Mommy in Heels/kssnmiss

2018-10-28T09:18:00.000-07:00

Being natural is challenging but lm here for it.

Steaming without a Steamer

2013-09-10T18:47:00.000-07:00

The Benefits of Steaming Relaxed/Texlaxed Hair

2013-09-04T23:19:00.001-07:00

If you’re relaxed or texlaxed, I highly recommend steaming the hair. I stretch my relaxers from 4 months to 6 months at a time with the help of steaming with oils and deep moisturizing conditioners. Steaming does the following to the hair especially the “wonderful” new growth.

According to www.blackhairinformation.com, there are six benefits of steaming the hair.

Image Courtesy Of BlackHairInformation.com

Abandonment

2013-09-04T23:10:00.000-07:00

I've neglected myself and my blog. New posts and updates coming soon.

Pictures of my daughters hairstyle (flat-ironing and two-strand twists)

2012-10-19T06:39:00.000-07:00

My New Hair Journey

2012-08-20T18:19:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the hiatus!

2011-07-05T18:36:00.000-07:00

I live in Mississippi, and the small town we live in experienced a small tornado a couple months ago. Unfortunately, the high-speed internet services is not working properly. I'm in the process of finding another company.

And, I'm taking summer courses that require a lot of time because it's school, lol.

And, I'm back at mid back length. I cut 3 to 4 inches of relaxed hair because it was thin. So, basically most of my hair is texlaxed. I will do another cut in January.

My wig regimen is the same as my hair regimen, except I use more oils and moisturizer because I only moisturize 3 to 4 times a week. I usually braid my hair in two french braids thats covered by a wig cap.

The braided headbands I purchasd from Rue 21 a couple of years ago. I've seen them at my local beauty supply.

Much more detailed updates and pictures coming soon. Just checking in. God Bless!

More Wig Looks

2011-05-22T22:23:00.000-07:00

My Wig Regimen and techniques will be posted soon. I didn't have time to post it because I have two papers due tomorrow. On top of that, the kids are out of school. So my 13 year old is home, and I'm watching my 6 year old niece a couple days per week plus my 2 year old daughter. Please bare with me because my wig regimen was requested. I haven't forgotten.

Timeless Sophicated Beauty, Sheryl Lee Ralph

2011-05-22T17:00:00.000-07:00

photos from bing images

I have always admired Ms. Ralph beauty and grace. She's the epitome of a
true lady.

According to Wikipedia, Sheryl Lee Ralph was born December 30, 1956 (1956-12-30) (age 54). She was raised between Mandeville, Jamaica and Long Island, New York, Sheryl Lee Ralph was born in Waterbury, Connecticut to an African American father and a Jamaican mother.

Ralph began her career on the stage and was nominated in 1982 for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her role as Deena Jones in Dreamgirls. In 1984, Ralph released her only album In the Evening, in which the title track hit peaked at #6 on the Billboard chart that same year. In 1988, she starred in the Disney movie Oliver & Company providing the speaking voice of Rita. Her first film leading role came as Denzel Washington's wife in The Mighty Quinn. In 1992, she starred as Robert De Niro's mistress in Mistress. During the 1990s she also had roles in The Flintstones, Deterrence and Unconditional Love.

On television, she is known for playing Ginger St. James on It's a Living, Etienne Toussaint-Bouvier on Designing Women, and later Dee Mitchell on Moesha and the supervillainous Cheetah in Justice League and Justice League Unlimited. Ralph produced Divas Simply Singing, which has become an important AIDS fundraiser. In June 2000, Ralph sued The National Enquirer for one million dollars over a piece they had written about her and her husband. She was voted one of TV's Favorite Moms for her portrayal of step mom Dee on the number-one rated television series Moesha. She also appeared on the Showtime series, Barbershop, as the popular, post-operative transsexual, Claire. Recently, Sheryl brought a new face to the sufferings of war in the NBC hit series ER.

I luv her dimples!

My Daughter's Regimen

2011-05-16T20:59:00.000-07:00

1day old

6 months old

4 months old

1 year old

1 year 8 months

Afro, arm-pit length

age 2

a recent back view

Easter 2011 age 2

x-mas 2010

Age 2

November 2010

X-mas 2010 with her 1st counsins (my neices)

sleeping (close your mouth)

When my daughter was born, I was clueless about hair care for an infant. I went to the salon weekly. So when I discovered I was pregnant with a little girl, I started research on hair care for girls. Plesantly, I discovered forums, videos, and hair care sites for women of color. I decided to take care of my haircare as well as my daughters hair care.

When she was an infant to age 1, I used olive oil and baby shampoo. My daughter's texture started to change. So I started buying mostly natural products like oils, shea butter and mango butter.

At Age 2, Here's Her Regimen:

Hair Regimen

Cowash 2x a month with VO5 Moisture Milks
Shampoo 2x month with Dr. Bronner's magic soap (almond or tea tree)
Deep condition with Aussie Moist 3 Minute Miracle Deeeeeep Conditioner 2x month after shampooing
Pre poo with coconut oil 2x month before shampooing
Oil scalp with olive oil 4 times a week
Spritz hair with water, aloe vera, and glycerin then mouisturize with my shea butter mix (shea butter, aloe vera gel, almond oil, coconut oil, vitamin e, olive oil)
Smooth edges with Organic Root Stimulator Smoothing Pudding and Eco Styler
Leave In-Cantu Shea Butter Leave In

Hair Tips that works for my Daughter

1. I soak black elastic bands in olive oil and castor oil for a few hours. This technique helps in no hair breakage. When my daughter is wearing plaits, I wrap the bands around the section no more than 4 times especially around those delicate edges. Please don't handle the hair harshly, be careful and delicate with the hair.
2. After applying the leave-ins and moisturizer, I gently comb to detangle. I braid the hair in 4 sections with no elastic bands because the hair is wet. Then I put her hair in a silk bonnet. I style the hair when it's dry in the morning.
3. Always remove barrettes, knot balls, headbands, etc before bed. Always keep hair covered with a silk bed when sleeping.
4. Always apply moisturizer before styling.
5. If hair is unhealthy or breaking , put a tablespoon of castor oil in moisturizer. It made a difference in my daughter's hair. She had a bald spot at the base of her head. (It's common in most babies from laying on their head) The castor oil really worked!
5. Use wide tooth comb. Use natural boar brush for edges only. Use fine tooth comb for parting not combing. Please don't use a fine tooth comb for combing.

I bought products from the Shea Moisture line from Walgreens and some other products. I'll do a review in a few weeks. Regimen will be updated accordingly.

Here are pictures of her staple products:

Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Moist deeeeep conditioner

2011-05-15T11:15:00.000-07:00

I know there are a trillion reviews on this conditioner, but I have to give my two cents on it. At the beginning I tried the Aussie Moist conditioner and did not like it. So I didn't give the rest of the Aussie line a try.

So after my honey and olive oil mask, the Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Deeeeep conditioner was the only conditioner left in the shower because I use this on my daughter's hair. I said a little prayer and co wash with it twice. The second time left it on for 10 minutes while a showered. After rinsing and t-shirt drying for 10 minutes, my hair felt like I had deep condition with a heavy moisturizing deep conditioner like my Silk Elements Moisturizing Treatment.

I let my hair air dried without any products, and my hair was so soft and bouncy. After my hair was 90 percent dry, I applied my leave-ins, moisturizer and oils. My hair was still soft. I could not keep my hands out of it. I apologize to the Aussie 3 Minute Miracle deeeeeep conditioner for not trying you sooner. This is definitely going into my hair regimen.

No Heat, Protected styles (take one)

2011-05-13T19:13:00.000-07:00

I love wigs. My hair is healthy because I wear wigs 90 percent of the time. However, I have become extremely lazy with my hair. So I'm challenging myself to create more no heat styles and protected styles. Yes, my husband is happy. He hates wigs. Men!

Next time, I'll post a step by step process on how I achieved the looks.

The Importance of Drinking Water for Healthy Hair

2011-05-13T02:01:00.000-07:00

The first of these tips to grow hair faster, you can use to help grow hair faster and thicker, is to keep your body healthy and hydrated. You need to have a toxin free body and blood to keep your skin and hair from any impurities. Thus, when you drink enough water throughout the day, you body is well hydrated and free of toxins as they are flushed out as wastes. Drinking water also keeps your immune system healthy and helps it to combat allergens and foreign substances efficiently.

Have Plenty of Water
Drinking plenty of water is one of the most 'easy to implement' natural tips for healthy hair and scalp. Insufficient water intake can make your hair dull and dry. To avoid these problems, increase water intake and make sure that you drink 6 - 8 glasses of water everyday. Also, have coffee and tea in moderate amounts, as excess intake of these beverages can cause dehydration.

For good health of your hair and skin, it is important, you consume sufficient quantities of water. Drinking plenty of water will hydrate the hair shaft and keep them healthy.

Not A Diet, A Lifestyle Change

2011-05-12T10:37:00.000-07:00

For the past couple of weeks, I've lost 4 pounds by making small changes in our eating habits. Yes, my Family is in this too.

We eat whole grain pasta, whole wheat bread, plenty of fresh fruits and vegatables. Just by making small changes, I have lost a little weight.

My current weight is 144 pounds. My goal weight is 130. My plan is simple. After having my daughter in October 2008, I lost the weight and reached my goal weight of 130 pounds by the summer of 2009. So I put some of the weight back on. At 5'3 , I think 130 pounds is reasonble for me.

Some of the changes

1. Drink plenty of water.

2. Eat breakfast every morning.

3. Eat the recommended servings of my food by measuring with a cup or a spoon

4. Write down my food intake for the first couple of weeks.

5. Pre-package my snacks so they're always on hand.

6. Exercise at least 30 to 45 minutes 6 days a week.

7. And no eating after 7pm.

I'll keep you guys posted.

What Works for Me: VO5 Moisture Milks

2011-05-10T01:19:00.000-07:00

Since beginning my hair journey back in 2008, I used Vo5 moisture milks for co washing. I have used many conditioners since, but I always return to this cheapie conditioner.

Lately, I've been relying on this conditioner as a daily moisturizer and leave in conditoner after co washing, shampooing or deep conditioning. It smells goods, and it doesn't weigh my hair down. I use a quarter size amount (a little for moisturizing goes a long way) then I seal with grape seed oil. When it's dry it's well moisturize with a brilliant shine.

This is what works for my hair so I suggest testing it on a small section of your hair first. When I use heat, I do not use this as a leave-in or moisturizer. I use products made for direct heat. I use this method for air drying or braid-outs (I used it on braid outs in the past, lol) only.

No title

2011-05-09T23:32:00.000-07:00

Get out here Lakers! Go Home!

Pictures of Different Length Checks Since 2008 to 2011

2011-05-07T17:02:00.000-07:00

The first pic is my last relaxer on April 22, 2011. The second one was September 2010. As you can tell, I was grazing tail/hip length. I've been dusting often to get rid of those thin ends. The last picture is start of my hair journey(summer 2008)at mid back length. In that photo I was pregnant. Ladies, we can grow long hair.

Garlic Oil for Pre pooing and Garlic supplements

2011-05-07T16:08:00.000-07:00

I know it sounds crazy. I know it stinks. Two months after I had my daughter in 2008, I experienced shedding. This is common after birth, but I was devastated because my hair was doing great. Even though this is normal after having a child, I considered this a set back. So thanks to my sisters on KISS and Healthy Hair Textures (back in 2008) for suggesting neem oil. The neem oil was doing OK then some ladies suggested garlic. I started putting cloves of garlic in olive oil and applying it to my scalp for several hours. After two weeks the shedding wasn't as bad. In a month or so, the shedding had slowed down tremendously. Then I started using garlic conditioner(Nutrine 16 oz. in the jar), and I purchased garlic oil from iherb.com. Don't forget to refrigerate the oil because it will spoil.

Here's a pic of how I pre poo with garlic oil. I usually pre poo with garlic oil after wearing my flat ironed. I apply the oil on my scalp for a couple hours (under a plastic bag or cap) then proceed with a deep conditioner on the rest of the hair for another hour (under the same plastic bag or plastic cap). I give my hair special treatment after I use flat iron because we know it is damaging to the strands.

I have been taking two odorless garlic tablets daily since 2008. Since taking supplements like garlic, has helped me on my hair journey. I notice a change in my hair, skin, and whole body when I stop taking supplements or not drinking enough water. Most importantly, Eating properly is a must for a good hair regimen.

Here's an article from buzzle.com about garlic.

Topical application of garlic oil brings about a lot of improvement in healthy growth of hair. This is because garlic oil consists of rich extracts of garlic which is good for both the scalp as well as the hair. Garlic oil improves blood circulation to the scalp, removes harmful toxins from the scalp surface, and makes the hair roots strong. In all these ways, it helps in hair loss prevention. Moreover, those who are suffering from dry hair problem or have an itchy scalp can also get rid of these annoying symptoms by using garlic oil.

You can prepare garlic oil for hair by soaking garlic cloves in olive oil for a week. After that, you can use the oil for the next one or two weeks. Gently massage garlic oil on the scalp before bedtime with special attention on the hair loss area. Cover it up with shower cap and go to bed. Next morning, wash your hair with mild shampoo. Repeat this process for a few weeks and you will observe that hair fall is under control and hair regrowth has started. You can also slice the garlic cloves and directly rub them into the thinning areas of the scalp. Wait for an hour and apply olive oil on the scalp. Keep it on the hair overnight and wash it off with shampoo in the next morning. Read more on how to make garlic oil.

Hope you have understood how to use garlic oil for hair care. Garlic oil is a natural substance and can be safely used by most of the people. However, there are some people who are allergic to garlic. For them, it is advisable not to use garlic oil in any form, be it for consumption or for external application. Or else, it may give some adverse side effects.

My son's and husband's hair regimen

2011-05-06T23:36:00.000-07:00

March 2011

Winter, 2010

My husband's dreads before cutting them in 2006.

December 2011

My son's and husband have dreadlocks. My son's started locking his hair at seven years old. Actually this is his third time because my mother in law would oil his scalp with Vaseline! So, I made the decision to cut them and start over.

My husband decided in 2006 to cut his dreadlocks after growing them for 8 years. But when I was pregnant with my daughter, he decided to give it another try.

The Guy's Regimen
Wash once a week (Friday) with Dr. Bronner's magic soap.
Deep condition and scalp massage once a month with coconut oil after spritzing with my aloe vera mix.
Twist twice month with Murray's twist and lock gel. Since the boys hair is locked, I twist less. This cause less stress on the hair at the root.
Daily maintenance:
Sleep in a stain bonnet
Use grape seed, almond oil or Proclaim 7 oil for shine.
Weekly lining at the barbershop.
Note:
I don't use heavy conditioners or creams because it is difficult to rinse out. It leaves build-up. And, the residue is "locked" in the dreads
And this a regimen for locked hair. Newbies requires constant twisting than more twisting for locking.

My son's dreads

2011-05-04T22:46:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of my son's dreads. I get tons of questions and emails about his hair. I'll be posting his detailed regimen tomorrow. I have homework. Take Care.

My first bun

2011-05-04T21:34:00.000-07:00

I know I'm late. Every since I started my hair journey since 2007, I never wore a bun as a protected style. I've always relied on half wigs. Since I'm working out 6 days a week for 45 minutes to an hour, I will be rocking buns more often. Besides they're convenient if you co wash every other day like I do. Most importantly, they're super chic with an accessory like a flower!

My updated hair regimen for 2011

2011-05-02T06:50:00.000-07:00

REGIMEN
Co wash 2x week (Monday & Wednesday)
Cleanse Hair 1x week (Saturday)
Light Protein when needed(Mane n Tail Deep ) 10 to 15 minutes.
Deep Condition 1x week (Saturday) (Lustrasilk Mango and Shea Butter and with oils and glycerin) 30 t0 45 minutes or overnight.

*After six weeks post-deep moisturizing conditioner (SE Moisturizing Treatment w glycerin, honey, and oils)
Hot Oil Treatment 2x month as pre poo before protein-Monday (garlic, olive oil, coconut oil) 30 to 45 minutes with heat or overnight

Clarify at the end of each month
Baggy when needed
Moisturize and seal at night
Relax every 6 months or more
Steam treatments 2x month with deep conditioner

Products I Use

Hair Cleanser
-Hair One Cleansing Conditioner Tea Tree Oil (saturday)

Moisturizing Conditioner ( Co Washing)
-Vo5 Moisure Milks, Suave Coconut
-Dove Moisturizing Conditioner, Herbal Essence Hello Hydration( after 8 weeks post, gives good slip)

Clarifying
-VO5 Clarifying Conditioner(mint), vinegar and distilled water

PH Adjuster
-Porosity Control Conditioner (2xmonth-after protein treatment and before a relaxer)

Deep Conditioners
- SE Moisturizing Treatment, Lustrasilk Shea Butter and Mango Cholesterol

Light Proteins
-Aphogee 2 minute Keratin, Mane n Tail Deep

Hardcore Protein Treatment
-Aphogee 2 step (use 5 days before and 5 days after treatment)

Leave ins
-Aphogee Green Tea Restructurizer, Aphogee Pro Vitamin leave in. QP Elasta H Two O, HE LTRM leave-in,HE None Of Your Frizzness, Hair One , VO5 Moisture Milk.

Heat Protectant
-SE Heat Protection , Chi Silk Infusion

Moisturizer
-Shea Butter or Mango Butter (on dry hair), S-Curl Moisturizer/Activator (new growth only)

Moisture Spritz
-water, aloe vera gel, honey, tea tree oil

Sealant
- coconut oil and olive oil, regular castor, jbco mixed

Scalp oil
-coconut oil and almond oil

Mixing oils (for deep condition) and others
-castor, olive, coconut, grapeseed oil, rosemary oil, tea tree oil, vitamin E, almond oil, avocado oil, glycerin, tea tree oil, honey and molasses

Relaxers
-Mizani Butter Blends Rhelaxer for Color Treated
*mixed with a teaspoon of olive oil

*wear wigs most of the time
* do roller sets/roller wraps and braid outs on special occasions
*flat iron new growth only.
*pre poo/deep con on dry hair
*base scalp before relaxer/coat relaxed hair with a cheapie con and coconut for protection to prevent over lapping during the relaxer process.
*follow up with a deep moisturizing con after a protein treatment.

I take prenatal vitamins, biotin, garlic, and fish oil daily. And I drink plenty of cold water. I work-out 1 hour per day. It makes a difference!

-My protective style are half wigs.
I wear wigs most of the time.

I hope I was helpful!

I'm back!

2011-03-31T22:39:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the long hiatus! I'm in school online and taking traditional classes. I'll be doing some posts soon. But here are some pics of my hair, and other pictures.

Oh don't forget to enter Glam Doll Lumi giveaway for the month of April. Check out her blog and you tube channel. She's talented and has mad make-up skills. Here's the link: http://www.glamdolllumi.com/2011/04/april-giveaway-week-1.html

Miss my layers!

2010-02-28T09:09:00.001-08:00

Im currently 21 weeks post. I will relax in May.....29 weeks. Wish me Luck!

I may get my hair cut like the above pic. Picture taken Dec. 2008. I kinda miss my layers.

My hair now...the layers have grown out. Picture taken 9/25/2009. I may get a much needed trim. Im undecided.

Wig #4

2010-02-28T08:55:00.001-08:00

FREETRESS SYNTHETIC FULLCAP MONROVIA GIRL in 1B30. Purchased from hairsisters for 17.99 last summer. This is my go to summer wig!

Me rocking it last summer. Another one of my summer favs!