle?