I am

about to cut my hair!

Only in the back. I am unable to wear it in a wash n go because of the shape.

Pictures MAY follow depending on how it turns out...


And...what do you all think of the set up?

I think I am going to change it again...

How to Wear an Instant Weave

So...I am back in an instant weave. Here is a video of me putting it on (literally lol) and a couple of pics....

Doing homework...promise to be back later.

Pictures and plans!

As promised I uploaded pictures of the dreaded damage to my hairline. I have also included pictures of the braids. I did not get any hair pics....but I promise to do so in the next day or so.

My plan for my hair....AMLA powder. I am totally loving all of these herbs and the effect that they have on my hair. I did my first Amla treatment tonight and I LOVE it. It is a little early to rave about it...but I am pretty certain that Amla and Henna are in my regimen to stay. I plan to try out a few more powders.... Anyways...here are the pics!

And....a video. **please excuse my eyes...I look cockeyed here...LOL**

The Braids are Out....My edges are gone....

Yes...you read that right. I took my braids out...I could not take it anymore. As expected, my edges have thinned out. Am I overreacting? No. My boyfriend, who knows nothing about hair, asked what happened to my hairline. Yes...I cried.

So....bootcamp it is...and braids NEVER again. Ladies if you decide to get braids please make sure that they are not too tight.

I will post both pictures of the braids as well as pictures of the damage soon( I have not posted many pics because I spend allot of time at the SO's place.)

Starting...well yesterday...BOOTCAMP. I hennaed my hair (video and pics coming this week) and I will be ding another treatment this weekend. I am also considering an Amla treatment. I have read good things about it.

At any rate...stay tuned and stay away from thsoe TIGHT braiders!

The Baggy Method: A way to protect your ends and retain length.

We are all on a mission to increase the rate at which our hair grows. We take vitamin supplements, try topical growth agents, increase our water intake, and drink raw eggs all in hopes of boosting our natural growth rate. One of the biggest issues in hair growth is retaining length. Our hair naturally grows every month. If it did not, we would not need touch ups (relaxers and color). Have you ever colored your hair, and it was time to touch up your roots yet your hair was the same length it has always been? This is because just as fast as your new hair is coming in the old hair is breaking off.

What causes hair to break off?
Hair breakage can be caused by:
excessive use of heat styling tools
Cold air (dries hair out or sometimes freezes wet hair)
rubbing up against materials (your sweater or your pillowcase)

So how can we retain length?
Let's take a look at protective styles.

Protective styles are basically just styles that protect your ends. Some examples of protective styles are:
Phony ponytails
instant weaves
Buns
Braids
Two Strand Twists

It is not as simple as just wearing these styles. You want to make sure that your ends are properly mositurized so that they don't get dry and brittle. So how do you ensure that your hair is moisturized? The baggy method.

How do you baggy your hair?

Items you will need:
2 Ponytail holders (ouchless bands)
Moisturizing Agent
Sealing Agent
Baggy

1. Pull your freshly washed hair back into a ponytail with one of the ouchless bands.

2. Coat the length of your ponytail with your moisturizing agent(I use either S curl or a conditioner)

3. Seal your moisturizer with an oil (I use either olive oil or coconut oil.)

4. Put your ponytail in a baggy and secure it with the additional ouchless band.

5. Style as planned (ie phony pony, instant weave, phony bun)

I did a tutorial in my fotki album on how to baggy with an instant weave. You can find it here.

www.fotki.com/tuttifruityone

2.

Weight Watchers - Week One Weigh in

Ok...over all my first week on Weight Watchers went fairly well.

The bad:
I was not good with consitently journaling my foods

The good:
I learned to prepare some pretty healthy foods.

The UGLY:
I slipped up on a Big Mac and fries on the night before weigh in.

All in all...I did well. I lost 3 pounds!

And then got back to my desk and ate half a chocolate bar and a bag of funyuns. LOL BAD GIRL. I will be back on track tomorrow. Goal for next week is to lose atleast another 3 pounds or higher! :-)

And the winner is......

A week or so ago...I posted a giveaway....

and our winner is....

Erika M!
Erika send me your mailing address and I will get your new Denman Brush to you.

Another give away coming soon.... hint hint...I am headed to the indian store soon.... :-)

Clear Henna : Cassia Obovata

Cassia Obovata
Henna comes in one color which is red. What is advertised as “Clear Henna” or “Colorless Henna” is actually Cassia Obovata. Cassia will give new life to head of damaged hair. Repeated use of Cassia can lead to healthy, shiny, thick and silky tresses. The only downfall is if your hair is gray, Cassia will turn your hair yellow. Be warned, wouldn’t want you to look like a muffet. LOL
Cassia powder LOOKS allot like Henna…but the difference is…stick your finger in a bowl of Henna…it comes out orange…your finger would not turn any color if you stick it in a bowl of Cassia.

What do I mix it with?
I have only used Cassia once and I used it on my cousin. I prepared it the same way I would my henna. I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to only use water to mix your Cassia powder with. Well, being the henna head that I am I would still use green tea. Technically it would be null and void to mix your Cassia with something acidic like green tea because the green tea activates the color in Henna. Call me crazy or anal…but I would still prefer my green tea and I would also add a little honey for consistency.

Henna VS Cassia
IMO I think the only BIG difference is the staining of henna. Cassia is known as a “Clear Henna” because it conditions as henna does without the color deposits. However, thru all of my research, NONE of the Cassia results measure up to the results of henna. However, if you afraid of a little color (I was initially myself) I say go for the Cassia. Something is better than nothing right? I must admit though…you are going to eventually bite the bullet and try Henna….and fall head over heels in LOVE!....or is it lust? LOL

Other interesting facts:
There are two type of Cassia. Cassia/Senna and Cassia Obovata. Cassia Senna is different and I am speaking today about only Cassia Obovata.
Cassia has been known to heal skin conditions such as eczema and other skin infections.

This isn’t much but I hope it helps someone. You can buy Cassia at Whole Foods (Rainbow Brand “Clear Henna”) or you can check out this AWESOME site www.mehandi.com and get some GREAT quality Cassia.

A Healthy Diet will lead to a head of healthy hair!

Companies such as Pantene, Creme of Nature, Herbal Essence and many more make products every day to improve the health of your hair. These products promise to thicken your thin hair or even stimulate accelerated hair growth for others. If you know like I know, you know that this is false advertisement. A product may coat your strands and give the illusion of thicker hair, but it does not truly make your hair thicker. Why? Our hair is nothing but dead cells. It can grow longer as "new growth" spurts out of our scalp, but you can not alter the cells that are already dead.

"You are what you eat"
Don't be discouraged. This doesn't mean that you can not achieve healthy thick hair over time. What you put in your body has allot to do with what comes out of it. If you have a poor diet and lack vitamins and nutrients, your hair will lack shine, thickness and may not grow as quickly. There are a few vitamins and nutrients that are needed for your hair to thrive. They are:

Protein
Protein is essential in cell growth. If you hair is made up of dead cells, it would definately be imperative to have a sufficient amount of protein in your diet. Some foods that are great sources of protein are: lean beef, turkey,chicken, pork, shrimp and eggs. You can also try protein shakes to supplement your diet.

B Vitamins (Biotin, B5, B12)
B vitamins assist in the formation of red blood cells. Red blood cells are responsible for transporting oxygen to all of the cells in your body. Again...better cell development/growth, leads to more hair. Good sources of B vitamins are: shellfish, cereals high in fiber, black eyed peas, trout,spinach, okra, beets and low fat cottage cheese.

These are two of the many vitamins that you would want to include in your diet. In time, we will dig deeper into this subject.

This has to stop.....Joined Weight Watchers today....

Ok so I know I know...I usually talk about hair... but you can't just have fly hair and everything else be a mess...

So today...let's talk weight. Ok...I am officially over 30 and I am in a happy, healthy relationship. I am assuming that is why I have picked up 10 pounds! SO....what do I do about it?

I joined weight watchers. My goal is to lose at least 20 pounds.
I have a couple of friends that have had very positive weight loss experiences with Weight Watchers. So I am going to give it a try! Wish me luck!

Nine West Shoes at an incredibly LOW price!

Good Morning ladies!

Our favorite little bargin site has another sale today. Nine West ladies shoes for as low as 14.95! They have several styles available at this price. Now I will be the first to admit that SOME of these shoes look like they cost 5.99 :-) and some are actually cute!

Good luck! Check it out!
http://www.6pm.com/n/search.cgi?q=NW0309TGR

Braids and a Sew in...story of two styles

Ok...so I mentioned...I have hair ADD. Last week I did the sew in with Brandy's Pro10 Bohemian Curl hair. I liked it...wasn't CRAZY about it...but it was ok.(I attached a picture of it)
AS usual...I wasn't satisfied. It all started last week with a phone call to my sister. She is in hair school an was basically asking me to be her crash test dummy....like a dummy...I said yes. So we decided that she was going to braid the perimeter of my hair in micros...and I would sew in hair in the middle. Well we forgot two things...SHE forgot how THICK my hair is...and I forgot how terrified I am of braids and breakage.
So...here I am two days later and my hair is STILL not done. I am scared because she sealed the ends with NAIL GLUE. She assured me that she went well beyong my hair but it doesn't look like it. If I have a set back....I promise it is not going to be pretty.
I will say this...when I take this down I will NEVER try braids again. It is just too risky. I am getting tons of compliments and it is not even completed. I promise to take pics within the next day or so. In the mean time...pray for my hair please. LOL I am SO serious.

Style of the Day....Braids/Weave

Ok ladies, I have been bored with my hair. I decided to do a sew in last week with Brandy's Pro 10 Synthetic Weave. Well tomorrow I am going to try yet another style. I am getting the perimeter of my hair braided and the middle will be sewed in. Here are a few pics of what the style should look like:

Do you need a personal stylist...for FREE?

Hey ladies!

I started a second website that caters to my other love...FASHION!

Check it out and let me know what you think!!


www.cyberstylist4u.com

My first Give Away!!!

I want to thank you all for taking the time to talk hair with me!

I am starting with the first of MANY give aways. Tonight I am giving away a Denman Brush (D3) to one lucky lady.

In order to qualify, I just need you to email me at mz.jackson@gmail.com and let me know WHEN you started transitioning and why. I will take all the submission and draw one name out of a hat. That lucky lady will receive a free Denman Brush!

Good Luck Ladies!

Hair Myth of the Day: Washing your hair daily will cause your hair to break.

Howdy chicas!

I grew up thinking that only ladies of certain races could wash their hair daily. I remember seeing daily clarifying shampoos by brands such as Suave and Pantene. I have always washed my hair once every 2 weeks or at the most once a week.

Well as I started my journey for healthy hair (relaxed, texturized and natural) I discovered conditioner washes. I have learned that shampoos (especially those clarifying products) can dry your hair out if used frequently. I read on a hair board about washing your hair daily with conditioner. I was interested and decided to give it a try. It is the BEST thing I have ever done. I said goodbye to dry porous hair and hello to moisturized thicker hair!

Here are a few facts about conditioner washes:

Advantages of conditioner washing

Softer hair
Less Frizz ( usually a result of dry hair)
Less breakage and shedding
More elasticity
Easier to detangle

Some conditioners that are GREAT for conditioner washes:

Suave Tropical Coconut
VO5 Moisture Milks Strawberry Milkshake
Herbal Essence Hello Hydration ** (personal fav)
Tressemme **( What I currently use)
Sunsilk

Things to avoid if you adopt this method:

Silicones
Lots of oil
Not washing frequently

Personally I think ALL transitioners should adopt this method. It makes your hair THAT much easier to detangle and it also keeps the line of demarcation moisturized. You will learn one of the most important factors in healthy hair care is MOISTURE.
Let's add this up...

Moisturized hair = Healthier hair = Stronger Hair = Longer Hair
Does anyone have a problem with longer, stronger HEALTHY hair?!


Although I wash with conditioner only on a daily basis, I still use shampoo. I only shampoo before a henna treatment or when I plan to straighten. I must say my hair feels MUCH different after a shampoo. I love conditioner washes long time... :-)