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

**********************************************************************************

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.

**********************************************************************************
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!

                                

30 Weeks post Relaxer & "Lets get Nakkid" makeup palette

hey everyone....

sorry for not posting as much, i been very focused with getting ready for graduation which is in fact 2 weeks away. so im very excited about that, i already got my diploma very happy about getting my degree.

but about my hair i just been bunning nothing to spacial...very impressed with my growth and the thickness i have gotten over the past few months. im in the castor oil challenge on hairlista so i been applying the oil twice a week and doing scalp massages. i also been doing tea rinses and doing more protein treatments to calm down my shedding. and it is working out great! i did a protein treatment on damp hair before i did my co wash this past wednesday and i swear my hair felt so nice. my comb glided thru my hair with little to no issues. very little hair in my comb! i used the aphogee 2min protein treatment and applied it in 4 sections and allowed it to sit for almost 2 hrs. i plan to do the tea rinses weekly on shampoo days until i get my shedding where i want it, then ill do this treatment monthly.

i been going back and forth on getting a half wig for graduation OR straighten my hair and wear a pin curled styled. i dont feel like flat ironing it but getting a wig to well with graduation is hard simply because i have to wear the cap and i dont want to get "playing" it because my wig is to thick or what have you lol.

my fiancee brought me the urban decay naked eyeshadow palette wednesday night after i hinted about it lol. im very excited about it, i love the colors so far its seems like something ill use all the time. so expect makeup looks with the palette soon.

Sulfate-free soap: Castile soap (Vlog on how I use on my skin)

for the past few months now Ive been using castile soap to shampoo my hair and clean my face. And I must say I LOVE IT! There are no harsh chemicals in this products, its affordable, and they smell good and get the job done. Ive tried all kinds of shampoos and all they do is dry out my hair making it hard for me to detangle afterwards, making it a big knotty mess. But I dont get that when I use this product, I use it straight out the bottle and or diluted and I added some grapeseed oil to the diluted mix for added softness. There are lots of brands out there and most are pretty good about keeping the product chemical free and all natural.  I wont go back to use regular shampoo on my hair again, finally a soap that works with my transitioning hair and is gentle to both textures. 

As for my skin I love it!!!! I use it twice a day and finish with shea butter or another skin butter to smooth out my skin. for the winter ill do the oil cleansing method. 

My weekly regimen

I wanted to post my new regimen and show what I have been doing to my hair lately. Still I dont do much because I dont want to fight with my two textures and the less I do every week the better. This has been working for me for a while now and I love it. 

(BIG THANKS to Kiki and Amy for the comments on my last post :-)
                                    

                                         MY WEEKLY REGIMEN: 

• deep condition on slightly damp/dry hair (oil treatment of the oils of my choice - cowash days OR elasta qp soy oyl treatment - wash days) leave on for a hr
• wash hair once a week with peppermint castile soap/cowash once a week 
• after shampoo cowash with cheapie conditioner 
• only if needed do a 5-15 min protein treatment with aphogee 2 min treatment
• air dry under towel for 5-10mins then apply leave ins (aphogee green tea spray, moisturizer, seal & oil scalp with castor oil/grapeseed oil mix OR bee mine serum, 
• detangle hair in 6 sections with a pik comb and allow hair to air dry a little before i style it for my protective style.
• every other day apply moisturizer  and little castor oil mix to moisturize & seal until my next wash/cowash day.
• protective styles are : buns, bantu knots, half up/half down, wigs, & drawstrings (the less i do the better. )

                                 Things to follow during long transition 2011:

*detangle once a week on wash days with product using pik comb

*finger comb on co wash days or "refresher" days with product

*refresh hair inbetween cowashes when ever need be using spray bottle mix (water, oils, and cheapie conditioner) 

*denman is used for quick smoothing only

*scalp is oiled on all wash,cowash, & refresher days

*finger comb while in the shower (a must)

*air dry...or if plan to blow dry air dry for 20-30mins then proceed to blow out hair

*use tshirt to get most of the water from hair.