Style Series 13 - Curls Curls, Yeah Yeah!!!

It's been almost 4 months at this stage since I last blogged and to be real honest, my passion has kind of waned. I haven't been taking good care of my hair and had to cut off a couple inches in August due to split ends. So after all the hoo-ha, I'm back to APL hair. At this stage I'm in braids to avoid any further damage due to my complacency. I bunned my hair for almost a year consistently that I'm beginning to worry I may be developing some traction alopecia :( I'm in a very weird state, right now and do hope to come out of it soon.
Geez, this sounds very gloomy and I too feel like crying so I'm gonna focus on the positives.

The past 4 months have been pretty awesome. Got to visit some amazing places, meet new people and  share some great experiences I will never forget. For the most part of it my hair was in a bun but at the end of my tip I'm like, you know what? I want some curls!!!!

...... I decided to go back home and spend the next couple hours re-curling it, knowing fully well that it would still end up a frizz-ball later that day.

The funny thing is I kinnda like the texture of frizzy medium sized curls....dunno why

And finally we got the back view....I just love how my type 4 hair can come out looking silky at times.

Was walking down the mall, when I was stopped by these hair straightener sellers and they decided to sample their curling wand [Amika, is the brand] on my hair

I was due to wash my hair the next day, so was like ah sure. As usual, the curls only lasted so long as it started raining soon after, but it was fun whilst it lasted.

Now I'm back to my lovely fluffy hair, although it's in braids. I'm afraid I may have suffered some heat damage in the front. Was too scared to look as I blow-dried my hair after washing to make it easier to braid...so I guess I'll find out the truth, real or imagined, when I take out my extensions.

I am making sure to take care of my braids by washing and conditioning once weekly, and moisturizing and sealing every 2 days. I have also commenced taking Biotin tablets and have decided to go on a 1 year fast from heat.....*gulp*, following which I'd probably straighten my hair once a year unlike my usual 2-3 times yearly.

My friend also suggested, dreadlocks extensions, which I'm gonna try in December. So if any one knows where they do this in Lagos, I'd be very happy with suggestions.


Well take care luvies,
XoXo

Miss Jay

Style Series 12 - Curlformer set

Hello my fellow naturalistas,

Happy New Month (as we say in 9ja cos we just have to celebrate everything). And you know what, we have every right to celebrate as we have made it through half of 2013 already. I was watching a Matthew Hussey video the other day, which I felt very inspired by. He encouraged his viewers to make the most of the 185 days left in the year citing that there was still a long time to achieve the goals you had written down in January. So do not be dismayed if you haven't attained some of your goals. Just keep focussed and I believe you will get there with hard work and determination. I am excited and believing for the best. Are you??

Anyways, So I went home* 2 weeks ago and finally received my curlformers that I had ordered from the U.S since February...( boy was I elated...in addition to sighting my KCCC and olive oil eco styler that my sis had bought during her last trip to the U.S which was like several months ago....I totally forgot about the later two as I wasn't allowed to take them with me as hand luggage).

40 curlformers per bag in long and narrow

Anyways, I had a formal dinner last Thursday and so thought  it would be nice to use my curlformers.  After much researching on youtube i decided to moisturize with my faithful yes to carrots argan oil leave in conditioner and set with lottabody setting lotion.

Unfortunately, I had left one bag in the UK and so I had to improvise as the set of 40 wasnt enough for my not so big hair. I had a set of 'arabic' curlformers which a friend had given me a while back, however they were short and so I had to use 2 per mini-section. I also filled in the gaps with flexi rods and used perm rods (for the areas where my hair was sticking out of the curlformers).

It was a whole day affair and after 3 hours of applying the curlformers and 1hr of hooded drying, I was good to go.

Items needed:
Co-wash- herbal essences beautiful ends conditioner
Styling- Yes to carrots leave in conditioner with argan oil, lottabody setting lotion (mixed one part lottabody with two parts water)
Accessories- hair clips, widetoothed comb, penman brush, curlformers long and narrow

I decided to curlform on freshly co-washed hair as I had shampooed the day before.

Step 1- Divide hair into 4 sections and co-wash with herbal essences beautiful ends conditioner.


Step 2- Twist hair into 8 sections i.e. 2 twists per quarter.

Step 3- Take down one twist (1/8th) and moisturize/ smooth with leave-in and then detangle with a wide tooth comb.

Step 4- Spritz section (1/8th) with lotta body setting lotion.

Step 5- Separate a small section from the bigger section (1/8th) and detangle using denman brush.

Step 6- Apply curl former to section

Step 7- Repeat all over hair

Step 8- Airdry x 6hrs or use a hooded hair dryer x 1hr (medium heat setting)

Step 9- voila

Had to pin curl the ends cos the curlformers were to short for me

right sided view

4 hours later, post humidity and all

me no likey :(

So was it worth the hassle guys? What i'd say is if you live in a place where the humidity is lower you can get more wear out of the style.

I 'pineappled' my hair to sleep the first night and wore it with the frizz and all the second day. By the second night it had gone super frizzy and so I decided to bantu knot the whole thing, which was easy to do as I had all my sections already made out.

So I wore my hair in a bantu knot out days 3 and 4 and boy was it fierce. I'd do another style series with the pics of the bantu knot out later in the week, so stay tuned!!!!

xoxo

Miss Jay

It's been a long time (long time), I shouldn'a left you (left you), without a dope beat to step to (step to) ........

Hey girlies, how's it going? Wow, its been ages!!!!!! I was away for much of last month and apart from being lazy and starting a new blog here, not much else has been going on.
With regards to my hair care regimen, nothing's changed. I've reached a point where I know what works for me and I stick to it. PJ fever has since left my body, but that's not to say I'll never try any new products. I'm very low maintenance at present and do mostly buns as my protective style. I am however thinking of going back to braids or trying out the crotchet weave thingy as my hair's been 'out' since November last year.

As I mentioned earlier, I was away on holiday and so decided to get my hair straightened for ease of styling. I had initially gone to an irish salon to get it blow-dried and straightened, and all I can say was it was an epic fail. The guy did not know what he was doing and I didn't want to keep bugging him and telling him his job. After a barely satisfactory result, I knew I was going to have to go back to the amika hair salon/shop at St Stephens's green shopping centre to get my hair re-straightened.

(side note: I had bought a hair straightener from them last christmas after getting my hair straightened at the brazilian salon at clarendon street, which is now closed. As I was walking to the ATM to get out some cash, one of their attendants stopped me and demonstrated their hair straighteners on my hair and boy was I blown away. My hair came out super shiny and soft just after one glide. Now mind you I had just come out from a salon and although my hair had been straightened, it lacked that lustre. As such, I was sold and purchased their titanium plated product which they claim rivals GHD and is less damaging to the hair shaft than ceramic straighteners).

Saw these 'dishwashing sponges' in Paris and almost screamed.... Knew I'd have to share it on here

This was my go-to style in Paris. A lot of the Parisian women seemed to be rocking this style so I decided to do 'follow-follow'

Just an aside- saw these cute baby dolls which were actual perfume bottles in a store.

Curls still holding

Take care my lovelies,

and God bless.

xoxo

Miss Jay

My 3 year Nappiversary :)))

Woohooo!!!! I'm THREE years transitioning- exact date 25/4/2013. I still haven't mini chopped cos I'm planning on traveling next month and so I'd like to wear my hair straight for when I go. I straightened my hair for my birthday and decided to do a length check. I'm BSL guys (*wipes tears*).. I'ma leave you with a pic of my length check and do hope to post more often. Going through a lot of changes at the moment (and no I don't mean puberty....lol).

Till we meet again, take care
Miss J

Style Series 10-Twist out

So I did a two-strand twist last week and decided to take it out for the weekend. I simply unraveled each one but did not separate any further the original twists.
Hope you like the pics.......

To the left

And the back (ish)

Crown view

back-ish

x2

Right side- still had one twist unraveled

And that's all folks!!! :)

Style Series 9- Two Strand Twist

Hey guys, how are y'all doing? I hope great. Wow today has been somewhat adventurous. So I decided to deep condition my hair (ORS hair mayo + plastic cap + 2 hrs), as I hadn't done so in a while.

My hair had soo much build up from a hair mousse and gel that I had used previously, so I shampooed and conditioned with the Yes to carrots range. (my sis finds the name so funny...go figure)

I was to meet my friend for coffee and for some reason thought I had a lot of time on my hands and so decided to do a 2-strand twist. I had only done one quarter of my hair when I realized it was time to meet her. I text her saying I'd be 30 mins late. (How I could possibly twist my whole head of hair in 30mins I just don't know but I decided I'd try and be superwoman).

So 30 ended up being 45mins and like a boss I had 3/4 of it completed. So I simply used a big flower to pin up the fat 'juicy' twist lurking at the back of my head, as I walked out in style with my hair partially done. Abi is that not what style is all about- being unique et al?

Nwys I got back home and finished the rest of it. Unlike my previous 2 strand twist (style series 5), this was done on wet/freshly washed hair. The products I used were different as well and are as follows:

* Aloe vera gel (optional)

* Yes to carrots leave in conditioner

* Almond oil

My routine was really basic.
Step 1: Moisturise with leave in and seal with oil
Step 2: Detangle with tangle teeter
Step 3 (optional): apply pea sized amount of aloe vera gel
Step 4: twist away.

Below are pics of the finished look....

Got milk? Hair?

My relaxed ends still holding on for dear life

So that's all for now. Till then, take care and God bless.

xoxo,
Miss J

Skin Care Regimen

So I was in boots the other day browsing through the skin care aisle when a thought came to mind- 'how about I research and find the perfect skin care regimen for 'black' skin'. (For anyone who knows me an interesting thought can easily become a short term obsession- a la INFPness).

* * *

In the past I had used both the body shop seaweed range and clinique 3 step both of which were great products for a maintenance regimen. Recently, I started breaking out and getting more than my fair share of pimples which I initially put it down to the bare minerals primer I was using. However, after weeks of not using any primer or makeup I was still getting tiny pimples cropping up, mostly at the corners of my face and the middle of my forehead. In one of my previous posts I had mentioned the neutrogena blemish range which I got on sale. Well what can I say? It wasn't great (to put it politely). In fact, I started breaking out more. It wasn't until I started researching that I realised that the culprits were probably the oil-present skin care range as well as the hair oils which I had been using since taking down my braids.

* * *

Anyways I continued to browse the skin care products, trying to get ideas for a regimen. When I got to the Olay range I paused and casted my thoughts back to the days where I'd often see their products on my mom's dressing room table. Hmmm, I thought, this could possibly be my next buy, although I had associated it with older women. I didn't want to 'trigger-buy' anything so made a mental note (as promised) and moved on to the hair product aisles.

Upon getting home (or should I say library) that day, I started google-searching and found a few helpful tips. For one, I have combination skin, which means I have an extra-oily t-zone and occasionally get dry skin around my cheeks. In looking for the best regimen for my combination, I came up with the following:

the whole shebang- morning routine *

basic morning ritual

My evening routine

1. Cleanser-  I read somewhere that bar soaps are advised in comparison to liquid cleansers for people with oily skin. With many in the market, I decided to opt for something more natural and which I often used as a child in boarding school- it's called Dudu Osun (which basically means black soap in english). 

'add-on's'

2. Exfoliate- I use the St. Ives anti-blemish range in the morning to exfoliate every other day of the week. When I do wash my face in the evenings, I prefer to use something much milder, and that's when the neutrogena pink grapefruit scrub comes in handy. To be honest, I stole the later from Gabrielle Union's skin care regimen. She's got such flawless skin and one of my mini goals is to have such skin when I'm forty :)

2b. Mud mask- I use the body shop warming mineral mask once a week.

3. Toner- After searching far and wide for a toner, I came across a couple positive reviews for witch hazel which has acne-fighting properties. I therefore purchased the boots tea tree and witch hazel toner, which i'm loving so far.

4. Moisturizer- And here is where I'm still searching. My ideal moisturizer will be oil free, contain antioxidants and have a sun protection factor (spf), the reasons being as follows:

oil-free: because I already have somewhat oily skin.

antioxidants: because they moisturize the skin and protect it from damaging effects of the sun. They may also minimize fine lines and wrinkles.

spf: likewise these help to protect the skin from the harmful effects of UVA/B rays. In addition, skin cancer is real, and 'black does crack' if not taken care of. 

* Initially, I tried the olay essentials complete care for normal/dry/combo skin with spf 30, but found the lotion too thick and greasy. I started breaking out more and so decided to stop. I now use the neutrogena pink grapefruit oil free moisturizer, which is perfect in consistency and layering. However, it doesn't contain spf or antioxidants, so my challenge is to find one with all of the above (3) properties. 

5. Facial- I plan on incorporating this into my regimen, every other month. I am aware that not all facial treatments are created equal and some may be more harsh on certain skin tones. As such, I am still yet to research and discover the best ones for darker skin tones.

6. H20- Ah yes water. This is probably the most important item on any regimen. It is recommended to drink 8 glasses of water a day, and I know Gabby drinks a gallon everyday (which works out as 3.78 litres). That's kinnda deep...lol. I'm currently trying to drink a 1.5 L bottle of evian a day, and as things progress, maybe i'll move to 2 bottles :)

7. Frozen spoon (for bags)- Gabby does this as well (I think it's pretty obvious by now that she's my skincare hero). 

That's all for now folks. Till next time.

XOXO

Miss J

Mini hair haul

I know, guilty as charged (*bows head*); Today isn't Tuesday but Wednesday, and I'm sure y'all were thinking I was gonna post last week Tuesday. That was what I had hoped, but I had an exam that day in a different city and had a lot of things to do upon getting back here, so I do apologize. Now that the air is clear let the blogging/hauling begin :)

*   *  *

So I went to boots the other day to get a peak flow meter aka 'something' for my friend. After placing the order I started walking out when I tripped over temptation and found myself floating to the haircare aisles. As my deceptive heart knoweth, I promised that I'd quickly browse, make a mental note and leave. I beamed from ear to ear as I walked through my favourite brands, caressing the bottles, not caring who was looking at me. It was not long before I saw myself at the checkout tills with some products in hand. (so much for mental notes when it comes to me and hair products). I breathed a sigh if relief like a junkie getting his fix.

So first up is my old time favourite, HH. I must say it feels like forever since I used her. Since being in braids I've been on tressemme for some reason. I think it was likely the 'bogof' phenomenon that made me stock on them- buy one get one free, for those of you looking confused..lol.

Anyway I felt my hair needed some moisture as I'd been using protein products to build up my hairs strength since the braids. (Oh ya I finally took them down after 4 1/2 months. That has got to be some record. I just thank God that I didn't lose too much hair, however I wasn't too pleased with my hair length....as usual, that's a post for another day)

HH & SS ;)

Marketing is soo essential especially to the 'sensing' eye who appreciates aesthetic beauty....hence my transfixion with this (orange) bottle. Given that it was one of the herbal essences range I hadn't tried, I jumped on the band wagon (literally) and didn't look back. The smooth and soft (SS) conditioner is  directed at dry, damaged and frizzy hair types and promises to soften, smooth and protect hair from HUMIDITY (can I get an 'Amen')

Third in my mini haul was a pack of 3 crochet like headbands. Now I remember wanting to buy these after watching a kimmaytube video ages ago. I had obviously forgotten about them and was in the accessory aisle looking for a 'bun-holder' and soft boar brush (after mine fell into the toilet- don't ask). So u can imagine my surprise when I found this product (which even had a photo of an 'ethnic' girl on it- random right?). Anyways, I immediately grabbed it and started formulating different styles in my head.

'crotchet headbands'

Last and by all means the least were a pack of ouch-less hair bands. I have lost a good few of them and as its a new year, I thought it would be a good time to replenish the stock.

'Boots' ouch less hair bands

Now I don't plan on buying any more hair products, as I bought a couple during two of my last visits to boots. I didn't actually plan on doing a haul on these items but since I've mentioned and some of y'all may be wondering, why not? 

My fist visit was post braid removal. I was looking for a Protein shampoo and conditioner as I had run out. I saw a 3 for 12 bucks deal on the tressemme range and thought why not?

L-R: Keratin deep treatment masque, Liquid gold restorative complex-argan oil infused,
Keratin restoring conditioner.

My second visit which threw me into a frenzy was when I was shopping for hair products for my dear friend in Lagos in a much larger boots store. I was browsing the aisles when I saw the whole ORS range- I'm talking relaxers, shampoo, conditioner, replenishing pack, hair mayo, carrot oil, name it. To top it up these products were all on the top shelf and not the bottom one where they usually place them discriminately sorry I meant to say discreetly. In my joy, I bought ALL five of the replenishing packs  on display. (Hey, don't give me that look...it was Christmas time and Companies needed to make a profit to pay the Christmas bonuses. Plus I was also shopping for a friend in need).

Apparently the replenishing cond. and pan have the exact same ingredients.

Oh yeah, whilst in Lagos I found the cantu Shea butter curling cream and thought I'd give it a shot (later turns out, it's quite a hit on the YT community). So far I like it and it does make my hair look moisturised as well as give it some curl definition. 

My friend also gave me some curlformers she didn't want, so I gladly accepted, and hope to experiment with them sometime.

Curlformers- brand unknown

Anyways, that's all for now and I do hope to post more frequently. Take care and God bless.

XOXO
Miss J

Happy new hair

Happy new year guys. I'm not even going to apologise for being so M.I.A cos that's gotten old. All I wanna say is thank you for being patient.
I'm so grateful to God for a new year cos for the first time i really understood the grace of being able to see another year. My prayer is that 2013 shall be a year of focus and progress for us all; (Can I get an Amen?)
Well I hope everyone had a great Christmas. Enough with the pleasantries. (My friend once told me that Yorubas never like to go straight to the point because they love to hear themselves talk....I never really thought about it before but it couldn't be further from the truth....think of microphone hugging individuals...lol)

Ok, before I become a victim of what I'm describing, lets get straight to the business.
This month is going to be a pretty exciting one as I already have a few blog topics / posts written up for yous ( U see I hadn't forgotten about u guys). In fact, today I spent over 3 hours researching on some of the content I will be sharing in the coming weeks.
Here's some of what to expect in no particular order:
1. My new hairsolutions (get it?...lol)
2. Bust that fat!!! Body goals 2013
3. Hair mini haul
4. Straight and bouncy curls
5. The return of shingling
6. Blog feature- J.Go
7. Skin care regimen (yes I'm finally delving into this area)
8. Skin heroes ( don't wanna use the word idols...lol)
9. Next hair style + inspiration

So that's all I have scheduled so far. It's gonna be pretty exciting!!!!! I'll be trying out a few new things and I so can't wait to tell you all about it.
Expect the first instalment by Tuesday baby!!

Stay tuned, one love and God bless.
Xoxo
Miss J