Banana Pre-poo/Deep Condition

So I got rid of my iPhone (but I still have it) anyways I usually write my posts on my phone and Blogger syncs it. With my new phone, the post never sync. EVER. I'm working on it.

I planned on installing twists this week, honest I did. But things didn't go accordingly, so I opted for a hair meltdown and the next day tension blew my hair with a little heat. I started flat ironing it but I had to stop so I could learn to drive stick shift.

• Wet my hair and proceeded to blend two bananas, teaspoon of honey (honey was running low) and a half cup (a little less than half) of water. I managed not to spill the concoction this time.

• Applied my banana mix, placed a plastic cap over it and waited a half hour.

This week at Trader Joe's I picked up their Spa Shampoo only because it said moisturizing and they ran out of the tea tree shampoo. I also picked up the Tea Tree Conditioner. So far I like one over the other. More on that in a future post.

• Rinsed the banana out with the shampoo and proceeded to Tea Tree Condition. Rinsed and poured cold Aloe Vera Juice on my hair and sealed it with oil.

• I wrapped my hair in a T-shirt for an hour as I feathered the hair extensions. Some how some way I nixed the plan after I felt my hair wasn't fully cleansed. I'm not sure if it was banana remnants or henidgo but I didn't want to twist my hair after that.

Moped around and detangled a little bit. I was having a bad hair day.

The next day I sprayed water, aloe vera and Hello Hydration mix on it and tension blew it semi straight. All the textures are hard to work with. I attempted to straighten it to no avail.

I haven't had my hair straight for about four months now. I really want to master straightening natural hair without heat damage (moknowshair) for my future endeavors. 

Peace and Love

Aku

First Henna + Indigo Treatment (LATE LATE LATE)

         At my wits end with my hair. I'm sure it's not going to stop breaking until it gets my whole head, hopefully this hendigo can help.
         Due to the severity of my breakage, I decided what's the worst that can happen if I use henna? Red hair, that is probably the worst for me personally. I love my natural color so I tested my strands before the big application, and red, red, red. The first clump of hair I let sit over night and a second clump, I did another one for two hours, both were similar red colors. Ugh I'd have to incorporate the indigo.

3 parts henna 150 g

•      2 cups of water
•      Tablespoon of EVOO and Avocado Oil
•      Kanechom Ceramides conditioner
•      Some lemon juice

1 part indigo 50 g

     I let the henna sit overnight. Added the indigo right before I applied it to my head. I believe I left the hendigo on for at least 3 hours. I was terrified about the color change.

Henna Treatment

Getting ready

Pre-hendigo

Not too drastic, but I don't like

 

    The back of my hair can not reach the ponytail, so I take mini butterfly clips and gather two sections and clip them up. Either this or a faux bun.

     Henna + Indigo, I could have done without it perhaps...I don't know. I really didn't care for the treatment and the application process. I think the breakage has stopped because my hair is probably like "I guess we destroyed her whole back of the head, let's leave her alone." However, I do think my hair will slowly continue to break everywhere, it seems to be moving to the front left side, lots of mid-shaft splits. My curl pattern...didn't notice much of a change expect maybe it is easier to detangle? Overall, I think that was the first and last of the henna and indigo.

    I believe I am 16 weeks post. Hoping I have time to install twists next week. Two more weeks of classes, I'm trying to finish strong.

Peace and Love

Finale Post by Miriam!

Hey guys! This will be my last post! I wanted to make it special and different. I'm so sorry i'm late, school work literally has taken over this year for me. It's hard to keep a balance with everything. I first want to say that this experience was awesome and a great experience! I'm glad I got the chance to post my personal hair regime, share tips and products, and also share certain things that were not based on just hair. The hair community is great, and the atmosphere is very friendly. You guys are willing to help each other out,share ideas, and even give tips on certain aspects. I learned that this truly is a great way to stay on track with what ever goal we have. I also want to give a big thanks to my sister Aku, for letting me take over for April. Life is so much more than hair, and this blog is a perfect example of that! I hope I can do this again! Maybe in a year?! Hmm, that would be cool to see the transition and change of one year. Anyway I will definitely check back on this blog for updates! I wish you guys the best of luck with what ever goal you have! You can achieve anything with hard work and dedication! ]

And now i'll leave you guys with motivational quotes!

"Aku, Where Have You Been?!" I'm Here!

Hi Readers!

     I'm still at a slight loss about my hair. I used to have poppin hair man! It was great, I digress. First I want to thank my sister Miriam for holding down my blog while I took a break. I enjoyed reading her posts since I am so far away from her. Big THANKS! Don't fret she has a farewell post coming.
     
        So, for the past 4 weeks I have kept my hair in DIY Senegalese twists. I switched the extension brand, I now am using Expressions. The really really long hair, I ended up cutting the hair in half. 

April 2nd
^_^ Can you see my curlies?

     The first time I twisted my hair, my scalp was like please wash me properly. So I removed the twists ASAP. This time around I washed my hair in the extensions once and the rest of the times, I apple cidered my scalp. I moisturized my hair everyday with aloe vera juice, avocado oil and water in a spray bottle. My hair really held up. I think the switch in hair brands really helped. I am now missing my hair hair. Yes it was a nice nice break, but I'm ready to remove these twists and see my hair. I am about 14 weeks post. I have about two inches of new growth (I don't really measure). 

     

0_0 My hair is damaged

Finished product April 3rdish

    What's New?

     

Moving     

     I'm moving back to the east coast! Not back to New York but the south. I love hot temperature and my boyfriend and I hate hate snow. I'm really hoping the water is soft since I'll be near the coast. I think hard water really took a toll on me even with the filter. THE BEACH WILL BE AN HOUR AWAY!! There are no beaches in the Midwest. 

 Working Out

     I've been doing Pilates, following Cassey Ho's beginner calendar. I'm on Day 18. I usually like her workouts and she has a crap load of them, so finding the right one is hard. With the calendar she has them picked out already and each day it's a different focus. Core workout vs Abs workout and so on. 

 Mini Vaca 

     It's almost time for me to visit Florida, 9 more days. I'm going to grab my boyfriend after his TACP graduation and say "hey time to come back home!" It's been about 4 months since I got to annoy him in person. 

        I have a hair packing list in my head. I know I know I want to keep it simple since I will be removing my extensions this upcoming week. I plan on wearing Bantu knots on the plane, going to the beach in French braids and wearing a Bantu knot-out for the graduation ceremony.

Henna and a big chop? 

     I'm planning on doing a henna treatment. I have been reading and researching. The henna dye part really grinds my gears because I love my hair color, so I picked up indigo as well. Still researching. In my head I think I'll big chop my hair right before I move in July, but I'll probably punk out. But if I do big chop, all the potential red hair will be gone!!! I think I could rock a fierce TWA! 

Laid my edges with aloe vera gel

My triple knot updo!

April 25th

What's Next? 

     After I let my hair breathe for two -three weeks, I want to use the rest of my Expressions hair and do medium-jumbo sized braids. Keep them in for a month and after that...I have no idea. This spring/summer is going to be crazy. I'm excited and nervous. New home, perhaps a puppy, Master's degree in August, a big chop maybe!? I really want to do a 5k. The season has begun. 

What is your spring and summer looking like? 

Any Henna/Indigo tips?

Peace and Love everyone! 

Aku

Recap Of This Week! Happy New Week!

Hey Guys!
For this post I want to recap on my week!
I went upstate for three days, Sunday-Tuesday for college visits. I visited Ithaca College, Syracuse University, Cornell University and Bighamton University. I went with three of my closest friends.  I would first like to say that I am glad that I went on this trip! It not only gave me a feel of what the college life is like, but I had the opportunity to see the difference between the environment I live at home versus the environment and different way of living up state. This post is longer than I expected!
Here are some pictures that i took on my college road trip!

Syracuse University 

The picture on the left is a building at Syracuse! 

 My two friends are shown in  the picture!

The campus was lovely! What is shown on the grass
 is a fundraiser for the health of young children.

On the left is a picture is picture of a "village" type city,
 where there are restaurants such as chipotle,
and frozen yogurt stores. You can also see Syracuse
University shirts, and souvenirs.

Cornell University 


On my way to the administration office I took a picture of a building at Cornell. I'm not sure what it is, but all the buildings there have this Gothic-type style.

This is the inside of the Cornell Store,

 my friends and all bought matching 

Cornell sweaters!

We took a picture in front of the Cornell Store!
Starting from the left is Dana, Kristen, me and Yolanda.

Ithaca College
I first want to start off by saying that this school is beautiful! The photos do not show just how beautiful the school is. On top of that the atmosphere here is awesome! The people who attend Ithaca are friendly, and seem so kind. I can also tell they really put an effort to place education first.
We had a tour guide named Nicole! And she showed us around the campus.

There are no pictures of Bighamton. When we arrived they were still on their Spring Break!

It rained a little during the trip! When I came back home all I wanted to do was wash my hair and really clean out all the dirt etc. This weeks wash was so much better than last week! I was very satisfied. I shampoo'd, conditioned and deep conditioned my hair with a heater. I decided to use this time for conditioning The Giovanni 2 Chick Avocado and Olive Oil Ultra Moist Conditioner for dry damaged hair.  

When I applied this on my hair after i shampoo's it felt amazing! I absolutely love when my hair feels moisturized and soft! 

After I applied the

Giovanni 2 Choc Avocado and Olive Oil Ultra Moist Deep Moisture Hair Mask for 30 minutes! This is a 5 oz bottle, I really like the small size of it. Boy oh Boy! When I rinsed my hair out it felt great! I did a tee-shirt dry for my hair for about 45 minutes and then applied a little of my As I am leave in. I felt like I did not even really need to apply it because my hair felt already moisturized. Both of these products have a refreshing scent!

I want to thank my sister for giving these to me after she used them and decided it was not fitting for her hair!

If you have gotten this far! It means a lot! Thank you for reading! And i hope you guys have a lovely week!

Hair Regimen

Happy Saturday! I hope your Saturday has been well! Yesterday I washed my hair, which was the first wash after getting it relaxed. The results of my hair came out differently than what I expected. I guess my hair did not need the ORS deep conditioner. I think it may have been too moisturizing. Hopefully my next wash is better!

I wanted to share my go-to personal hair regimen this week. So here it! 

With the help of my sisters I have a few products that work well, and I feel confident using on my hair.

Shampoo: 

I use the Giovanni Smooth As Silk Shampoo. I love using this because consists of  organic ingredients! And is not to harsh on my hair. It does not give it the over stripped feel. It is also sulfate free! They have this at Target I believe, and you can also purchase it on Amazon, The Vitamin Shop etc. I shampoo about 2 times, to really get the past products out.

Conditioner: 

I use the Trader Joe's Brand, Tea Tree Tingle. This one really cleans my scalp, but also moisturizes my hair at the same time. After shampooing it leaves my hair soft, and moisturized. It contains no laurel/laureth sulfates and is suitable for all hair types. 

Deep Conditioner:

I use the ORS Deep Penetrating Conditioner, if my hair really needs moisture, and is feeling drier than usual. 

For me personally, this is the most moisturizing deep conditioner I have ever used. I bought this at Sally's Beauty Store.

Or I will use the Aussie  Moist 3 Minute Miracle Moist Deeeeep Liquid Conditioner, 8 oz. I actually really like this deep conditioner. It always makes my hair feel super soft, and moisturized. I love the feel of it when I put it on my hair as well as when I rinse it out. I'll deep condition for 30 minutes with a heater. After rinsing it out, I will do a Tee-Shirt dry for my hair. I leave it on for about an hour, and then apply my leave-in. You can actually buy this at a numerous places, such as CVS, Target, Walmart, Walgreen's etc. 

Leave In Conditioner:

I use the As I am leave-in, my sister's bought me this for Christmas. I was actually surprised with this one, because I always feel like I never got a good leave- in conditioner for my hair. It leaves it soft and moisturized throughout the day. You can get this at Target and Sally's Beauty Store. 

Sealant:

As for a sealant, I like using cocoa nut oil, and olive oil. Olive oil in the winter helps keep the moisture in, especially for my ends. I'm looking for better and stronger sealants, so if any of you have any suggestions I would really appreciate it! 

Feel free to comment and share your favorite products!

                                      -Miriam Ouedraogo

Goals- Hair, Body and Mind

Happy Friday!
It's my very first post! And first post of the month! You know what that means! New goals for the month. I have a few that I want to share with you guys. I want to set new goals not only for hair, but for all aspects of life. Mental, Physical and emotional! I made this so it could also help you guys with your own goals and give you some tips.

Hair:

• Extend my post week to more than 16 weeks!
• Deep condition every week with the heater 
• Find a good shampoo, that really moisturizes and cleanses it at the same time 
• Invest in a good sealer, such as Jojoba Oil, and grape seed oil
• Try new hair styles, because sometimes buns get a  little boring!
• Master how to roller set my hair by myself!

Physical:

• Start baking more healthy snacks and foods! I love this website, http://minimalistbaker.com/ it's vegan friendly and they also post so many quick delicious meals and snacks with out the extensive ingredient list, as well as a short amount of cooking time! I advice you to try and make these, you seriously won't regret it! All props go to Dana and John!
• http://minimalistbaker.com/5-ingredient-vegan-gluten-free-cookies/
• http://minimalistbaker.com/chocolate-chip-oatmeal-cookie-pancakes/
• http://minimalistbaker.com/healthy-5-ingredient-granola-bars/
• Complete the Blogilates calendar! I could talk about the creator Cassey Ho for days! I owe so much to her, and her website is extremely motivational for your overall health! Here's the link to the calendar and helpful meals, and workouts you can do.
• http://www.blogilates.com/
• Cook at least one new and different healthy meal a week!

Mental:

• Write down good things that happened everyday. Sometimes we forget the simplest and smallest things are what can really make a day. We seem to forget the small things and focus on the bad, negative things. Make a memory jar. This usually is suppose to start on New Years day, you simply place it in a jar and when the year is over, you reread all the good things that happened, it really makes you appreciate the simple, small things. 
• Do at least 15-30 minutes of yoga to relax the mind, sometimes that is all we need. Its a perfect stress reliever and is awesome for clearing your mind. At the end of the day our bodies go through so much that all we really need is time to relax!
• Make small goals for each day! Instead of cramming, make a list of small things you want to accomplish, it will make you feel much better and good about your self

Oh in case you're wondering what I look like!

I'm going to leave you guys with some posts that caught my eye! 

                                             Miriam :)