Grad School + New Job + No Heat Challenge

First I would like to say that Grad school is no joke! If I’m not working, I’m studying or writing a paper! I am truly exhausted! I have so many exciting post to write about but if only I could get an extra hour a day to do so! With that being said, I also got a new job at Cox Communications, I’m super excited about it! I will be a new tech support rep, after a year or so I would like to move into the marketing department and help them with strategic branding! I’m so blessed and I’m glad I was able to find a full-time job less than 2 months after I graduated! The struggle of finding a job after college is REAL, I sent out my resume over 100 times only to get emails saying they picked other qualified candidates! I went on 2 interviews, 1 where I was OVER-qualified for and the 2^nd 1 I was nowhere near qualified for it! However, my 3^rd interview was just right! So I’m just so thankful for this opportunity that God has given me!

 Now the true purpose of this post is to tell you how I did for my No-Heat January Challenge! In the beginning you all saw that I was having difficulties finding styles suitable for my transitioning hair! After a couple days I found that Bantu knots in a big bun was “My thing” then I decided to do a protected style and I got a sew in bob! I loved it so much, I added some highlights and my sister did a great job cutting it to my liking! I wish we would have put it on a U-part wig because it was perfect and I knew once I took it out it was no way I was able to put it back to how it was.

I kept the bob in for 3 weeks and now it’s February and I decided that I ….. Actually like my hair better in natural styles so it’s back to bantu-knots and buns until I get some more weave (HELLO MIDDLE PART AND 22 INCHES!) I’m so glad I was able to complete this challenge, it was hard in the beginning but now im use to it and I actually like it!

What kind of protective styles are you all using for the winter? Let me know and thanks for reading!

XOXO

-Ashley 

Natural Hair - Update

So it’s Day 17 of my January “No-Heat” Challenge and I must admit I failed, but with only 2 days so that’s not that bad! This is truly the longest I’ve ever gone without using my flat iron which is great because my hair is receiving a lot more moisture and I’m also cutting more and more of my relaxed ends in the front off.

The two days I wore it straight, were on January 10^th and 11^th, which was during my sisters birthday when she told me straight up “YOU ARE NOT GOING OUT WITH ME TONIGHT, WEARING YOUR HAIR IN 2 TWIST LOOKING LIKE AN EXTRA IN THE COLOR PURPLE!”

She played me but I knew she was right, I still wasn’t getting the hang with natural hairstyles then so I decided to do a quick air dry and only ran my flat iron through each part once! It wasn’t straight as it could have been but that’s the most I wanted to do plus it was raining all that weekend so I didn’t want my hair to reform back to its natural state after a GREAT FLAT IRON so fast.

Before those two days, I spent hours on youtube and decided to do flat twist with perm rods at the end to blend my natural and relaxed ends together.

The next style I decided to do was another bantu knot but this time doing the 2 strand method, which

worked AMAZINGLY better for me this time.

The last style which I’ve been doing for the past couple of days now, is letting my bantu knot get old and just using an infinity headband and wearing my hair in a huge ponytail! I currently love this style on me! I’m learning to wear my hair in ponytails more because before I rarely ever did so.

To protect my hair even more I decided that I will be getting a bob-styled sew in! I’ve been wanting a bob since forever and I think the time is now! I decided to reuse some old hair and also buy a pack of affordable hair just in case I didn’t have enough! I colored the hair to my liking and I hope it looks like how I want it to look like in my head!

So ladies, this is my HALF WAY natural journal update, I hope you all are amused and getting informed by these post!

Again, don't forget about the giveaway going on until Feb 7,2014! Look at the post under this! Thanks

Natural Hair: No Heat in January Challenge

That's my "nooo my hair is breaking off" face

Usually people turn up the heat for Winter but for me, I'm turning it down off.

So for the New Year I decided to challenge myself with using absolutely NO HEAT on my hair for the entire month of January. I have been researching on YouTube numerous styles that I believe that will benefit my hair by adding moisture, shine, and retaining its length. The last time I wore my hair without heat was during the summer because it was so hot my hair wouldn’t stay straight to save my life (actually I was still using my hooded dryer for some styles.)

As many of you know, the back of my hair is completely natural and my front is still in the process of transitioning (about half way natural.) I did not decided to go natural to wear my hair mainly in its natural state but because relaxers burn the HELL out of my scalp! Even as a little kid, I would cry because it would burn extremely bad. So before 2012, I was only getting relaxers maybe once or twice a year until I decided to stop it all together.

While it is a wonderful idea to stop relaxing your hair, the continuous use of blow dryers and flat irons still lead to damaging your hair && that bad boy is called HEAT DAMAGE. Something I’ve been experiencing all too well these past couple of months.

So I decided to give myself a month of no heat, just plan “ol” washing, co-washing, deep conditioning, Bantu knots, flat twist, buns, and flexi rods, anything that can get my mind off of not grabbing my flat iron.

With that being said, on the first day of January I washed and conditioned my hair, let it air dryer maybe about 75% and ATTEMPTED to do Bantu knots! What an absolute fail! Maybe I twisted my hair the wrong way but my ends were sticking out every which way. It was so embarrassing because I had to go to work with my hair looking wild. I work with kids and you know kids tell the truth and nothing but the truth! One boy said, “Ms. Ashley … is that you? Your hair looks crazy!” If I could turn red, I probably would have but I told him my hair got wet and that was that.

Now it’s January 2^nd and I found that 2 flat twist look pretty nice on me and that’s what I will be doing for a while!

Please, can some of you ladies give me some advice? I want to try a curly style but my relaxed ends seems to not want to cooperate with the rest of the style. I do actually hope to continue on with this no heat regime, perhaps get some braids next month or a very protective sew in!

Any who, this was pretty much a hair journey 2014 update. I love my straight hair but I cannot lie, the damage is pretty noticeable, at least to me anyway.

The products I will be using include: Elasta EQ Olive Oil and Mango Butter Moisturizer, Almond Oil, Avocado Oil, Black Castor Oil, Palmers Coconut oil moisturizer and Biotin. 

Thanks Ladies! 

** Don't forget to enter my giveaway that ends February 1st, 2014! Its super easy and its a token of my appreciation to all of my readers!

Hair Journey Update + Adding Castor Oil

 Hey Ladies

I’m back atcha with a hair journey update! I haven’t done one in a while huh? For the most part, I kept a weave in all summer. I knew with my hair transitioning, the heat and humidity would have my hair looking a hot mess, so I opted to keep it in a protective style! I do have a confession though, I relaxed my edges lol! I HAD TOO, they would not stay down for the world, I didn’t want to be that picture fail “Brazilian weave with African edges” lol. So yea, I relaxed them!

When I took my weave out on Friday, I noticed my hair had grew a lot. I guess it is true; before getting a weave it’s essential to trim your ends because your hair will grow longer and healthier while braided.

I decided to try something new this month, I’ve been looking at the benefits of castor oil on hair and thought I would do a 30 day challenge with it. I opted to using regular castor oil rather than Jamaican black castor oil because after reading MANY reviews, many said it did the same thing and they all received positive results.

The benefits of castor oil on hair:

 Aids in healthy hair growth

 Helps thinning edges and alopecia

Adds shine

Treatment of dry scalp and dandruff

I mixed my castor oil with coconut oil and will be oiling my hair 2 or 3 times a week nightly. I also will be mixing it with a deep condition that i will be doing once a week. 

So far I’m enjoying my mini scalp massages and I’ve learned a little goes a long way! Hopefully this new concoction will be my holy grail allowing my hair to grow longer and healthier!

Right now for shampoo I’m using Petal Fresh Rosemary & Mint shampoo and Shea Moisture African Black Soap Balancing Conditioner for dry & itch scalp, which I am in love with BTW.

So I definitely will be keeping you all up to date!

Thanks again ladies, are any of you using castor oil, how is your hair benefiting from it?