Organization is Key!

In addition to being addicted to the care of my hair, I am also a neat freak. I don't like loose ends, and I can't stand clutter. The demands of my life call for me to be totally organized. When I do fall out of the loop, I'm a totally different person. And I can, will, and have stayed up into the early hours and past for the sake of cleanliness. Why am I spilling all this you want to know?

Well, on an excursion to Big Lots (it's like my alternative Wal-Mart right now) I got this closet organizer. And it's not so much for me as it is my daughter. It's a test run for another model that I'm gonna buy later this week. And it's so awesome. I would buy 100 of them if I could. Anyways, in the process of moving and storing things, I'm finding all these efficient ways like the closet organizers to save money, time and space. In all that, I'm learning the value of a waste bin as well. LOL. Toss the stuff you need. :)

One thing that I had to get in order were my personal and business papers. I got the expandable notebook and went to town. I ordered stuff by date and all that. It's fab. And it made me realize just how much I could let go of. So with the holidays coming around the corner, I just thought that I would give everybody some food for thought. Also, I will be doing a video of my new best friend: my first walk-in closet. I'll keep everybody updated on that. HHG! :)

Hair Happenings

Yesterday I went to my great-aunt's for Thanksgiving. I won't elaborate. I'll just say that I need to wash my hair for sure. A lot of people in my family smoke. I used to, but I was successful in kicking that habit for good. (Thank Goodness!) But yeah. The air was filled with smoke. And I know that a lot of that is in my hair. I would've washed it last night, but I was so tired when I hit the door.

So today, I'm going to do what I like to call a "Weekend Wash". This is because I usually do it on th weekend. And I have plenty of time just kinda lounging around not doing too much. So I take that time doing a full wash a super deep conditioning. And since it's getting cold, I can spend all that time with wet hair indoors. No colds for Krissy! ;)

I'm trying to think up a good prepoo. I guess my new virgin coconut oil would be more than ideal. I'll just rub that through really good and put on a plastic cap for an hour or so. I could just use the amla gold oil, but I was to see what the coconut will do for my scalp. And it's supposed to help with shed; something that I've been having just a bit of an issue with. And it smells nice too.

I'm wash with the Giovanni Organics Smooth and Silk shampoo. I love that stuff. I'm knighting it my regular shampoo. It has no sulfates. That means no drying out of the hair and no stripping my natural oils. Yay! Then I will probably do a light protein with the Aphogee. Then I'll deep condition with the end of my Neutrogena deep conditioner mixed with the end of some coconut oil I bought a few months ago. (Not the virgin coconut oil I have now.) I would use the Organics Hair Mayonnaise but I don't want to go overboard on the protein.

But yeah, that's it. HHG! :)

My Wal-Mart Super Center

The other night I went out to Wal-mart Super Center with my Gramma to find a roasting pan for her turkey. And as usual, I was wondering around the store looking for things to surprise me and make me go "Yippee!" Well, that happened.

I love Giovanni Organics items. And I've never seen them available in the stores where I live. So on a random stroll down the aisles I stumble upon a truckload of their products. There was shampoo and conditioner...Anti-frizz serum lotions, body scrubs...It was heaven. And they were at such reasonable prices. So now I know that when ever I run out of my shampoo, I can just go get more at Wal-Mart (which I did because I was getting low). They carry it at Walgreens too, for 2 dollars more apparently.

Unrefined, virgin coconut oil is another item that I usually see online. And I never got any. It was either a little out of my already explosive budget. And because I've been such a huge fan of the Amla Gold oil, I was still wrestling whether or not I wanted it. Well, they have that at Wal-Mart too. It's in the isle with the oils. And the brand is Spectrum Naturals. I've been sealing with it for the past two days, and I like it. The smell is sweet but not overwhelming. And I think that it may be helping clear up my shedding. I'll have to keep a lookout.I just wanted to give you all the biz so that you can stop paying the shipping and handling fees and waiting. It's instant gratification ladies. Woot!!!

Mint Julep Mask

So, I've been using the Queen Helene Mint Julep Mask for two weeks. And I have discovered why it's so popular. That stuff makes my skin feel brand new. It's so clean. It really gets down deep and cleans the pores so well. This may sound gross, but I have to share just to give a clear perspective.

I have oily skin in some spots. And when I put the mask on and it dries, I can literally see where the oil has been absorbed by mask. And I can see every pore on my face through the mask. That means that it's really getting deep down in there and scrubbing out all the dirt. It will be awhile before I find out if it's really making the pores smaller. But it's great for getting my face nice and clean for sure. And it's gentle as well. That tingle is a real winner. I love it.

Pink Christmas Tree

My Gramma decided to get a pink Christmas tree this year. She got it for the baby (my daughter) even though we technically don't live with her anymore. But she's got this child so spoiled that now her decor reflects what the baby wants. LOL. It's cute. Leslie loves my Gramma to pieces. She calls her "The Best Gramma in the Whole Wide World" on a daily basis. And it's so cute. But Mama (me) had to show these girls what to do with this pink tree. LOL

Anyways...LOL. Here's the pic of the tree.And for those that want this look, I will provide all the info you need to create this tree in your home.

The tree and decorations are all available at Big Lots. The tree is 50 dollars. And it's the easiet to put together really. It comes in three pieces and then the base. The lights are white and are built into the tree. The tree topper is 4 dollars. It's silver and covered in glitter. It's very chic. The garland is 25 feet long and goes for 3 dollars. It's silver as well.

The ornaments are a combination of decorations. LOL. The mirrored ones (dark pink and some of the silver) are 5 dollars for a pack of nine. We got 2 packs for a total of 12 pink and 6 silver mirrored ornaments. The other ornaments came in a pack of 24 with matte and shiny silver. and they were 4 dollars. And finally, the buffalo snow at the bottom was 2 dollars.

I hope this tree is an inspiration to all those who love pink. I wish some of the proceeds when to a breast cancer society, but it doesn't say so on the packaging, so I'm assuming it doesn't. At any rate, the tree is bold but not overwhelming. :)

Update Pics

I know that I said I was going to post a pic of how my relaxer turned out, but I kinda forgot. So here it is. By the way, this was taken November 9th, the day of the relaxer. My ends are looking a lot better than last time. They are filling in pretty good. And that's my goal. I want better ends more than length right now. So I am going to baby them and keep wearing buns.

Also, I rolled my hair on satin rollers last night. And it was great...Until it got rained on. But it was pretty while it lasted I guess. and I apologize for looking tired as a junk. It was 8:30am. LOL

Japan Crazy!

So, I'm not much of a nail person being that I'm so into my hair care that I just keep them trimmed and neat. But I have stumbled upon the most fashionably tacky-just have to try-must spend the little pennies I have trend. They are glue on nails! But these are not just any kind of nails. This is Japanese style ladies. And as atrocious as it may seem to some, I find them to be a pure work of art. And I must own a pair. I'm not sure what I will wear them with, or the reactions that I'll get. But I don't care. Give me some of these!

End of Stretch

So I went a little longer stretching than I thought I would. But it was totally worth it. I've got a goo inch of growth I know. And my hair feels amazing. Sometimes the stretching process can be so frustrating. But in the end, your hair will love you for restricting/regulating chemical processing.

I didn't us the Just For Me relaxer this time. I just used the Ultra Sheen Regulare strength relaxer. And the results were just as fabulous. I washed my hair with Giovanni Organics shampoo because the shampoo in the Ultra Sheen kit makes my hair hard. And then I deep conditioned with Organics by Africa's Best Hair Mayonnaise. And it gave my even more slip and shine.

I added my Herbal Essences Long Term Relationship leave in, my Organics Love Oil Moisturizer, and sealed with Dabur Amla Gold Oil. I used Dove heat protection spray as well. And this was more than enough defense against the heat of the blow dryer. But for that ultra silky finish, I used my aloe vera juice and vegetable glycerin moisture spritz. And my hair has so much body and movement. I will take pic and post them later.

There is one thing that I wanted to discuss because I wasn't sure if I was the only one. But is seems that when I spray my hair with my moisture mix, it doesn't want to curl. LOL. It's not that big of a deal to me because I don't use much heat on my hair anyway. But there are days where I desire a curly cue here and there, but the moisture in my hair makes it impossible. I guess it's a good thing that it is so moist. LOL

New Product Love!!!

Sunday night, I made a trip to Walgreens partly because I was bored and I was tagging along with my gramma. I couldn't resist. I went straight for the hair aisle. But I had a really good reason. I was in need of a good deep conditioner. I was out of my Neutrogena in such a short amount of time. And even though I would have loved to get more, I decided that I would go cheaper.

I looked at the Hair Mayonnaise made by ORS. But the 9.99 price tag didn't turn me on. So I just kept right on. Then I almost reached for the Queen Helene Cholesterol. It was 3.99 which was more than I was willing to pay for it. And I tend to have to mix it with oils and such to get the desired effect. So I left it there. Then I saw something that had the best of both worlds. It was still hair mayonnaise, but it was 3.99. It's Organics Hair Mayonnaise. It was the first time I tried anything from their line. I also grabbed some Africare 100% Glycerin. (This is vegetable glycerin.)Let me cut to it. This is the best deep conditioner I've used in ages. It's awesome. It spreads well over the hair. I could feel it get down to the roots and all that. The smell is not great, but it's not bad either. Not offensive at all. The consistency is thinner that what I'm used, but it doesn't take away from how well it works. I left it on my hair with a plastic cap for about 45 minutes (no heat) and let it work it's magic. When I rinsed, I could feel how soft and untangled my hair was and the slip... (Gotta have slip girls!) Even as my hair was drying, that softness was still there. And it made my hair so shiny. This is my new favorite deep conditioner. Did I mention less shed even though I'm 13 and half weeks post relaxer?The next day I went back and got the Organics Olive Oil Moisturizing Growth Lotion. And it was another hit. Again, the consistency is thin, but it coats the hair well. And it did wonders for my ends. It's a great moisturizer. My hair shiny. And it's not greasy whatsoever. It's super awesome. And the smell is amazing. Very sweet and soft.