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!

Hair Warfare: The Battle For My Edges!

***Waving*** Hey Y'all!!!

 

Okay...this post is going "keep it real"! By real, I mean as honest as I can be. Do you mind if I get on my soapbox for a second? I get tired of people posting about their hair journeys/issues/roadblocks, but they never really show the struggle! Do you know what I mean? They talk a lot about problems they encountered, but where's the proof? Many show us the beautiful "after" pictures. The pictures where they have followed some strict regime and they obtained the length or thickness or whatever they were aiming for, but where are the BUSTED pictures? *Smile* I know that no one really wants to be put themselves out badly on the world wide web, but I think if more did, it would add some validity to their claims.

Alright, on to my post....as some of you may have gathered, my husband and I recently had a beautiful bouncing baby boy in July of this year. I love my little Ty and he's such a blessing to my family! Now, Ty isn't my first baby. I also have a 3-year old so pregnancy and dealing with postpartum issues were not strangers to me. This time around, however, I experienced something I didn't with my first child. I had to deal with SHEDDING! Now, many moms in the postpartum phase deal with a much more noticeable amount of shedding after having a baby because while pregnant, hair stays in the growing phase and it doesn't shed. So basically, in the postpartum period, you start to shed all that hair that you more than likely would have shed if you hadn't been pregnant.

Now let me be clear, I have never had edges that almost touch my eyebrows or really thick edges. By genetics, my edges have always been the finest part of my hair and that's fine with me! I know what I can and cannot do with my hair and I work with my hair instead of trying to make it do things that would stress it out. As long as my hair is healthy, I'm just fine with what God has given me to work with! (Self-love starts with acceptance!)

Well, after I had Ty, I expected that I would have some shedding, but I never would have imagined that the shedding would take place mainly in the front of my hair, near my hairline! Imagine my utter dismay, when I was washing my hair and it kept shedding...in the front! I was like, "Come on God! You know I have a big forehead! Can I get some shedding in the back please! That's much easier to disguise." By mid-September, I was almost on the verge of a major freak out! Instead of having a break down, I started to ask questions and do some research. After consulting with a few people and surfing Google, I developed a plan of action. My regime and products were fine so I stuck with what I was doing, but I decided to incorporate Castor oil and supplements (MSM and Biotin) into my routine.

****DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical doctor nor am I in the medical field. I chose to use things that I felt would work for me. I am not advising that anyone do what I did without consulting his/her physician. If you choose to do so, you do so at your own discretion and risk.****

Now, many people raved about Castor oil, MSM, and Biotin, but I didn't see too many believable pictures/videos that showed if they actually worked. So I decided to really document the process, like I did when I was transitioning to natural hair. For most folks, seeing is believing! This is an ongoing thing, but I'm posting these pictures because I really want to help somebody. I know that for many, hair issues can be discouraging, but with consistency, diligence and most importantly, patience, I believe many hair problems can be fixed with positive results.

This picture was taken on September 22, 2011 at 7:17 PM CST. (I have time and date stamps on my pictures.)

This picture was taken a little over two months later on November 30, 2011 at 3:31 AM CST. (Yes, I took the picture this morning!)

Now as you can see from the pictures above, there is definitely a difference in my edges! They are not 100% back to how they were pre-pregnancy, but they are definitely getting there! If you also look closely, you should be able to see a difference in my eyebrows. I use the Castor oil on my eyebrows and eyelashes and I can also notice a difference in them. With the right mascara, it looks like I'm wearing some falsies. (As a matter of fact, my husband thought I had on some lashes last weekend so y'all know there has to be some difference if a man notices!) I'm very happy with the results so far and I'll do another update in a few months.

This post is getting long so if you guys want to know exactly how I used the Castor oil and supplements (amounts and frequency), leave me some comments! If I get enough feedback, I'll give you the play by play of how I use the items in conjunction with my normal hair routine.

My challenge for today is to start taking proactive steps to handle whatever situation you might be going through in your life. Instead of crying about it, get up and do something about it! If your significant other isn't acting right or your job isn't fulfilling or your prayer life is not where it should be, take the steps to make things better. Counseling, filling out job applications, making time to communicate with God---whatever it takes, do it! We have to stop talking about things at some point and start doing something to see the change! God bless!