This is beautiful

This brought me to tears, and I had to share.

Blueberries!!!

Here's a quick nutrition tip.


July is National Blueberry Month.  Blueberries are among the fruits with the highest amounts of antioxidants, which may help fight aging, cancer and heart disease. Blueberries contain dietary fiber and vitamins A and C.  Right now they are in abundance (and less pricey), so stock up on blueberries and freeze them (unwashed to keep the skins from toughening) in a single layer in freezer bags.  Unwashed berries freeze without sticking together and allow you to use just the right amount every time.  Be sure to wash them when you are ready to eat them.  Pour blueberries over cereal, yogurt or add to fruit salads for a delicious, healthful taste of summer all year long.


Here is a great recipe for a Red, White, and Blueberry Trifle that is awesome.  It's made with blueberries, strawberries, white chocolate pudding, and angel food cake.  I made this for July 4th and it was a big hit!


So, do you like blueberries?  How do you incorporate them into your diet?

Kyra's Ultimate Indulgence: Product Testers Wanted

We are looking for a few product testers for our new Apple Aloe Hair Pudding.  This pudding is made with water, aloe vera juice, coconut oil, olive oil, castor oil, avocado oil, natural thickener, marshmallow root, apple pectin, amla, pro-vitamin B-5, and citric acid.  It provides moderate hold and works great for twists and wash n gos.  We are looking to get some feedback on this product before releasing it.  That's where you come in.  If you are interested in trying this product out, please head over to our Facebook fan page and leave a comment describing your hair texture (we just want to make sure we hit a broad spectrum of hair types).  We will be selecting the winners this week.

We look forward to getting your feedback!

One Fruit Wonder

Here's a quick Nutrition E-Tip:

An apple a day can keep the pounds away, according to a Penn State study. People who consumed one apple before a meal took in 15 percent fewer calories overall than those who didn't. Apple eaters spend more time chewing, so they feel full on fewer calories. Crunch on!

I'm thinking I can easily incorporate an apple a day into my routine. I'll try to eat one before lunch each day. And with all the different apples out there, it will be fun expanding my apple palette.  My all time favorite apples are Honeycrisp Apples.  I also like Gala Apples too.  I never have been a fan of Red Delicious, but I can give them a try again. 

What's your favorite type of apple? 

DearNaptural85's Tips for Water Consumption

I just saw DearNapptural85's tips for getting sufficient water intake.  She's got a couple of great tips.  For me personally, I can't drink warm water because it makes me nauseous.  So to get my water, I make sure that I always have a cup of water at my desk.  We have a water cooler at work.  So if I get the small 8 oz cups I can make sure the water is always somewhat cold.  And since I'm always sipping on it, I'm always having to refill my cup which means more steps for the day!

So how do you make sure you get your proper water intake?

Lunch Walks

I have two major struggles in my quest to live a healthy lifestyle.  1)  Exercising and 2) Eating Better.  Is there anything else to living a healthier lifestyle?  I’d like to tackle both of these at the same time, but the thought actually seems a little overwhelming to me.  You’re talking to major shifts in how I live my life. 

 

This week I decided that at the very least, I was going to get moving.  I don’t currently have a gym membership, but I plan to get one around Memorial Day. I’m thinking they will have specials then, and I’m cheap.  So what could I do in the meantime? 

 

For now, I’ve found the perfect solution.  It’s not a drastic change, but it’s a start.  This journey will be baby steps, but eventually I will get there.  Every day at lunch, I’ve decided that I will go out of my way to find something to eat.  So, instead of going to the deli downstairs I walk the .8 miles to the deli shop on the other side of downtown.  That totals 1.6 miles every day during lunch and it takes me about 35 minutes.  The good thing about working downtown is that we have a tunnel system.  So when it gets too hot outside, I can just take the tunnels and walk in the air conditioning.  So far it’s working out well for me, and I’ve walked every day this week.  I have a pedometer, but I keep forgetting to put the darn thing on in the morning.  Dr. Oz recommended that we get 10,000 steps a day.  I have no clue how many steps I’m getting in, so next week I will have to remember to put my pedometer on. 

 

I’m not sure if my lunch walks have yielded any results as far as weight loss goes, but at least I’m getting in the habit of moving around more than I typically do.   I have yet to weigh myself, and I’m toying with the idea of not even weighing myself because I don’t want this to just be about losing weight.  I really want this to be about living healthy, but I also think I’d like to be able to look back on where I started. 

 

So what are some things you are doing to get some extra steps in during the day?  And do you think it’s a mistake not to weigh yourself? 

New Direction

As many of you already know, I launched my product line last month. It’s been really exciting and sales have greatly exceeded my expectations. Thanks to everyone who has shopped with us so far. I really appreciate the support. For those of you who haven't tried the line yet, what are you waiting on? :)

I started this blog because I wanted to share my hair journey with you from a twa to whatever length I chose to grow it to. Initially it was about the different products I was using, but those reviews quickly dwindled down as I began making my own products. Then I decided that the focus would be on styling techniques and the tools I used on my hair, but wash n gos became the norm and the Tangle Teezer was the only tool I used. So there was nothing really new to discuss. Eventually that lead to me only updating the blog once a month.  Any product reviews I do now, won’t appear objective because I would be rating a competitor and my styling skills aren’t extensive...yet.

So, I have decided to change the focus of this blog a bit. I will still be doing monthly updates on what’s going on with my hair. I will still be showcasing items from my product line and hosting giveaways, but I won’t be doing any product reviews. As my hair grows longer, I will update on any new styles I try, but for the most part this blog will be focusing on the overall health of my body and not just focusing on hair.

My blog will begin to focus more on getting my body, spirit, and mind ready for this new phase in my life. I hope you will join me in this, but if your focus is only on hair, I’m sorry to inform you that most of the posts won’t be about hair. I have good news though. There are tons of blogs out there that focus on hair that are great resources. I’ve listed them on the right side bar and I’ll put a few links below. Thanks to everyone in advance for your support, and any health tips you can provide will be greatly appreciated.

Curly Nikki (I’m sure you already know about her)
K is for Kinky (great blog discussing hair and fashion)
Black Girl Long Hair (great questions and discussions going on here)
Quest for the Perfect Curl (product reviews galore… and she keeps it honest)
Natural Selection (great hair, great style… one of my favorite blogs)
A Happy Nappy Affair (she’s having a giveaway once she gets one more follower)
Curls, Coils & Kinks (tons of product reviews, giveaways, and updates on natural hair events)
Pretty Natural Divas (more product reviews and giveaways)
FroStoppa (the best twists and twistouts ever)
The Natural Haven (great info on the science behind hair and products)
Naturally Obsessed (great hair, styles, and product reviews)

12 Months Natural

Well, I made it to one year natural! I'm excited about it. I've learned a lot over this past 12 months. I've learned that while a lot of men are attracted to long straight hair, more are attracted to confidence. When my hair was 1 inch long, I walked around like I was the most beautiful woman in the world and men took note (many more than when I had relaxed hair past my shoulders). I've learned that my hair doesn't need silicone to look good, I just had to find the right ingredients. I've learned that not everyone will love my hair, but their opinions change absolutely nothing about how I live my life so at the end of the day, their opinions mean nothing. I've learned that my hair hates shea butter, but it loves mango butter. I've learned that there are some hairstyles that I just can't do well (i.e. flat twists), but thank God for friends who can. :) I've learned that my wash n gos will flop until they are dry, but once my hair is dry I absolutely love the results. I've learned that this mullet look is inevitable and have grown to accept it. It works out perfect when I want to wear a puff. Most of all I've learned that the information and support on the internet for other women like me that choose to wear their natural hair is priceless. I'm so happy that things are changing, and while the majority of women might not wear their hair natural, those who want to have an amazing support system that is just freaking awesome. So, shout-outs to all the bloggers, youtubers, and forum posters! You all rock.

Here is my progress over the last year. It was my intent to take pictures of all my "out" styles (i.e. wash n go, puff, afro) during the year, but I skipped a few months in the middle. I'll keep doing this and hopefully next year the change will be even more dramatic.

11 Months Natural

Well, it's been 11 months, and I'm back for another update.  I still don't have much to discuss because I've been so lazy with my hair lately.  I've been wearing puffs just about every single day.  They are just so dang easy.  I did pull a little bit of my hair out of the puff in the back just to see how long it was and it reaches my shoulders stretched, so I'm happy about that.  I know before I said I would just enjoy the journey, but right about now I'm ready for some more length.  I'm coming up on one year natural, and I'm totally excited about it.  I've decided to do a giveaway on my YouTube channel to celebrate so watch out for that.

Cleaning Your Tangle Teezer

Here's how I clean my Tangle Teezer with a toothbrush.

10 Months Natural

Well, this one snuck up on me again. Not much going on with my hair. I'm still in love with my tangle teezer.

Tangle Teezer Demo

Here's a quick video on how I use the Tangle Teezer.

Simple Styling with a Flower Accessory

Tangle Teezer

The Tangle Teezer bandwagon came through my town and I hopped on. Detangling is starting to take a little longer as my hair grows out, especially at the crown. The amount of time it takes to detangle was a part of why I went back to the relaxer a few years ago (definitely wasn't the only reason though). If I really take my time with my hair to detangle, it can take me about 25 minutes to detangle. If I'm rushing and not worrying about removing all the tangles and shed hair (which can be a recipe for disaster), I can do it in about 15 minutes. When I take the short route, I pay for it with knots and more tangles later on.

So, when I heard about the praise people were giving the tangle teezer, I decided to give it a shot. I watched a few youtube videos, and one in particular that had me hooked on trying it out was a video posted by Shawnystheone showing a woman using the Tangle Teezer on a wig. Initially, while watching the video I'm thinking, "This mannequin has straight hair, I don't care how much they tease it, it's not going to be like detangling the crown of my hair after a week of puffs and wash n gos." Then, I see the Tangle Teezer in action, and I decided I had to have it. I called around to a few of the Sally's in my area and all were sold out except for one. I finally made it to the Sally's and I picked up two. I picked up the pink one so that I can see how much hair is shedding and know if I need to be concerned about anything.

When I got home I ran the brush across my hand. It's pretty loud and I question how this thing will feel against my scalp and if the bristles are too hard for my hair. Then I looked at the individual bristles and I noticed that they are really flexible (unlike that darn denman). Then I noticed the alternating length in rows. As you can see, one row is really short, and the other row is about twice that length. Definitely designed differently than anything I've seen, but I'll try it out.

I washed my hair without taking any care to part it in sections or anything because I really wanted to see how great this thing is. Then when I got to the conditioner step, I parted my hair into like six sections. I slathered on my conditioner and I picked up this Tangle Teezer. When I put it to the back of my head (at the roots mind you), it was like running a hot knife through butter. I kid you not. I ran it through a couple of times because I was thinking to myself, "There is no way that thing is going through my hair, and if it is, it's not removing any shed hair." I looked down at the comb and sure enough there was shed hair in the comb. This thing is frigging amaaaaazing. I don't know what else to say. I move up to the crown of my hair which is the most difficult area to detangle. This time it wasn't as easy. I was still able to run the comb through my hair, but I could tell not all the tangles were removed. I ran it through a couple more times and I was done. All the tangles gone, and the shed hair was stuck in the comb. Three times I ran this thing through and it detangled my crown. That is amazing. It normally takes me three times with a wide tooth comb to detangle the last inch of my ends. Then I have to repeat this step like five more times before I make it to my roots.

The first con to this brush for me is the sound. It sounded like I was ripping my hair out when I used this thing, but I never noticed any pulling on my scalp. It's also how the brush sounded when I rubbed it against my hand so I know that's just how the brush sounds. I think it's because the base part that your grip is hollow, but I could be wrong. The other con to this brush is the design and the fact that there's no handle. It's awkward to get used to. I dropped it in the shower twice while detangling, but I think I can get used to it. The final con for me, was the difficulty in removing the shed hairs. I like to remove the shed hairs after every detangling session so that I can see how much shed hair I have. This brush traps the detangled hair so well, I had a difficult time getting it all out.

Overall, this product absolutely works for my hair. I have no idea why it works like it does, but it works. I think it has something to do with the flexibility of the teeth of the brush and the different lengths of the alternating rows. Whatever it is, I love it. If you're thinking about this thing, I recommend you get it. At $10 it's a bit expensive, but if there's a chance it can work for you like it did for me, I say it's worth the $10 risk. :)

9 Months Natural

Wow, I can believe it’s been nine months since I cut off the last of the relaxer. Three quarters down and one more to go before my nappiversary. I’ve been in a bit of rut with my hair lately. That’s part of the reason I missed last month’s update. The other part is that I was extremely busy. My hair is now at that awkward state where it’s too long to style short and too short to style long. My finger coils stick out in this really weird way. My wash n gos just kind of flop over on the top and back of my head (profile is hideous), and my hair isn’t long enough to look cute flopped over. I try to alleviate this with a headband, but now my hair just flops over the headband and the back just remains flat. But enough of the complaining. My hair is growing and I’m excited about that. I can wear puffs now and I’m excited about that too. I have to give the puffs a rest though because my edges do not appreciate all the trauma I put them through to get that sleek puff look.