Thank you John Legend...

... for signing Estelle to your label and bringing her to the US.  I loved her second album (first in the US) and since I follow her on twitter, I've been anticipating the third one because she would drop hints about what's to come. WELL it's here (almost) Her first single "Freak" is here from the album All of Me.  I'm over going to clubs because I'm old and can't keep up LOL but I might have to make an appearance just to bug out & act a fool when this comes on.  I saw a Behind the Scenes for the video on Concrete Loop so it should be premiering soon (From what I've been reading, it should be out at 4pm today, Feb. 26th).  Until then... I found a new car song!!!

Music for the Day

DatNewCudi.com: Memories - David Guetta Feat. Kid Cudi from DP on Vimeo.

It's a snowy day out here on the Island and I'm trapped inside the house so my day's gonna consist of a lot of music, online window shopping, blog reading, and my wii.  I'm a real dance, pop, house kinda mood so I figured I'd share with you

My luggage just got a whole lot lighter

Courtesy of Behind the Seams... I just found a way to make packing to go to Charlotte every other month much easier.  One piece can be a belted wrap or scarf with just a pair of scissors.  I have to share.

By cutting two holes...

 

Go from to this 

Make sure you check out Trang's blog by the way (click the Behind the Seams link above)... she's absolutely gorgeous and has an amazing sense of style.

Product Review: Herbal Essences’ Herbal Hydration (HEHH)

The back of the bottle says: “let me soak it to you. with a fusion of orchid & coconut milk. i'm deliciously hydrating. give your hair a drink. i say you can never get too much of a good thing. so say hello to a deep dousing of lush hydration with my rich formula fused with orchids & coconut milk. drink up and replenish your hair's much needed moisture. it's time to be reunited with manageable, silky, smooth hair.”

Again, one of those products that is a HG (Holy Grail) item for many natural girls. I read so much about slip and how moisturizing it is so it sparked my interest. I also like to try products that are widely available. I would like to be able to go to Target and be able to pick it up. I'm OBSESSED with Target. Since it’s my second home and it was on sale (I am a recessionista, of course) I decided to pick up a bottle. I tried it out a few times as a co-wash and to be honest, ehhh I’ve used better. Plus HE Long Term Relationship leave-in was so good to me. Because of all the hype I wanted it to work so I tried it again and again- still ehhh. Now I am not one to throw money away so I tossed the bottle into my little product drawer (I’m happy all the stuff I buy has managed to stay in one drawer and not take more over.) The twist take-out is approaching which means I’m in need of a good great deep conditioning. Here’s where this half empty bottle of HEHH comes in. Lots of girls have turned an “Ehhh” conditioner into an amazing one by adding some oils, honey, egg, mayo, yogurt, baking soda even. I’m waiting til I BC before I try the baking soda & conditioner method. I decided to grab some olive oil and honey out of the kitchen and mix it, no exact measurement. Cross your fingers.

As a co-wash: 2/5

As a deep conditioner: ???

 

To chop or not to chop…

I am so torn. I’m in month 9, nine and a half of my yearlong transition before doing the BC and I am seriously losing patience. I kinda wanna cut it NOW. I have 3 more months left and it’s a little bit of a struggle. These twists need to come out because they’re starting to look a little rough… Not Cute… but I’m being lazy. One of my fave bloggers, Mane & Chic, asked why we tend to hold onto those last couple of weak, thin relaxed ends and after thinking about it, I had not good reason. There’s a good chance that I might chop in the next week or 2 when I take these twists out. Hey if I hate it, I can throw the twists right back in til I get to a length I’m comfortable with. Ahhh, what to do, what to do?

 

Something to lift my mood... Wale's "My Sweetie"

This song gets played in my car about 4 or 5 times daily.  So what if everyone driving next to me is looking into my car & staring at me like i've lost it.  During "My Sweetie," my car turns into a basement party and all my troubles are gone for 3 minutes.

Natural Lengths

Natural Lengths

While taking this journey to natural, I've joined a few forums and groups to learn about the good and the bad about natural hair.  Along the way, I've met some really nice, wonderful women.  They're all so inviting.  It's refreshing because some of the people I run into on a daily basis are rude and seem like they have the biggest chip on their shoulder.  I haven't been able to go to any meet-ups with them but that is DEFINITELY in the plans.  Anyway, while on Natural Sunshine, one of the social networks I had joined, I came across Miss Angie Isaacs who asked if she could feature me on her site.  Umm... of course!! I checked the site out today and it's up!!! I have my first feature.  Hopefully as I branch out in the natural hair community, I'll be asked to do a few more and get some of these lovely ladies on MeEntirely.  Just wanted to share the good news.  I needed some positivity & I'm crossing my fingers that some more gets sent my way.

eh...

I dunno what it is but I've had no motivation to post anything lately.  How I expect to gain some sort of following without updating this regularly is beyond me. Hopefully I'll get out of this writer's block and have something up next week til then I'm gonna share some of the music I've been listening to lately, courtesy of youtube.

Til then...

Product Review: Safi’s Avocado Shea Hair Butter

The Description:

-very light and subtle product that can be used on natural hair to style and moisturize.
-can be used to hydrate parched curls and add shine to any style.

My Verdict: 5/5

I got a request on twitter from @Safi_HairCare to follow me and I was a little skeptical because I didn’t know who it was or what they were possibly trying to sell me lol. I’m so happy I accepted or I might have been pulling my hair out right about now. In "Here's my story", I mentioned that I thought about slapping some creamy crack back on my hair simply because I knew what products my hair wanted and needed. My natural hair is nothing like my relaxed hair. Lemme say that again my natural hair is NOTHING like my relaxed hair. Coconut oil works just fine for my relaxed hair but my natural hair is dry and needs something heavier to keep it moisturized. Here’s where Safi’s Avocado Shea Hair Butter (ASHB) comes in. I found her Etsy page via twitter and decided to give her product a try because honestly I’m too lazy to attempt to whip something up myself. When I received it in the mail, I smiled because it smelled so good through the mail packaging.  It passed the first test, "How does it smell?" with flying colors.

It’s made of all natural ingredients like Avocado & Shea Butter, Coconut Oil, Vitamin E, Aloe Vera Gel. My hair couldn’t be happier. It found curls that I didn’t think I had. I don’t know if it’s the combination of my Cantu as a leave in and ASHB as a sealant but my hair is much softer, not greasy or waxy, and has a bounce to it. I can pull a curl and it springs back lol (I do have a few on my 4a/b head.) It's heavier than just using an oil without weighing my hair down.  Plus it smells amazing. I definitely caught myself smelling my hair while I was on line at the bank the other day (I hate how long my bank’s lines are by the way & how the tellers will carry on a conversation with their coworkers like I don’t have things to do… GRRR) I can go an entire day without having to apply anything else to it. Back when I was just using coconut and olive oil, I walked around with a small jar of coconut oil in my bag just in case but I know when I walk out the door after applying my ASHB, I’m set for the day. I got the 4oz jar which sells for $10 but trust this is well spent. This will easily last me 4-6 months maybe more. I do feel a little bad that I’m using it on my twists but my hair will thank me for it when I take them out later. This is definitely a HG product and I’m happy that I found one so early on in my journey.

 

Product Review: Cantu Shea Butter Leave-In Conditioning Cream

The Claim: an intensive deep penetrating leave in that will

-stop and mend breakage

-repair split ends

-reduce frizz

-add manageability and shine

-hydrate and moisturize with Shea Butter and natural oils

My verdict: 5/5

While doing my research on transitioning there was a LOT of talk, both good and bad, about this Cantu leave-in but I had an old bottle of Garnier Sleek & Shine Leave-In Conditioner in my drawer so I figured I would give that a go since that was another product a lot of women raved about (bad idea but more on that later.) I picked up a jar of Cantu from Walmart while I was out one day and tried it out the next day (I'm super impatient.) Is it a coincidence that I had my first successful two-strand flat twist out afterwards? I think not. I LOVE IT (except for maybe the smell but my sealant fixes that) My hair, which is usually dry and brittle, felt soft and moisturized but not greasy and behaved a lot better that it ever had before. My only issue is that your hair can have a white tint if you put too much on. I’m a heavy handed so I found out the hard way. A little goes a long way which is wonderful because that means this 16 oz. jar is going to last a while. Nothing makes me happier than an inexpensive product that works as well as, if not better than the expensive stuff. My suggestion is to use another leave-in or moisturizer along with this. I use Cantu on my wash day. I also have the Cantu Grow Strong Strengthening Treatment that I mix with my Shea Butter Leave-In from time to time as a source of protein but I've learned that my hair needs more moisture than protein. But that's pretty good also and they work well together. Every day afterwards, I use a combo of water and Design Essentials Therapeutics Rx Leave-In Hydrating Conditioner mixed in a spray bottle. I haven’t tried the water/glycerin mix yet because I heard it sucks the moisture right out of your hair during the winter months and I need all I can get because the hair used in kinky twists can be drying.