50 Book Summer Reading Challenge (Non Hair Related)

As I've stated in a previous post I absolutely love to read. This was my favorite past time ever since I was a child. My reading for enjoyment as declined tremendously since entering nursing school. During the summer months I try to pick back up on my reading, but lately has become a little difficult due to being a new mother. Now that my son is a little more independent and school will be completed in 14 days, I will have a little more time to read. With this being said I've decided to create a summer reading challenge for myself. At first I wanted to read 100 book by August, but thought I might be stretching myself just a bit.

This challenge will be from today 4/19/12 through 9/22/12. I chose September 22, because it is the first day of fall. Anyone is free to join in on the challenge. You can set your own number of books to be completed by the date and read any type of books you would like. I will be updating my blog on my progress at least once a month. I will also be starting a challenge for my son. I plan to have 100 books read to him by 9/22/12. The books can be read by anyone. Last summer I took him to the reading sessions for infants at my local library. I plan to continue that this summer as well as incorporate the ones at Barnes and Noble now that is a little older and more interactive.

My first book for the challenge is The Help by Kathryn Stockett.

March Recap and April Goals

Lets see how I did with my March goals

1.At least least 3 Flexi-Rod Sets- Pass! I did one full set and two flexi-ponytail sets. I wish I had taken pics of those sets. 
2. Wash Day Weekly (Sunday is wash Day)-Pass! I co-washed some weeks and didn't use shampoo, but a wash is a wash.
3. Stick to Regimen-Pass! I'm starting to see great results too! Can't wait to see my progress when I relax next month.
4. M&S every night- Fail!! I'm so terrible with this.  I have to do better this month, especially since my new growth is extremely thick. I can't afford breakage at my line of demarcation. 
4. Oil Scalp at least 3 times per week- Fail! Laziness!
5. No direct heat- Fail. I only say this because I flat-ironed my roots when I did my flexi-set. This is permitted in the roller-set challenge though. I should have been more specific with this goal.

 April Goals

1. M&S nightly
2. Oil scalp at least 3x/wk
3. wrap hair with a satin scarf nightly
4. Co-wash at least 1x/wk- This is very important since I'm further along in my relaxer stretch.
5. DC 1x/wk- I'll probably do this with my co-wash on dry hair because my responds well to DCing on dry hair. Doing it this way also eliminates a step when washing. 
6. Wash at least bi-weekly- I will attempt to wash weekly, but with 25 days left before graduation I have an exit exam, paper, last exams, and finals. I don't want to commit to more than I can handle.
7. Low manipulative styles 95% of the time. I will probably bun so that I won't have to manipulate my new growth.
8. No direct heat- I only plan on one set this month for the roller-setting challenge and then it's back to bunning.

Happy Resurrection Sunday

Best Wash of My Life!

Yes my wash last night was that great! I was in need of a serious wash last night. After putting it off for a few days I finally decided that it was now or never. Well not really, but I'm sure you get my drift. I pre-pooed with EVOO. I'm trying to use the last in my applicator bottle so I can use the bottle for EVCO. It very oily but the results were amazing. After rinsing my hair it felt so soft! I clarified with my usual Ion shampoo. It left my hair dry as expected so I did a final wash with CON with Argon Oil Shampoo. I think this shampoo may be a winner. It literally made my hair soft and detangled it without a comb. Can you say amazing!!???

After washing I DCed with ORS Replenishing Conditioner for maybe 7 minutes. It made my hair even more soft. Who knew that mad possible? I did a final rinse with cold water as always and my hair was left smooth, soft, and feeling like amazing! I applied CON Argon Oil leave-in and GVP's version of Paul Mitchell's Skinny Serum. It left my hair smooth. I then did a low wet bun, tied my hair with a silk scarf and bonnet, and went to sleep. I'm very pleased with this wash. I don't know what I did differently, but I must keep this up!

Co-wash

I don't co-wash a lot. It's not for any particular reason. I just find that washing my hair several times a week to be a bit much right now. My hair was feeling a tad bit on the dry side so I decided to co-wash.

For those who don't know what co-washing is, it's just washing. Your hair and scalp with conditioner. It's usually done with a cheap conditioner. I use whatever I have on hand at the time. This wash I used V05 Moisture Milk. I believe the scent was tropical smoothie. Before I co-washed I DCed with NTM Daily Conditioner. My hair likes his much better than DCing after washing. I still will not be repurchasing this item, but I now know how to to finish the product. After co-washing I applied my Cantu Shea Leave-in, put my hair in a pony tail, and went out the door.

My hair loved the co-wash. My hair was much more moisturized than when I shampoo even though I use a sulfate-free shampoo. I think I will co-wash more. Maybe once a week. I'm still enjoying the way my hair feels!! I just may change up my regimen.

Black Tie Gala Hair and OOTN (Pic Heavy)

Last Saturday I attended a black tie affair for my formal band director at Tuskegee University. He was celebrating 40 years with the university and a gala was held in his honor. It was absolutely beautiful! Well I told you how my hair didn't come out the way I wanted and I wasn't too pleased. I totally forgot my blog automatically posts to my FB page and some people who went to the gala commented and told my they thought my hair looked nice. I even received positive feedback from my in-laws. They were very impressed when they found out I did my own hair.

After looking back at pictures I realized my hair was not as bad as I thought it was after all. My thoughts may also have been swayed by the various comments I received. But at any rate I am much more receptive to trying another wet flexi-rod set. Before I share pictures let me share what I learned from this experience:

1. Keep a positive attitude- This definitely affects my level of motivation. 
2. When using end papers I still need to roll my hair over the ends- I didn't get this concept at first and I ended up with some frizzy ends.
3. When rolling the front of my hair I need to put my hair under the roller.
4. If the curl does not come out right I can always re-roll on dry hair using a moisturizer.
5. Do not be heavy handed on the foam lotion or it will result in hard hair.

I know you came here mainly to see the pics so here they are. Enjoy!

My son with his tux on looking so handsome!

Outfit

Dress, Flower Belt, Shoes & Earrings- White House Black Market

Flexi Rod #1 (Wash Day)

As part of my march goals I committed to 3 flexi rod sets this month. I'm really trying to perfect this style! I decided to do a flexi set on dry hair for this black tie gala I will be attending this weekend. *sigh* I probably should have gone to the shop to get my hair done for this event and "played" around with my hair when I didn't have anywhere important to go. But I had this vision of how my hair would turn out.

Before I get into the details on my flexi rods I will share the details of my wash day prep. I prepooed my hair for maybe 30 mins with EVOO under a plastic cap. I then used my new CON with Argon Oil products to wash and DC my hair. After DCing I did a clear rinse with Jazzings. The results were to like the last time so I think it's safe to say my shine was the result of the Ic Fantasia heat protectant serum. Now I'm not sure how I feel about continuing with a clear rinse in my regimen. I just may have to use other brands.

To prep for my flexi set I sprayed my CON with Argon Oil leave-in. I'm still not sure how I feel about this product. I will say that I think I like this shampoo better than the L'Oreal EverStrong because it cleans my scalp better and it leaves my hair more moisturized. I will continue to assess my hair after a little more use. I think put about a quarter size amount of GVP's Paul Mitchell Skinny Serum. So far I'm not sold on this product and let me explain why.

After I set my hair using Elasta QP my hair came out a little frizzy. Could have been a combo of my technique or lack there of when setting my hair. I used purple rods in the back and blue in the front. I didn't take pics after I took ten down because I was disappointed I. The results. I definitely need more practice and plan to do another set this week. It will probably be on dry hair his time.

To dry my hair I used my SIL hooded dryer. I was soooo uncomfortable and her dryer gets so hot it makes my hair sweat. So I kept switching between 30 mins high and 15 mins cool. After an hour under the dryer my top was completely dry, but my back was still damp. I was very irritated at this point. So I went back under for another 30 mins before my hair was dry. I took out the rollers and.......no shine! The clear rinse was not successful. I added Argon Oil for shine. I had to re-rod some parts on dry hair because frizz.

Over all my hair was not a complete disaster but a far cry from successful. I will be getting more practice. Sorry for the lack of pictures. I probably should have taken some just so I can look back when I progress. I will have some pics later of my OOTN and how I styled my flexi-rod set.