Mini-twists/Twist out

Don't judge but towards the end of a very long Wednesday work day I started twisting the back of my hair (very common for me to do when I'm bored) but because time was dragging I was able to twist a quarter of my hair without interruption. 

I had a scarf that covered the twists in the back, I'm not crazy enough to walk around my job with a half fro/half twists.

When I got back home I managed to twist the rest of my hair up and pin it into an updo to last me the rest of the week, which gave my a couple extra minutes of sleep. Yay!

Except I forgot my employee appreciation party was on Saturday and I wanted something a little more fun. So what did that mean... TWIST OUT!

I think I'm hooked on these twists as my everyday work hair (for the winter at least) but once the weekend comes, I was my hair big, free and a little obnoxious. 

Here's a look at the before

 

And the after: 

 (Had to block my face out... It was a long night, trust me you'll thank me)

I also managed to get a pretty good trim from the smaller twists than I do from the ones I typically do.

I'm under the dryer right now with my DC in (today it's Miss Jessie's SST) getting to finish up my wash routine and twist my hair up for the week.  

I'm headed to Charlotte on Thursday to spend some time with the Mister for a week and a half so doing my hair will be an challenge since I don't have my staples out there.  

Good or bad, I'll make sure I document the outcome.

My Regimen

It's Sunday aka Wash Day.

When I'm at work I get approached by plenty of people asking what I use in my hair and although I preface with , "This may not work for you but..." I catch them making mental notes of everything I say to them.  

Now I've been natural for about 20 months now (although it kinda feel longer) so I have a handle on what works and doesn't for my hair.  

For those of you who are curious, here's a summary:

- Prepoo with Vatika Oil & JBCO

-Co-wash or shampoo (depending on my mood) with a conditioner of choice or Bee Mine's Ayurvedic Shampoo Bar

-Finger Detangle

-Try to Deep Condition weekly under a dryer with either Miss Jessie's Super Sweetback Treatment or ORS Hair Mayo (my cheaper alternative to the SST) While I have the DC in detangle my hair again with my Ouidad Double Detangler and twist each section.

-Rinse and wrap with a t-shirt til hair is damp.  

- Add Kinky-Curly Knot Today, SofnFree Strengthening Creme, Roots of Nature Butter Whip Coil Cream to each section and retwist or braid, sealing the ends with Karen's Body Beautiful Butter Love

And here are the products:

That's about it.

Not too complicated.  

I've tried a lot of different methods out and I find this is one that seems to work best for me.  But of course that doesn't stop me from buying and trying different products.

What's your Wash Day procedure look like?

"Believe deep down in your heart that you're destined to do great things" Joe Paterno

Now this has nothing to do with hair or clothes or music but it is something near and dear to my heart.  As a kid I grew up dreaming about going to Penn State simply based on a cheerleader Barbie my mother has bought me. I knew nothing about the school but I knew that's where I needed to be.  

When it came time to go to college, Penn State was the only place on my list and making the decision to go there was the best decision of my life (although my parents may claim otherwise.)  The life experience and the friendships I had made have carried through and for that I am thankful.  This school is a family.  And the pride Penn Staters have is like nothing I have ever seen before.  

With that being said, today Penn State University, hell college football, has lost its patriarch. Joseph Vincent Paterno better known as Joe Pa, lost his battle with lung cancer today.  I can't say that I knew him as well as say a football player but just being in his presence at a Pep Rally, seeing him run across that football field, or trick or treating at his house made a lot of Penn Staters feel like we did.  

By now I'm sure everyone knows about the scandal that's been in the news for the past few months, and regardless of your opinions of right and wrong, I think this literally tore Joe Pa apart.  Not only did he bear the burden of guilt but he also had one of the greatest things in his life taken away from him in such an undignified manner.  

I just wanted to pay my respects to a man who helped me learn a few things through his words and actions; on and off the field.  

We Are... Forever Grateful.

We Are... Penn State.

 

(source)

Tuck Tuck and Away

Lately I've been challenging myself to wear my hair up more often.  Winter is finally here and the weather isn't showing the ends of my hair any mercy.  Of course I had to turn to YouTube for inspiration and the lovely CharyJay is the go-to for a cute updo in my book.  Last week I kept my hair up all week (mainly because I was going on 3 weeks of not washing and she wouldn't cooperate any other way)  Stay tuned to see what I do to my hair and how successful (cross your fingers) it turns out.

Sidenote: This does/doesn't have to do with updos but while watching my fair share of YouTube videos today I got kinda discouraged about my hair.  I dunno what it is about them but whenever I watch them I feel like my hair just isn't making any progress, which I know isn't true.  I know some of the videos are old and some of the ladies have been at this natural hair thing for a long time but I can't help but make comparisons.  Is it me? Or are there other ladies out there that feel this way too?

New Music: Lana Del Rey

Check out her first single, "Video Games"

I really don't know too much about her but I happened to catch this video on MTV Hits and was MESMERIZED... like glued to YouTube trying to get my hands on any and everything she has released. 

Sometimes there's nothing like a good slow song to relax to and this is right up my alley musically (then again with my taste in music being all over the place why wouldn't it be?)

Can't wait to hear more.  

Pinterest

I know why it's so hard to me to update this blog. I'm so back and forth and all over the place that I lose focus of what I should be doing very quickly.  That makes for a bad blogger.  What is the solution to that? A place where all my random thoughts can come together; therefore I bring you my pinterest board:

MARCYSUBURBS

Here I can be as random as I want and keep track off all the misc things I love on the internet.  So when you can't find anything new over there, your best bet is to check out my page over there.

Oh and Happy 2012 to you all!