It's My Birthday Eve...

25 is approaching rather quickly, y'all! Thank God for letting me make it this far! I can hardly believe it. And even though I barely look a day over 19, I definitely can feel the difference. I won't get too deep. This is just a light post today.

So...what should I give my hair for our 25th birthday on tomorrow? Some color? Twists? Maybe a trip to the salon? The classic side puff? What do you think? Let me know in the comment box below or leave a comment on the blog's Facebook wall. Your suggestions are welcomed, but I can tell you I will not be shaving or cutting my hair.

My challenge for today is to check yourself. Yep! I said check yourself. Are we really being the persons God has called us to be? The Bible is the mirror. If it doesn't line up with the Word of God, it is time to let it go. God bless!

My Hair Got Christmas Presents!

It’s almost Christmas!!!

So, I’m so glad that my husband decided to go out and do some Christmas shopping today. My oldest son (the 3 year old) will not just be opening up clothes on Christmas so I’m sure he’ll be happy about that! My youngest (the 5 month old) will probably just try to eat the wrapping paper and bows so he was going to be fine anyways.

Guess what! My hair got some presents today-courtesy of my friend (and one of my natural hair inspirations) and fellow blogger, Lawanda! She gave several of her blog readers presents for our hair this holiday season, which was a very thoughtful and unique idea! I like how she reused the baby food jar containers to give us her whipped Shea butter mixture. She also gave me a little spray bottle that has Aloe Vera and some oils in it.

Moment for Education: With natural hair (and all hair, really), it’s important to not only moisturize your hair, but to lock in the moisture. Shea butter is a great moisturizer for hair (and skin too). After applying moisture, use oils on the ends of your hair to seal in that moisture.

In my opinion, it’s best to use whipped Shea butter mixtures on wet/damp hair because it really moisturizes your hair that way, but it can be used on dry hair as well. Whenever I apply moisture, I always seal my ends! I can’t wait to get a chance to try out these gifts on my hair!

My challenge for today is to think about your hair regime. Does it need tweaking? Do you need to pay more attention to your ends? Do you condition and moisturize enough? If you think your regime could be improved, then do it! There’s so much information available on this blog and many others so there’s no excuse. Healthy hair is happy hair and happy hair will treat you right….most of the time! Be blessed!

The Twist Out Didn't Make It!

Good afternoon Y’all!

The twist out from this morning didn’t make it! It’s already flat-lined. No, it didn’t get frizzy; no, the weather had no part in its death. I intentionally killed it by putting it back into a bun. I told you all that I don’t really like to wear my hair down and my twist outs never quite look the way I want them to look. Also, my hair kept rubbing again my chair and my clothes and I just kept thinking, “My ends! My ends!” I did receive several compliments from my co-workers (thanks guys) about my twist out, but I just got the urge to pull it back…so I did! Don’t judge me!

I did style it in a protective style so do I get some brownie points for that? I did this at work in the bathroom during my lunch break so all I had was some water, my fingers and a few hair pins I had. I don’t think it turned out too badly when you think of what I was working with. Now, I happen to really like this so I will make it more pretty when I get home and probably wear this style the rest of the week! (Check out my post from earlier to see how the twist out looked!)

Easy Twist Out Style

Good morning!!!

So, I can’t believe that Christmas is in 4 days and I’ve only bought a couple of things for my boys! And you know what, I’m really not tripping about it. My boys are young (5 months and 3 years old) so they are not really caught up in the material side of Christmas and I don’t want them to be in the future. As for my husband and I, both of our birthdays are soon so we are more into celebrating them than going all out on Christmas. We both feel like the new house we bought at the end of September was an early Christmas gift; this year and every year, we really try to focus on celebrating our Savior on Christmas Day!

Okay, so I’m checking in to let you guys know that I did a twist out today! I put my hair in some Ms. Celie twists on Monday night. I did them on dry hair, but I did apply a little bit of water with my spray bottle and of course some Shea Moisture Smoothie. I did about 12 large twists while watching “The Wayans Brothers” re-runs with my Hubby. I slept in them Monday night and wore a beret Tuesday so that I could keep them in all day. I woke up this morning and took them out. My twist outs never look exactly how I want them to, but I’m going to wear it today and I’ll probably put it in a bun tonight or tomorrow. I’ve never been the type to wear my hair down because I don’t like my ends rubbing against my clothes or getting in my way. Plus, buns and updo styles just look so cute on me!

My challenge for today is to not to get caught up in the materialism of Christmas. It is okay to have fun and buy gifts, but don't forget Jesus! Be blessed!!!

Flexi-Rod Fiasco...Not This Time

I'm back!!!

As you can see, I decided to get right back into the game of trying to master flexi-rods! I used my spray bottle of water and went to rolling last night. I didn't add any product this time. Also, I used more rollers last night. The first time I did it, I used about 22 rollers. Last night, I used almost 40 rollers. With using more rollers, the sections were smaller and I paid more attention to the back of my hair, which was the section that was blah on yesterday. I even forced myself to sit underneath the dryer for almost an hour and a half before going to sleep. I did sleep in the rollers again, but they are soft so it wasn't too bad. (As Mrs. Hughes told me on yesterday, "Beauty is pain!")

So, I woke up today and started my day-talking to God, taking care of the kids, and doing some chores. After several hours, the rollers being in my hair started to get on my nerves so I decided it was time for the TAKE DOWN! Needless to say, I was a bit worried, but I felt with the modifications I made that my hair would definitely turn out better....and it did, y'all! I didn't feel the need to pin up the back, but I probably will end up doing it within the next few days to get more days out of this flexi-rod set. Check out the pictures below! 

I can see that with flexi-rod styles, the more I do them, the better they will turn out so I think I'll be trying using flexi-rods to achieve different styles. That way I can give myself a change from my normal puffs, buns, and WnGs.  Shout out to my friend, Annie, who will be so proud of me because she knows that I can be lazy when it comes to styling my hair and she understand how BIG of a deal it is for me to be trying styles that take longer than 15 minutes or so to do.

For the people interested in my make-up, I promise you it was very simple to do. I normally apply it with clean fingers and/or disposable wedges. I don't wear a lot of make-up. My daily make-up routine consists of a bit of tinted moisturizer (by Mary Kay), mascara (Falsies by Maybelline), blush (by Mary Kay), and some Vaseline for my lips. Sometimes (mostly on the weekends or for special occasions or if I'm in the mood), I will put on some eyeshadow (bought from many places and some has been given to me by my dear friend Mrs. Brown) and lip gloss (Ulta brand or something with a slight shimmer). When I do wear eyeshadow, I always get compliments so I might so a tutorial in the near future.

Well, check out my post from earlier for today's challenge! I pray that you all have a very blessed day!

My Christmas Mani!!!

Hey Y'all!

As you know, Christmas is a little over a week away. The Christmas season inspired my latest manicure! This is just a short post to show you what I did to my nails at home. I used some inexpensive nail polish I picked up from Wal-Mart (the red polish and glitter polish) and Sally's (the white polish). I used tape (just regular tape that you'd use to wrap a gift) to achieve the stripes on my ring fingers.

What do you think? Is my manicure Christmas-y to you? Do you want a tutorial on using tape for manicures? Leave me some feedback under the post!

My challenge for you today is to be a safe driver this holiday season (and everyday)! Please, please, please don't partake in activities while driving that can impair your driving skills or ability to make safe driving decisions. Every week in my area, I've hears of fatal car accidents. Some of the accidents might have been prevented if people took extra precaution. It only takes a split second to cause an accident so if you need to talk, text, eat, or put on make-up, please pull over. You might be saving your own life! Be safe and be blessed!

Not a Fail, but Not Quite Success

Good mer'ning!!! (In my elderly Alabama voice...lol)

I going to do this post completely from my Blogger app so excuse any mistakes. I will probably fix them later from my PC...maybe. On yesterday, I picked up some flexi-rods from one of local beauty supply stores. I probably paid much more for them than I needed to ($3.99/pack), but I did it on my lunch break and the BSS wasn't far from my job so that's why I went there.

I have been studying many YouTube videos for many months and I finally decided it was time to try (and probably fail) at a flexi-rod set on my natural hair. I used the gray and orange colored flexi-rods. I'm not exactly sure of the size, but I believe the orange ones are 5/8 of an inch. The products I used were some wrap and set foam made by Bonner Brothers. I have had it for what seems like light years, so I decided to use it before just throwing it out. I also used a little bit of Shea Moisture Smoothie.

I started at the back and applied a little of each product to the section. (I had a total of 22 sections when I was done). I tried to roll them in the same direction. After I was done. I set under a dryer I sat there for about 30 minutes, got bored (and hot), and then went to bed. I got up  early and sat under the dryer for about an hour this morning. Well, the ones in the back were ok...but the ones in the front were definitely better. I pinned my hair up in the back, played around with the front to make it presentable and ran out of the house with my husband to get the kids to school and us to work.

I learned some things so my so-so flexi-rod set has not discouraged me. I'm probably going to try it again Saturday. This time, I will not apply as much product. I will probably have to do smaller sections (which I didn't want to do because I don't like to spend lots of time on my hair. That's why my staples styles are like 10 minute styles or a wash and go or puff.) Also, I'm going to stay under the dryer for at least an hour and a half. Now, sleeping in the rods wasn't too bad, but I'm going to start early in the day so that my hair will be dry and I will not have to.

I will keep you guys posted! My challenge for today is to think before you speak. I'm going to be doing this as well. It's so simple, but I notice that many don't gave a filter and they will just say anything. Saying whatever we want, whenever we want is not always appropriate or necessary. Be blessed!

UPDATED & CLOSED: Beauty on a Budget...CHRISTmas Edition!!!

Without further ado, the winner of the scarf is Mrs JBrowneyez! Congrats! Please contact me (by email, FB, or Twitter) by Tuesday, December 20, 2011 to claim your prize! I want to thank everyone who entered and continues to support this blog! Another giveaway is coming soon!




Hey Y'all!

One of my favorite books says, "....It is more blessed to give than to receive." That book, of course, is the Bible! (Acts 20:35 KJV)

I've always been a giver so it gives me great joy to sponsor another giveaway, especially during my favorite time of the year! This is another piece I labored over myself. I decided that I wanted to learned how to crochet so went to YouTube and taught myself from watching some videos...last weekend. Yep, I've only been crocheting a little over a week! Now, my first scarf and hat were okay for my first time, but my second scarf turned out great! After the second one, I felt comfortable with making one to give away.

I picked up all the yarn I used from Hobby Lobby. For the scarf I'm giving away, the yarn was about $3 USD. The scarf, which would probably retail for at least $15, took me roughly $3 to make! Now, that's being a bargaining beauty! This scarf isn't extra long (It's about 42-45 inches long) like many scarves I see out, but I believe anyone could rock it, especially a petite or shorter person! (I say petite or shorter because I'm petite and short and I'm the one who modeled it for the pictures.)

***This giveaway is for US residents only!***

To enter the giveaway, you will need to follow these rules:

1. Follow this blog. (Go to the home page and look in the top left-hand corner for the Follow link. It's self-explanatory from there.)

2. Like my Facebook Page.

3. Leave a comment on my Facebook Page's Wall stating that you want to be entered into my Christmas giveaway!

To earn an extra entry, leave a comment under this blog post stating how you plan to rock this scarf this Christmas season!

You have until 11:59 CST on Saturday, December 17, 2011 to enter! The winner will be announced on Sunday, December 18, 2011!

I hope you guys lived up to my challenge for today and went to church! It's a blessing to gather with other believers in corporate praise and worship! Have a blessed night! 

Beautiful Smooth Skin? Try This!!!

Good morning Saints!!! (It's Sunday so most folks try to be Saints today....jk!) This month is flying by! I can't believe Christmas is in 2 weeks! Don't even ask me if I've gone shopping...


Anyhoo, this is going to be a quick product review! Being the bargaining Diva I am, I stumbled across a giveaway last month and I entered because the blogger (Thanks @NaturallYEJHalo!!!) was giving away Shea Moisture Products. I use some of their hair products so I really wanted to win. Well, I did! I didn't win a hair product though. I won the Shea Moisture Olive and Green Tea Body Scrub with Green Tea and Avocado.

I used it this morning in the shower and folks, it is wonderful! Some body scrubs are too rough for me, but this product was just right. Rough enough to do its job, but not so rough that I felt like a file was being used on my skin. Of course, it smells great and it left my skin feeling so smooth and somewhat radiant. This could definitely become one of my must-haves!

My challenge for today is a repeat one-find yourself in church this morning, ok! Be blessed! : -)

Another Giveaway is Coming!!!

Christmas is coming y'all!!!

I LOVE Christmas! Now, I love all the things that go along with Christmas like caroling, candy canes, and Christmas lights, but the most important thing is celebrating that my Lord and Savior Jesus Christmas was born. I don't care if he was born in December 25th or not; just the fact that he was born to die for my sins is worth celebrating!

In honor of my love of Christmas, I'm going to be having a couple giveaways before Christmas! I'm going to announce all the details really soon, but check out the picture above for a hint of what might be given away...

So, the DIY bug bit me again and I decided to teach myself to crochet! The items above were made by yours truly! I watched some YouTube videos, got some free picture tutorials from Hobby Lobby, and read some instructions on the internet. From all of those things, I kind of figured out how to crochet. I purchased 3 skeins of yarn and a 5.5 mm needle from Hobby Lobby for around $11 USD. I did have a 40% off one regular-priced item so that helped lower the price some.

Well, that's all I really wanted to say today. I can tell you that with the upcoming giveaways, you will definitely have to follow this blog and you will probably have to like my Facebook page so get a jump start! Go ahead and follow this blog and like my page on Facebook. You will be that must closer to winning!

My challenge for today is to donate to a food drive. It's really sad to think that this holiday season, people are struggling to feed themselves and their families. If you can, buy a few cans the next time you're out and donate to your local food bank. A few bucks from you will really help someone in need! You're blessed to be a blessing and on that note, God bless you!

Hair Warfare: Detailed Battle Plan

Hey Everyone!

Well, I received a lot of feedback, especially on Facebook, about the article I posted on yesterday that showed how I am growing my edges back about severe postpartum hair shedding. That article quickly became one of the most-viewed posts on my blog and it has been up a little over a day so it must have "struck a chord" with some of you out there and I'm glad it did.

****DISCLAIMER: AS I STATED IN THE OTHER ARTICLE, I AM NOT A MEDICAL DOCTOR. THESE ARE MY EXPERIENCES WITH THESE PRODUCTS. I AM NOT OFFERING ANY TYPE OF MEDICAL ADVICE. PLEASE CONSULT YOUR PHYSICIAN BEFORE ADDING ANY SUPPLEMENTS TO YOUR DIET, ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE ANY MEDICAL CONDITIONS. IF YOU CHOOSE TO USE THESE ITEMS, YOU DO SO AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION AND RISK.****

Okay, so the pictures are of the products I am currently using in my battle for the edges. I bought the products from my local Wal-Mart. The cost of both were probably around $10 USD. The MSM is in pill form (it can be purchased in powder form as well) and I started off by taking just 1 pill daily. I had worked myself up to 5 pills daily, but I think that was too much for my system. (My monthly cycles are by the book...very regular. When I increased the MSM to 5000 mg per day, I noticed that my cycle was thrown off. This problem was solved after I decreased my dosage.) I've seem to have found a good balance in taking 3000 mg per day (3 pills). 

I use the Castor Oil daily. In the morning, I pour a dime-size amount into my hand and apply it with my fingers to my edges in the front. I like the Castor oil because it actually helps to lay my edges down so I really haven't been using much gel on my edges since I incorporated the Castor Oil into
my regime. At night, I apply the Castor Oil in the same manner before putting on my satin scarf or bonnet. Folks, a little bit of Castor Oil goes a long way so if you decide to get some, don't be heavy-handed.

For my eyelashes, I apply the Castor Oil every other day before going to bed. I thoroughly wash my hands and then I apply just a dab of the Castor Oil to my index finger. I gently rub the Castor Oil along the base of my lash line on both the top and bottom lashes. I repeat the previous steps on my other eye. You don't want to use too much because you don't want to get the Castor Oil into your eyes.  I only apply Castor Oil to my eyebrows if I get a little too zealous with plucking them.

Now, my husband started using the Castor Oil on his face because he's trying to grow in his beard evenly. If I can get him to take some pictures, I will show you the difference in his facial hair. He's been using it about a month and that little line of hair that runs from a man's bottom lip to his chin has grown! That area is normally kind of sparse on him so he has been able to see a change in the thickness of his facial hair.

Now, healthy hair starts from within so along with these products, I drink water and try to maintain a balanced diet. I also take a multi-vitamin and sometimes I take biotin. I take the biotin a few times a week. I don't take it more because too much biotin makes me experiences break outs on my face. I also make sure I style my hair in ways that don't put too much stress on my hairline-no tight ponytails or braids or tight headbands. 

From my experiences, I do believe the MSM and Castor Oil are helping me in thickening my hair edges and minimizing shedding. I'm going to continue to use these products to get my edges back to the way they were pre-pregnancy and I will probably make these items staple products in my hair regime!

My challenge for you today is think about your health-physical, mental, and spiritual. What are some things you can do to improve all aspects of your health? Now, turn those thoughts in action! Add some exercise to your daily activities. Cut out some thing that are causing you unnecessary stress. Take some time to mediate on God's Word or to talk with Him. Do something to improve your well-being! You will thank yourself one day! Be blessed!