Wednesday, April 14, 2010

I LUV wearing wigs!

I have never been so happy with wearing wigs as I am now that I am taking care of my hair.  Today I was able to baggy my hair under my wig!  Last night I oiled my scalp with my mixture of jamaican black castor oil, jojoba oil, peppermint oil, rosemary oil and vitamin E.  I moisturized my hair with the castor oil, coconut oil and a palm full of avocado cholestorol conditioner.

I put my shower cap over my head and went to bed as I do every night. This morning I decided to leave the cap on thoughout the day. I just put my wig cap over the shower cap and then I put on my lacefront.





My wig looked fabulous as always and nobody knew that I was deep conditioning.


Gotta luv wigs! Great way to take care of and grow your hair!

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Hydroxicut Max! for Women

I tried Hydroxicut Max! for Women for a few weeks and as it is supposed to give me a burst of energy, it made me feel weak, dizzy and lazy even when following the instructions regarding usage.  I did not notice an increase in weight loss but it can be because of my eating habits. I must say that it did keep me regular. 

I personally do not recommend it because of the unpleasant feelings i had but hey, everyone is different.
Here are the product details:

Product Description
Hydroxycut Max! is designed exclusively for women who want fast results and won't settle for anything but the most powerful fat-burning formula. It delivers extreme-strength weight loss for women and will help you rapidly burn calories and bodyfat at the same time! Hydroxycut Max! delivers an energizing kick so powerful that you actually fell it the first time you try it, and every single time after that!

Doctor-formulated Hydroxycut Max! is scientifically designed to trigger fat burning and rapid weight loss unlike anything you're ever tried. Utilizing Rapid-Release Liquid-Caps, the revolutionary Hydroxycut Max! formula is suspended in a liquid matrix and contains a key ingredient that radically amplifies women's key fat-burning hormone for dramatic results! The Max! Liqui-burn blend contains ingredients to work in unison with other fat-burning components, including a potent fat-burning effect. The Max! Weight-Loss Matrix includes a powerful weight-loss driver that is proven to deliver fast weight-loss results. In one clinical study, subjects using this key ingredient lost an average of 10.56 pounds in 6 weeks, while the placebo group actually gained an average of 2.64 pounds. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, there is no other women's fat burner on the market more extreme than Hydroxycut Max!
  • Extreme Strength Weight Loss for Women
  • Radically amplifies women's key fat burning hormone
  • Burns calories and body fat fast!
  • So strong you can feel it!
Nutritional Information
Hydroxycut Max! Supplement Facts

Serving Size 3 caps
Servings Per Container
Amount Per Serving
Max! Liqui-Burn 868mg
Green Tea Extract
Caffein anhydrous
Xanthinol nicotinate
Yohimbine HCl
Black tea extract
Wu Long tea extract
Rooibos tea extract
Max! Weight-Loss Matrix 424mg
Cissus Quadrangularis extract
Aralia mandschurica powder
Soy isoflavones
Rose hips powder
Hibiscus powder
Garcina cambogia extract
L-lysine HCl
Diacylglycerol
Dandelion powder
Juniper powder
Terminalia chebula powder
Angelica keiskei powder
Mangosteen extract
Chaste extract
Citrus complex
Bitter melon powder
Black plum powder
Soy phospholipids
Rasberry extract
Policosanol

Hydroxycut Max! Other Ingredients

Sesame oil, gelatin, ink ( ), polysorbate 80
Hydroxycut Max! Suggested Use

Take 3 Liquid-Caps with an 8-oz. glass of water 2 times daily, approximately 30 to 60 minutes before meals. If you're going to exercise, take 1 of these servings before your workout. Consume ten 8-oz. glasses of water per day. Read the entire label before use and follow directions. Do not exceed 3 capsules in a 4-hour period and/or 6 capsules in a 24-hour period. Do not take within 5 hours of bedtime. To assess individual tolerance, follow the chart. For best results, combine Hydroxycut Max! with an exercise and nutrition program.

Friday, April 2, 2010

My Hair Inspirations

Oooh Weeee!  I luvs me some big hair!

My Hair Products

I dont have a set regimen but this is what I currently do:

  • Condition wash daily with any VO5 MoistureMilks conditioner
  • I apply Mega-Tek Rebuilder by Eqyss to my scalp every other day.  My Mega-Tek is usually mixed with amla oil and castor oil.  I leave it on for atleast an hour and then wash it out.

  • I deep condition on Wednesdays and Sundays with Organic Root Stimulator mixed with honey.

  • I moisturize my hair and scalp after every wash and then put and keep shower cap on. If I have to go out, I'll take the shower cap off, apply my wig cap and then wear my lace front. Once I get home, I put the shower cap back on. This helps trap moisture keeping the hair soft and ends healthy.  For my scalp I put together a mixture of jojoba oil, castor oil, glycerin, peppermint oil and rosemary.  For my hair I put together a mixture of jojoba oil, castor oil and glycerin. 
Benefits of the products I use:


1. VO5 Conditioner: When conditioner washing (aka cowashing), your hair is not stripped of moisture or oils as it does with most shampoos. It leaves your hair with plenty of moisture, which leads to healthy hair. VO5 moisture milks is a very inexpensive conditioner that provides the moisture needed.

2. Mega-Tek: Mega-Tek has been proven to aide in growing longer and thicker hair. The key ingredient is hydrolyzed protein. Your hair is protein and only a product that has protein in it can bind to your hair to make it stronger, longer and thicker. Althought Mega-Tek is advertised for horses manes and hooves, it is safe for humans. There is another product called Ovation Cell Therapy that is advertised for humans and contains the exact same ingredients as Mega Tek but is a bit pricey. Mega-Tek can be purchased for anywhere between $22.90 to $28.49 online, whereas OCT can be purchased for $59.00. The recommended use for Mega-Tek is as follows:
  • Mix with an essential oil like olive oil or jojoba oil because the hydrolyzed protein can dry your hair. Dry hair causes breakage.
  • Apply to your scalp by massaging with the tips of your fingers.
  • Use 3-4 times a week for best results.

 3. Organic Root Stimulator Hair Mayonaise: This deep conditioner moisturizes and strengthens damaged and overprocessed hair from within the hair shaft. Fragile hair will be rejuvenated with
moisture balance and elasticity to mend split ends and provide incredible body and shine.

4. Jojoba Oil: It is scientifically proven that Jojoba oil has healing properties and effects hair in a wholly positive manner, much more than other oils. It:
  • Moisturizes the scalp. Using Jojoba oil and massaging it directly onto the scalp will not only relax you but it also moisturizes the scalp itself while treating your hair with an intense conditioning.
  • Develops new hair cell growth. Dry hair can lead to hair damage or hair loss. The application of Jojoba oil will counteract this symptom, allowing the growth of new hair cells.
  • Jojoba oil is non-greasy, colorless and odorless. While application of oils directly on the hair can be very obvious from afar, using Jojoba oil is non-greasy and unnoticeable.
  • Jojoba oil is not irritating to the skin if applied to dry, itchy and sore scalp. Our scalp is sensitive when it is dry and applying Jojoba oil and then rinsing your scalp with clean water is one way of treating this scalp condition.
  • Antibacterial. Jojoba oil is used for treating sores, cuts, bruises and burns and helps heal scars.
  • Jojoba oil allows the flow of sebum in plugged-up pores. This promotes a healthy scalp and hair by replicating the sebum oil secreted by human sebaceous glands.
  • Jojoba oil conditions your hair and prevents it from being brittle and dull.
  • If there is too much sebum found on the scalp, Jojoba oil can dissolve and take out the sebum, allowing the hair to be cleansed.
  • It is used widely as a primary ingredient in hair shampoos and conditioners.
5. Castor Oil: Castor Oil is a popular hair growth oil that is usually applied to the scalp regularly.  Jamaican Black Castor Oil is the best kind to use for your hair.
  • Castor oil contains Omega-9 fatty acids which help moisturize the hair and the scalp preventing both from becoming dry.
  • Regularly applying castor oil to your scalp and roots to eliminate dry hair and promote regrowth of hair within months. It will also help to thicken hair that is thinning out.
  • Helps reduce and prevent damage. Also can hide the appearance of damage while trying to improve your hair's health leading to thicker, fuller hair over time.
  • You can also experiment with adding some castor oil to your conditioners for a deep conditioning treatment. You'll have to experiment with the amount of castor oil to use to avoid greasy hair. I would start off with a small amount like a teaspoon or less.
  • Castor oil is versatile in that you can mix it with other oils to still receive the benefits but avoid the super-thick consistency. Try mixing it with Sweet Almond Oil to make it a lighter oil that is much easier to spread and gives it a nice scent.
  • You can also experiment with castor oil for hair on your ends. This rich, thick oil will help your ends becomes shiny and hide the appearance of frizzy, damaged, and split ends. Over time, as you trim damage away, you'll notice your hair won't develop split ends as easily. Since it is so thick, you may want to mix it first.  
6. Glycerin: Spraying glycerin mixed with water on the scalp softens new growth because as a humectant, glycerin draws moisture into the hair and skin.

7. Peppermint Oil: Peppermint oil hair care can help in achieving thick and long hair. Peppermint oil is very strong and must be mixed with a carrier oil such as jojoba oil. Benefits include:

  •  It gives a cooling effect to the scalp.
  • This oil fights dandruff and head lice.
  • Applying peppermint oil will make your hair smell good. It has a fresh and cool fragrance which will make you feel nice.
  • Through the use of peppermint oil hair growth is very effective and many people opt for it. It stimulates the hair follicle which helps in hair growth.
  • Peppermint oil for hair loss treatment is very effective as it binds the hair roots and increases blood circulation. Read on hair loss solutions.
  • Peppermint oil can be mixed with jojoba oil and glycerin. This mixture is known to promote hair growth.
  • Another mixture which is beneficial for hair can be prepared by mixing peppermint oil, castor oil, tea tree oil, coconut oil and vitamin E oil.
  • It is mainly beneficial for people having oily hair as this oil does not leave the scalp oily. This oil works as an astringent which helps in the normalization of the scalp's oil production and has a neutralizing effect on the scalp.
  • Since peppermint oil balances the pH, it can be used for the treatment of dry scalp.
  • Peppermint oil is known to add shine and gloss to the hair.
  • This oil works as a conditioner.  
8. Rosemary Oil: Rosemary oil has moisturizing and fortifying properties that can strengthen hair while also making it shiny and smooth. It can also darken hair over a period of time and so is useful for covering grey hair. Rosemary oil is very strong and must be mixed with a carrier oil such as jojoba oil.

I was FORCED to cut my hair!!

So I took out a nice weave that I had in for 2 months. Everything was fine after taking out the braids. My hair was still moisturized and crimped. It was pretty. I applied some mega-tek/ oil mixtures and massaged my scalp, not touching my ends. After about 30 minutes, I took a shower, washed and conditioned my hair. Not once did I comb it out with the fear that too much hair would come out. Everything seemed perfectly fine in the shower. It was soft and manageable. I got out and air dried and after 20 minutes or so, i started to comb out my hair but noticed that my hair matted into two huge dreds!! I went back in the water, applied half a bottle of vo5 conditioner and some amla oil and the matt would NOT come out. There was absolutely no hope. I felt like the more i rubbed the hair to get them untangled, the more damage i was doing to each strand. So...I did the unthinkable! I chopped it all off (sniff sniff). I was not even prepared to go natural but hey, now i have the opportunity to try it out. After all, I am 3 months post.

I was very very sad about it and felt lost and empty without my hair. I LOVE long hair and on top of that, I dont think I have the face for short hair. So Im now on a natural hair journey. I will be rocking my new $200 lace front (Thank God I had the money!) along with some weaves until my hair is at a comfortable length to rock without a cover-up.

Here is a little hair history of mine. I started on a healthy hair journey December 2008 after learning about www.longhaircareforum.com. The dates of the pics below are as follows: December 15, 2008 (Dry hair), December 30, 2008 (Wet hair), February 1, 2009 (Dry hair), June 3, 2009 (Dry hair)and September 6, 2009 (Wet hair).







Towards the end of the year, I started to notice that my hair was thinning in the middle. I am sure that it was due to heat damage and me not clipping my ends. My hair was the longest it has ever been and I didnt want to cut it. That was just foolish of me. The pic below was taken in October. You can really see the damage here.


















In January 2009, I cut my hair. I needed it to look healthy again.




















After the cut, I put my weave in. My sister did a very good job, I must add.



















Now back to the matted hair. This was taken on March 21, 2010, the day of the snip. Horrible!!



































On March 28th I did a little more cutting to create a clean fro.


















There are still some relaxed ends left but I will hold on to them for a little while. I started my measurements.



















Now my journey begins! My 2010 goal is to gain atleast 5 inches, which should bring me to shoulder length. In the meantime, I am rocking a very natural-looking lacefront.



Stay tuned for my progress.