My New Way to Cowash - Winter Time.

my old way of cowashing was to just simply get the shower apply the conditioner, work it thru and detangle. this whole process can take about 30-45mins in the shower. because i wash my hair in sections plus detangling. i hate it because it take so long, i cant just slap on conditioner and wash it out my hair would be tangled, trust i tried it. but now thats it winter i cant be in and out of the shower i dont want to risk getting sick esp not because im washing my hair. so here is my new method:

-apply oil all over hair on dry to slightly damp hair (i like using olive oil)
-leave the oil on for 10-15mins
-apply co wash conditioner in sections (i do 4 large sections)
-detangling as i apply
-hop in the shower and rinse out the conditioner

my hair is still soft, manageable and i dont waste too much time in the shower. my shower time is now reduced by 20 or mins because i cowash this way now. once i detangled before i got in the shower i dont detanlge again so that saves even more time. i then apply my leave in and air dry and style.

also applying the oil prior can work as a oil treatment in one step, vs rinsing then cowashing.

"Girl, How Were you able to Get to 47 weeks post?"

i can say i used a lot of products while ive been transitioning, but so far i can only give credit to two main products that are very inexpensive and easy to find just about anywhere.

                                                            OILS & HONEY!!

OILS: i call oils "the new growth softener" lol just because ever since ive been introduce to oils that what is seems to do to my hair, make it soft. ive used oils from olive,castor,coconut,vatika,herbal oils and they have done nothing but great amazing things for me. When going a very long time w/o a relaxer i saw my hair become drier quickly and breakage was around all the time. so i quickly made friends with oils (of all kinds). i used oils in different ways (pre poos, as dc'er treatment, mixed in with conditioners, and mixing to make my own growth aids) although this is consider a butter, but its still an oil and thats shea butter. shea butter is great and can be used just like any other oil. its great to use now that its winter now, its 29 degrees where im at so shea butter is a great product to use to help combat dry hair.

HONEY: honey for hair is the next best thing since jumbo ice pops lol. this product provides the best slip. my comb just glides thru my hair like melted butter lol. i was always afriad of using honey on my hair b/c its sticky and i though it would ruin my hair. i was so wrong! honey is great for softness and slip-age. my favorite thing to do with honey is to add it to my conditioners, i also use it sometimes in my pre poos and dc'ers and or alone. its easy to rinse of the hair, it gives great shine and of course my hair smell nice lol. 

something else ive noticed is if i have a conditioner thats just not  working that well for me anymore instead of tossing the product out wasting my money i would add both oil, and honey to it. and its like a brand new bottle of conditioner, this also prolongs the life of conditioner as well (in my opinion) who wants to buy bottles of conditioners every week? -not me- honey added makes the conditioner even more viscus so you dont have to apply as much. 

the detangling factor for both products are amazing! in the beginning it would take me 30mins to detangle now im down to 10mins. less breakage and shedding in my comb. 

:)

I GOT FEATURED! :)

miss lady swag hit me up some time ago about being featured on her blog and she just posted it.

http://audacitytobeyou.blogspot.com/2012/01/confessions-of-transitioner-series-meet.html

THANK YOU LADY SWAG! :)

Happy new year!!/Castor oil results/New year Goals

WISHING  EVERYONE A SAFE AND BLESS START TO THEIR NEW YEAR, THIS IS A NEW FRESH START TO YOUR LIFE SO ANY MISTAKES MADE OR BAD CHOICES IN YESTUR-YEAR LEAVE IT THERE. YOU NOW HAVE A CHANCE TO AT A BRAND NEW YEAR WITH NEW CHALLENGES. STAY BLESS

-NIKKI

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here is the result picture of the last castor oil challenge on hairlista. 

my goal for this challenge really wasnt to win but to win in getting the thickness and length i knew i could achive. and i did! i was very happy when i looked back at the old picture, im not going to creidt just the castor oil becuase my whole hair care routine is what got my hair to be at its healthiest. iam going to conitinue to use it 2x a week.

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my goals for 2012 are as followed:
keep up with my hair care routine
plan to big chop later this year
attend a natural hair meet up in the d/m/v area (or even nyc)
go to a hair show (im aiming for atl but bmore/dc is fine too)
take more pictures
start vlogging my progress esp after i big chop
dont allow anyones negetive opinion change my mind (ive already started this but its going into the new yr anyway)

MY WEIGHT LOST PROJECT FOR 2012! (COME JOIN ME!)

above having strong healthy hair, i want a more healthy body and for the 1st time im so motivated to it this time around and stick to it. so heres my workout reggie:

1) eat smaller portportions

2) drink lots of water

3) zumba 4x a week (monday, wednesday, thrusdays, saturdays) for 20mins -30mins

4) walking & jogging for 30mins-1hr

5)document body changes, weighs are once a month

***so far i lost 12 lbs so i will keep going my goal is 20 lbs to lose from my current weight*** 12/24/11

every month update with pictures and details with out everything is going, my short term goal is 20 lbs from current weight. so i know i can do it! who is with me? we can help each other. :)

Still Transitioning .... (43 weeks post relaxer) castor oil challenge

just a quick update, im still in fact transitioning im 10 months and 3 weeks post relaxer. and not having no issues. dealing with my two textures have become so easy. i still get the shedding from time to time but its not as big of a deal simply because i learned how to subside it, and i know that its a natural thing when working with two different hair textures. my natural hair has grown in alot its very thick and curly. my curl pattern in the back is a 3c and on the middle toward the front is a 4a. so just with water my hair curls up. my styles have been very simple and easy.

i have entered in the castor oil challenge on hairlista back in sept and we have a few days left before we send in our result pictures. looking at my hair before the challenge and now its has grown a lot and its a lot more healthier. i applied the castor oil 2 times a week, also using it in my pre poos and in my weekly dc'ers. castor oil is my go to growth aid staple and something ill continue to use thru out my hhj.

http://www.hairlista.com/group/castor-oil-challenge-part-6

ill post my results on the dec 16.

also please check out my other personal blog, this is where i write any thing that comes to my mind. its not hair related at all but i will talk about all kinds of topics.

http://imperfectlynikki.blogspot.com/

So another month under my belt.... *8 months to be exact lol**

Last Wednesday Sept 28 2011 I hit 8 months transition into natural hair! Honestly Im actually happy and heres why...... :


1) regulated a good hair routine that actually works well for me
2) not stressing over my hair, and hair styles
3) taking my sweet time to detangle properly
4) moisture, moisture, moisture lol
5) and just leaving my hair alone!!!!

All of these tips have helped me to get to where Iam in my hair journey. Im not doing anything special than what most have seen and done themselves. The best thing is just leaving it alone, messing with all the time trying to make is look cute each and everyday is what really causes the problems. I found out around month 3 that im not a twist out kind of girl. Actually my hair cant take kind of "out" style" because it causes stress due to twisting and braiding all the time and trying to "fro" it out the next morning. its just to much....for my hair at least. so rocking buns (of all kinds) and two strand twist sets have been doing the job. Im still using castor oil and I love it!!! Been using it since April 2011 and I love the results just hate the itchy scalp lol. Watch out for a review of jbco vs regular castor to why I prefer regular better. But I have alot of great things that ill be doing for my blog very soon, Ill also be selling natural hair products that Ive made and some hair candy as well :) I have lots of reviews of products and other tips that ill be posting very soon. To all my other new transitioners my biggest tip is dont stress and just have fun.....and always research!