1 YEAR SL BIRTHDAY!!!!!!

 Its my 1 Year SL birthday and I am very proud of myself :o) Of course I am excited, but I am more proud than anything. Having these SL's for a whole year has definitely proven that I can be patient when I am determined about something I really want. If you knew me personally, patience is not what I possess {when it comes to hair} lol. This is a serious accomplishment for me and I am ready for the next stages of going natural. In dedication for my 1st birthday, I'm going to do a simple Q&A for my family, friends & others who have asked me questions since I've been SL'd. 

1. Why did you choose to go natural?

   ~I was tired of relaxing my hair & letting it get in the way of small things in life {"dont touch my hair", wind blowing, sweating, weather etc}. Also there was no consistent growth & I wanted to try various styles that my length could not achieve. {Weaves & wigs were NOT an option}....no shade ladies ;o) 

2. Why sisterlocks?

~I wanted traditional locs at 1st, but after seeing my mother not fully locking I knew my hair would do the same {she had TL's for almost 2 years}. I didnt know about SL's at the time, but when my mom told me about them, I immediately wanted them. The versatility is just....wow lol

3. Why didnt you do the "big chop"/ why did you keep your relaxed ends?

 ~ 2 major reasons: I'm REALLY tender-headed  & I have a big head lol.  Another reason was fear of not being able to style my hair/comb it. My hair is really thick and I knew that I wasnt going to deal with it really well. One of the main things that attracted me to SL's was that I could keep my relaxed ends while transitioning. Being a college student and not being able to afford a stylist every 2 weeks was very discouraging at the time. 

4. How do you wash your hair & how often?

 ~ I still use the braid and bind technique with the spray bottle to disperse my shampoo and I wash every 2 weeks. 

5. What products do you use?

  ~ Honestly? NADA.... except the "getting started" SL shampoo. I see alot of people on their blogs and videos saying that they are using different shampoos long before their 1 year mark. The getting started shampoo works fine for me & I see no reason to switch right now. Also, my hair is really soft & I refuse to risk slippage....LESS IS MORE :o)

6. But your hair is so shiny. You mean to tell me you're not using ANY hair oil?

 ~Nope and 2 Words: Natural Oil......You will be amazed at how much natural oil your scalp will produce when you do not smother your hair with products. If you happen to come across me when my hair is looking a little dreary/dull, it just means I need to wash my hair & POOF, my hair will be so shiny after a washing. Now that I think about it, this is the 1st time in years that my hair has the right amount of shine without it being overly shiny/greasy or not being shiny enough.

7. Wow. How do you sit there for 4 hours when you get a retightening?

 ~It's no different than sitting in a hair salon with clients sitting in front of you. I used to be at my beautician's salon from 4pm to 8pm for a simple relaxer & NO style. The only difference is those 4 hours are dedicated to ME and only ME :o).

8. Are you going to retighten it yourself eventually?

 ~Ummmmm I think not. I do want to take the re-ti class, but I am so lazy when it comes to my hair. I love the shake-and-go thing, and as long as there's a good consultant like mine around, I'll sit in that chair for 4 hours. I rather not take up my entire weekend to finish my hair lol.  Much love to the DIY ladies! 

9.  How long are you going to keep them in?

 ~At this point, I honestly dont think I will be getting rid of my SL's. The versatility is too great and the fact that you can still achieve styles as if you have a relaxer is amazing. Why give that up when you can have healthy hair in the process?

10. Soooo what are the reactions of the opposite sex? Are you worried you wont attract men as much?

~ This is the most hilarious/ironic question of all lol. I have actually received MORE compliments as natural than I did when I was relaxed. I have always believed that if a man cant accept/love you in your natural state {no make up, real hair, basically anything that can be taken off at night} then he doesnt accept/love you at all. You cant always look like a diva/beauty queen 24 hours a day. But it doesnt mean you dont care about your appearance just because you're natural. I definitely wear make-up every now and then, get my eyebrows waxed and I sure do get my nails done, so femininity is not an issue. But I guess it depends on the man. If he wants a "barbie" looking chick, then that's on him. But I also see alot of single women who are relaxed and weaved up, so there is no difference in my eyes. I just dont understand how going natural is associated with being unattractive and single. My boyfriend LOVES my locs and he was with me when my hair was relaxed and silky ladies sooooo......

11. So what do you do when your relaxed ends lose that "crimp" from the braidouts in between washes?
 ~ I just braid and bind them at night. But usually if that "crimp" cannot stay,  that usually means its time to wash my hair again.

12. Since you've started working out, how do you protect your locs?
 ~ Braid and bind...when my hair is damp from sweating, it gives my locs the advantage to have a "fresh looking" braid out when I take them a loose. This is why I prefer to work out in the evenings so I can keep the braids in until they are dry by the next morning.

13, Have you experienced breakage with your relaxed ends since you cannot oil/moisturize them?
 ~Surprisingly, I have not had any breakage whatsoever with my relaxed ends. I guess my hair takes to relaxers well and my ends are still as smooth as they were when I had my last relaxer (november '09). Its crazy because they are still soft and strong. My hair was pretty healthy when I had a relaxer so I am just as surprised as anyone else that I didnt experience breakage while transitioning. 

These questions are not done in a particular order, but this is what I get asked pretty often. Im sure alot of locked sisters get these questions asked all the time, but there aren't many women around me who are natural. So many women have expressed to me that they want to go natural or get SL's, but not ready to take that leap for various reasons. All of that is understandable, but I hope this Q&A helped a little bit. I dont pretend to be an expert, but I have learned alot this past year. I still have a long way to go, but I believe the hardest part is over :o) 

My First REAL Job!!!

First off, let me say that God is good! I have officially been hired for my 1st real job since I graduated from college :o). March has been an amazing month for me: 23rd birthday, new job, SL birthday & other financial blessings hehe. I am still in awe, but I dont think  it will truly hit me until I get on the plane to fly to Texas for a week of training. I cant believe I found a REAL job and it actually has something to do with my major just 3 months after graduating. I know so many people who graduated months and a few years before me who has not found a job with the degree they obtained. Even I was getting discouraged because I thought I was going to be in the same boat. I pray all the time for them, but I know that everything happens in God's timing. I was getting so scared because of my loans, I wasnt able to save money because I only worked 25hrs a week {that's what my contract required}. I thank God for the job I had, but it was crazy how those "grown-up bills" started to cave in all at once smh. But anywho, my 1 year SL birthday is approaching {March 27&28} and I dont think I'll be able to post due to me being out of town. So what I will do is post sometime tomorrow or Saturday before I leave. The post wont be too dramatic, but just some Q&A's and of course the before and afters ;o)

Curl Patterns?

Hmmmmm I really dont know alot about curl patterns, but I came across this loc with a "curl" when I was braiding my hair up. Actually, I noticed the last 2 rows in the back of my head has these little coils at the end. I guess that was a cool moment for me because I haven't seen my natural curl pattern in over 10 years or so. I always knew I had a loose wave, but it's different when you can really see it for yourself after all these years. Of course I had that "man I'm ready to get rid of these relaxed ends" moment, but in due time I'll see my babies all natural. I heard/read that you need to do research about curl patterns because it will help you understand your hair when it comes to locking. But then again its not a major concern for me because I know with my hair texture it's gonna take ALOT longer to lock than others.....which I have come to terms with.

{As you can see, my babies are in the fuzzy stage *something I have gotten used to a long time ago lol*}

Trial & Error

Soooooo I know I said that I would post pics for my b-day hair do {and will in this post}, I just want to say that everything you do is trial and error. I realized that up-dos are not for me, or at least all of my hair being put up is not. I wanted to try something different and that's exactly what I got. You know how you read in magazines or fashion/hair articles of the kind of hairstyles that work for your face structure and what doesnt? Well, this one in particular didnt work for my big forehead, round face and big cheeks. My locktician did a wonderful job, but I guess being told all day long that I looked like I was 16 was a no-go. Some people would take that as a compliment, but I didnt at the time because I want to look like I'm truly in my 20's & I want to be taken seriously {20's are young-looking as it is}. Even my boyfriend {who is definitely a sweetheart/gentleman} admitted he wasnt too gung-ho about it. He expressed how he likes my hair to frame my face and that half-up and half-down was sexy..... Ladies, yall know good & well its important to be attractive for your man, and if he isnt feeling a certain look, more than likely its not working for you {as long as he isnt sarcastic and disrespectful about it}

Now, the pipe cleaner curls in the front were very pretty and that's definitely making me want to do that all over my head {graduation more than likely}. In the past when I had relaxed hair and I happened to pull all of my hair back, people told me they were happy to see all of my face but it definitely made me look younger. Im not gonna lie, I was a little disappointed lol. Theres nothing wrong with looking young, cuz that will definitely help when Im older lol. Once again, my locktician did a BEAUTIFUL job, but its a lesson learned that having ALL of my hair up is not poppin for me. Im not just going by everybody else's opinions, but I had my own as well. I even saw in the mirror that I didnt look like "me". I wish I could be a little more daring with my styles, but I guess Im one of those people where "less is more" works better.

                            {Back View}

Cant see the back all that great, but its a fish tail braided up                                                                                                       

                     {Top/Side View}

I had a bang that was rolled up with pipe cleaners, 

   but I pinned it up with the rest of my hair

Happy 23 To Meeeeee!!!!

Nothing to post about SL's or weight loss really, but its my birthday and Im feeling really good. I thought I was going to do another roller set for my b-day, but I chose not to because of workouts and  my re-ti appointment in 2 days {we'll have a special style then}. I'm not officially celebrating until this weekend, so I didn't do anything in particular today, except for workout and wash my locs. Nonetheless I'm very blessed to see 23 years of life :o) Pics coming soon!

Peace. Love & Happiness! 

What The Fuzz?

Its a rainy day with nothing to do but watch tv, exercise or play with my hair. My birthday is in 2 days and I was just playing around with what I can do with my locs that's simple and wont mess up from my workouts. I know my hair is soft and fuzzy, but this has been interesting to me for a while: 

 This fuzz I got going on at my hairline is very interesting. When I have my re-ti, they're nice and neat, but in between, this fuzz has a mind of its own. {I obviously need a re-ti here, but that will be taken care of at the end of this week}

 

For the most part, I dont have my hair pulled back for my fuzz to be exposed, but its getting longer and longer. It lays flat & gives the impression I'm balding, but that is so NOT the case. I dont know if this part of my hair is going to be long enough to turn into a SL eventually, but my locktician seems to do a good job to get it back into my locs when i get my re-ti.  Having really soft hair is definitely a challenge & one of the many reasons why i prefer to have my locs frame my face instead of pulling them back.....I guess this comes with the territory of being natural haha

Color Inspiration

Happy Friday! :o)

Today is sooooooo chill at work and there's barely anyone here, so I took some time to find colors that I would like to explore with my locs. I am nowhere near being able to add color {tear}, so the only thing I can do right now is to dream until my time comes. I'm not usually into dramatic colors and jet black is my ultimate favorite. But once I am able to add color, I would love to explore RED. Even though I love jet black, I have been told repeatedly that I look great with bright & warm colors. My hair is naturally a dark reddish brown but I rinsed my hair with jet black for 3 years and the color sort of "stuck" to my hair. Brown doesnt work on me for some reason and it makes my hair look dry and frizzy. I even tried some brown rinses to "enhance" my natural color and it was just too dull on me and it made me look so young {I already have a young face}. Once I started jet black, it made me look a little more mature and added that "oomph" and sleekness. But anywho, here are a few pics of some reds that I thought was nice:

{I'll admit that the 1st and 2nd pics are my favorite, but notice how all of these women are not completely dyed red and has a hint of a darker colored mixed in. Im not that bold to go completely red! Lol. I know the last pic may seem a little hypocritical because it looks like a spicy brown, but it looks reddish to me :o) Dreaming is the only thing that I can do right now, but its nice to look instead of touch sometimes haha. But seriously, which color do you think would work for me???}

****If any of these photos happen to be yours and you want credit or need it to be taken down, please let me know immediately by leaving a comment below

 

Weigh In ~ Re-evaluation

*sighs* I just want to throw something because my weight is driving me crazy. Im trying to understand why in the world or how do I lose weight throughout the month and gain it back when its time for my weigh in O_o.
Then, I re-evaluated myself again for possible reasons:

1. Not enough water {just drinking 1 bottle of water with every meal......not enough at all}

2. Not getting no more than 6 hours of sleep {crazy, I know}

3. Going out to eat on friday and saturday nights {probably not making the best choices that I think I am while out}

4. Working out 4x's a week {I'll admit that Im allowing things to get in my way of workout time...My doctor  says I should be working out 5-7 days a week in order to lose weight}

5. Probably not enough fruit. I can munch on vegetables all day long, but fruit is something I dont have a taste for on a regular basis.

Looking at these errors are overwhelming. I'm really trying, but I guess it's not enough. I guess Im getting a little discouraged because my best friend has lost a tremendous amount already, but on the other hand I think she's losing too much in such a short period {about 40 lbs in 2 months}. I have this fear of losing too fast only to gain it back when I decide to eat something I completely deprived myself of. At least Im maintaining my weight, but Lord knows that's not going to cut it.

For the past 3 days I have been drinking 3 liters of water {101.4 oz} a day to make sure Im cleansing my system. So far, I have recognized a change in appetite {eating less} and my stomach does not feel as bloated/heavy. I did some reseach of how much water you need to drink in order to lose weight, and everything I have come across all says that it is based on your weight. Since I weigh 262lbs, I should be drinking 135 oz or 4.1 Liters of water everyday. Honestly, I dont think that it's too difficult. Im already at 3 liters a day.....1 more wouldnt hurt. So that's 2 months so far that I have not reached my goal. Im 20lbs behind on schedule now :'o( . Maybe I need to set a smaller goal....I dont mean as in settling, but is 10lbs a month too much to try to acheive?