Maiden "braid" tutorial

As a natural there are times when the last thing I want to do is spend hours doing my hair. I like to take breaks during this time and do styles that will last all week but take minimal time to install.

Enter the flat twist, think Tracee Ellis Ross or if you love The Color Purple like I do Nettie from the movie.

While rocking a version of the style I saw on You Tube I was told by a very handsome man I know that I looked like a maiden. So I named the style described in the video the Maiden Braid, though it is in actuality a flat twist. Try it out on those "I want my hair protected but I don't want to spend money, or hours on getting it done" days.

Tell me what you think of the style.....

2014 wrap up| Look back at my Styles

2014 was such a good year for my hair!

Reasons why it was so good...

1. Henna! my hair has more color and health due to henna use
2. Deep conditioner- I have added deep conditioning to my routine every wash day
3. Homemade oil mixtures- I make my own oil mixtures which you can find here
4. Skills- My skill at doing my own hair has grown
5. Growth- after such a big chop earlier in 2014 I had much growth before the end of the year
6. Styles- I had many styles and was never bored
7. Check it out for yourself in this video below

 

 

 

 

I hope that you are coming into the new year with me. Like my channel on YouTube here and subscribe to my blog => please!

 

To come soon More info on my oil mixture, My go to products/ routine, and What I have learned so far being natural.

 

 

December blow out

 My winter Blowout!

Hey girl hey!

It has been a while since I updated you on my hair.

I  have been rocking my twists and twist-outs faithfully.

There have been a few updates to my hair routine and I will touch on that a bit below.

 

I blow dried my hair in sections and twisted each once dry and moved on to the next.

Channeling Diana

My lovely blown-out hair.

 

Working my hair up to the ponytail for the style.

The off center pony tail

My finished look

I added the headband for added style and twisted the hair and pinned it to form a cute style.

The products I used.

Herbal Essences Naked cleansing conditioner

Tangle tamer

Oil mixture

Aussie 3minute moist deep conditioner

Beautiful textures Edges& Ends Silkener

Tresemme Curl hydration conditioner

Pantene heat protection spray

 

The Method:

I washed my hair with the cleansing conditioner (I love this product and it has replaced all other co-washes for me. I love the smell, the cleansing effects, and the feel of my hair).

 I then used the Tresemme (like the smell, not that great just trying to finish the bottle)

 followed by the Aussie deep conditioner (LOVE THIS!!!!) during this time I used a clay mask and bathed

next up was my oil mixture

follow that with a rinse to get the majority of the oil out

 then I dried my hair a bit with my turbie wrap ( I had detangled in the shower with a wide tooth comb under the water and with conditioner in my hair)

 I sectioned my hair and added Shea Moisture Restorative conditioner(not pictured) and detangled more

 then prior to blow drying each section I sprayed in the Pantene product (and of course combed that though)

I used the Tension Method to straighten and dry the lengths of my hair and finger combed or used the Tangle Tamer to straighten the ends

 Once my hair was all dry and twisted in sections I untwisted the sections and applied the Beautiful Textures products to my edges

( I used this for a bit of hold and do not really believe any products will "slick your natural edges")then brushed the hair up and placed my pony tail

 I made two strand twists in the ponytail and then pinned the sections at the ends to form the style

 ( I did not have time for a scared but would have used it here if I did)

I finished off the style with a head band.

 

 

Influenster Venus VoxBox review

Influenster Venus VoxBox

I received the Venus VoxBox from Influenster after indicating that I experience sensitivity when shaving. I received the product this week and have been shaving away with it since then.

 

 

Just out of the box

So what do I think you ask?

 





 

I found the product easy to assemble just out of the package Just a few snaps into place. The Venus Embrace Sensitive comes with one refill and a shower holder.

 

I am very conflicted by the product. The hope is that I would find that #ItsNotMe but the razors I had been using. I found that overall my shave felt smoother and less irritating. The problem that I do have with the product is that it requires shaving gel(which I don't own and soap is not cutting it). I also have found that I have to be very gentle when using the product because it results in a raising of the skin or nics under my arm.

 

I plan to continue using the sample that was provided to me by Influenster and Gillette by adding shave gel. I use another brand that is wrapped with a shave like gel and I love the convenience of that.

 

It is still yet to be determined if I will switch brands.

 

I did go to the store to check the price for this product and at a local chain store it was over $9 which is a bit cheaper than my brand, though keep in mind I will have to add another product to make the shaving easier. really the price points for both are about even.

 

I got this razor free to test and review, but all opinions are my own.

August Birchbox Review | Subscription Box

Birchbox is a monthly subscription services that gives you 5-6 high end beauty product samples a month and a lifestyle extra for $10 a month. 

Such high hopes....

SeaRX Birch Sap Moisturizing Lotion $28

When I read that this product could be used on face and body I thought that was perfect. Unfortunately it was not effective enough to be of benefit on my body. On my face along with the other things I use this was fine. It was not great enough for me to consider a switch from my current products. I did find the smell to be pleasant.

Neil George Shampoo and Conditioner $9  each

These products are proof positive that Birchbox is not a completely customizable experience. I have completely removed hair products from my profile. Weird for a hair blogger right? But the majority of the hair cleansing products I have received include sulfates which I do not like. I tried this for the review and found that my hair felt very dry and I did not like the smell.. The Conditioner did not help replenish the lost moisture either.

The best things about this box:

Birchbox knows I am Fantastic

The Eyeliner

Noir Cosmetics Long Wear Eyeliner $15

This product went one unbelievably smooth. It also did indeed prove waterproof. Only issue was removal :)

Perfectly Posh product review

Perfectly Posh!

 

This week I received a product review from Crystal McGinnis.

Crystal is a Perfectly Posh representative.

I must admit I was unfamiliar with this line.

I am not sure that it is very big in my area of the world YET.

I was very impressed by the way that my products arrived to me.

I will let you in on a secret.....I LOVE bags!!!!

So the fact that this sample kit came with a cute one SCORE!

I was also impressed with the way the samples themselves were packaged.

In this sample I received:

Lil Snarky Big Fat Yummy Hand Cream $9



A creamy and nourishing non greasy hand crème. "adds butters and vitamins plus fabulous fragrance to tired, dry, hard working hands without leaving them feeling oily."

Fragrance Exotic flowers & sandalwood

I enjoyed this product and found that it felt great on my hands and smelled pleasant. I have very dry hands and I am not often satisfied with hand creams. I used the product during the day and therefore washed it off in the course of the day so I did not get to see what the results would have been overnight in gloves.

Dragon Mojo Skindelicious Body Butter $22

Fresh, natural, hand crafted body butters made with all of Mother Nature's best ingredients in Northern California. "Feeds skin nutrients it's hungry for leaving it soft, supple, and healthy. Fragrance: Wasabi & Ginger

I was pleasantly surprised by this product. I have, as stated, very dry skin and typically when I try new products especially those that smell good to me I am dry and un-moisturized by the end of the day. This mojo didn't quit and I was happy. I got two applications out of the sample. If there were one product I would purchase from this line this would be it!

Mint For Each Other Body Scrub $24

Includes sea salt, peppermint, and Monterey rosemary. Exfoliates Fragrance Rosemary Leaf and crisp peppermint

I enjoyed this product but did not find it set aside from other scrubs I have used. I did really like the smell which is important to me.

Gender Bender Big Chunk Bath Bar $9

A luxurious, vegetable based charcoal loaded, Detox bath bar so big, you'll want to put both hands around it. Cleans and moisturizes skin with luxurious lather without sulfates and other drying agents. Fragrance Light Pine, amber, and fresh air

I had no clue what to make of this bar initially. Gender Bender? Charcoal? When I used it I figured it out. You know when you share your home with a man and he insist on using your soap even though it is obviously "girly", this fixes the situation. This soap smells great for any sex. I enjoyed the washing experience with this bar until I washed it off. I felt squeaky clean, this is not a good thing for a dry skin girl. I would not purchase this because I felt stripped of moisture.

Overall I was very pleased with this sample and highly recommend these products to anyone. I think my one bad review is a personal preference thing and I wish I felt differently about it. I love that the products in this line are naturally based and don't have my despised sulfates in them. I received these products free of charge for review. If you are interested please purchase directly from the Lovely Crystal here.

More pictures





The softest hair I have every had!

This past weekend I finally took down my Havana twists with Marley Hair see the picture below.

I was of course appropriately worried that I would have dry, broken hair from not being able to moisturize with the twists in. I was very surprised though as I did my pre-poo, wash, deep condition and styling. My hair was and is (4 days later) the softest I ever remember it being.
I don't know what to attributie it to. The fact that the stylist coated my hair in coconut oil before twisting (the ultimate 4 week pre-poo), the fact that I did my own overnight pre-poo with coconut oil,  the fact that I used  Fekkai Advanced Glossing Shampoo and Conditioner (finally after receiving it in my January 2014 Birchbox),

 the fact that I did a deep conditioning treatment with Cholesterol, used my homemade products from Naptural85's recipe,

 or that I used a bit of my usual Shea Moisture. Many of these things were not new to me so I will be playing around with the combination to see if I can recreate the magic. Meanwhile I am enjoying the results.

More about the Fekkai products. I enjoyed the scent of both products and the fact that they both feature olive oil. I didn't notice a great deal of slip with the conditioner nor did the shampoo seem to strip my hair though it did feature sulfates (which is why I hadn't used it since I received it, but I figured with the pre-poo I would be okay). I was pleasantly surprised with the whole experience and have to try really hard to keep my hands out of my oh so soft hair!