Photo Recap (pic heavy)

BEWARE!

There are tons of pictures & very little words in this post.
Hope you guys enjoy!!!

Till Next Time!!
Nessa*

Quick Tip:Being High Maintenance w/ a Low Budget

Don't buy into the hype, you do not need to use expensive name brand products to maintain natural hair OR, *gasp* products that come from the "ethnic aisle".

The trick is to find what works for YOUR hair. Cheap doesn't always mean low quality. Suave, White Rain, Tresseme, & my favorite for a few years now, Silkience, are all brands many naturals w/ kinky curly hair love & use. Those products are about 6 bucks or less. Now I understand, some will remain faithful to a particular brand, & if that's what you're hair has been thriving on then great! Roll with that!
But why break the bank, when you don't have too? :)

Till Next Time!!
Nessa*

Braiding the Roots for Control & to Decrease Tangles

A technique I've been doing on & off for a few years now is, braiding the roots of my hair.
I do this mainly to decrease the amount of tangles I get, & to have some sort of control over my hair.
I currently have 48 braided roots on my head as I speak. The more sections I have, comes more versatility with styles & the easier the process of finger detangling is. I usually will do anywhere between 30-60 sections. Below I have listed the pros & cons, so as to explain a little better.

Pros:
•Keeps hair sectioned
As a natural, we tend to keep our hair in sections during many things. Washing, moisturizing & sealing, detangling,etc. Doing that just makes our lives easier, it keeps groups of hair separate & dare I say it...more manageable. With this method, my hair stays sectioned. Styles become easier to do, since its pretty much already parted. I can even wet my entire head when wash day comes around, with out having the fear of it becoming a matted & tangled mess,because I didn't loosely braid it beforehand.

•My styles look neater at the roots If you've ever had box braids, you may have seen that even after a week or two, they still look decent. You may have a little fuzz goin on, but not much as opposed to twists which fluff up,frizz & loosen a lot faster. All it takes is a bit of gel or some other product, & a scarf left on over night for your braids to look good as new. The same principle applies to my braided roots. I can also just re do the braids in the front to refresh the style.

•Makes finger detangling easier
I simply take down each section one by one, finger detangle & rebraid. That's it!

•Shed hairs stay put
The problem with shed hairs, especially on afro textured hair is when they fall, they do not completely FALL. Meaning, they cling onto the healthy, unshed hair causing tangles & sometimes even knots . I still have some "sheddies" that gather at bottom of my hair, but its not a problem like it once was. The majority of them are caught in the braided root.

•Style versatility as if it were loose hair
I am able to do some styles, that otherwise would be a headache to do on loose hair. I just love french braids! :) but because of the length, curls, density of my hair, & probably laziness, I am not able to. You know how easy it is to braid hair that has already been braided, or even twisted? Same thing here. ;)

Cons:
•Spacey & visible parts
Because I finger part, my parts are less visible. And after a few days, I don't have that "spacey" look going on. If you're someone who loves to use a comb to part or who has less than medium density hair, know that your parts will be alot more visible.

•The roots coming unraveled
If you have a really loose curl pattern or don't braid down at least 1/4 to 1/2" it may unravel. Also, if you are relaxed or transitioning, you will need at least 1/2" of new growth to try this method & no less than medium density hair. Keep in mind that the more you wet, & condition your hair w/ the roots braided, over time they will loosen. Some may even come completly unraveled because of this, all you can do it just re braid.

•Your true length is hidden
Shrinkage is something we as naturals are extremely familier with. Depending on the tightness of our curls, it may shrink up to as much as 75% of its actual length. My hair is waistlength, but it can shrink up to my ears if I let it. When I braid or twist my hair, it automatically takes off 1"-2" of my length (I measured lol),so braiding my roots isn't any different.

This method may benefit you IF:
-Your hair is past SL (shoulder length) stretched
-The majority of your curls are tighter aka kinkier
-You have medium to high density hair, that's difficult to part with a comb.
-You have major issues with tangling/matting because your curls weigh more on the "kinkier" side

I hope that this post was helpful to somebody! let me know if you have tried this method, & how it worked out.

Till next time!!
Nessa*

YouVersion Plan- You Are Never Alone by Joyce Meyer

Grief and loneliness are major problems facing people today. The two often go together because many Christians and unbelievers grieve over being lonely. In my ministry, an increasing number of people request prayer for loneliness.

God's Word tells us plainly that we are not alone. He wants to deliver, comfort and heal us. But when you encounter painful losses in your life, you can lose sight of this simple truth.

Satan wants you to believe you are alone. He wants you to believe that no one understands how you feel, but his claims are false. In addition to God being with you, many believers understand what you are experiencing mentally and emotionally.

You are not alone now nor will you ever be, no matter what confronts you.

You may not understand much when you are hurting and the pain of loss is ripping through your soul, but know and hold on to this one truth: God loves you, and He has a future for you. Hope in Him and trust Him to turn your mourning into joy (see Isaiah 61:1-3).

Prayer Starter: God, I can't always see through my grief and loneliness, but I know that You never leave me. Help me to remember that You are near, and guide me to other believers who I can join with to fight off the enemy's attacks.

My Thoughts:
For the longest time, I kept myself away from others. Being around people made me feel uneasy, so I felt it was best that I be alone. The problem with that, is that I was alone with my thoughts & my mind was a constant battlefield. I allowed depression & suicidal thoughts to take hold of my spirit & soaked in self pity. I prayed for strength, guidance & the confidence to be around others. It was around this time, that this scripture was revealed to me:

2 Timothy 1:7 GWT

God didn’t give us a cowardly spirit but a spirit of power, love, and good judgment.

It took baby steps, but with His help I finally pulled myself out of that hole. I became more involved with my church family, & He still continues to bless me by surrounding me with encouraging people. Its great to have those around you,who have the same goal in mind, which is to know more about God & live a life that is pleasing to Him. Getting & keeping you alone,is just one of the many tricks the enemy has. Back then, I wasn't as strong in Christ as I am now. It was easy for him to get into my head & manipulate my thoughts, then kick me when I was down. But praise be to God, I have never been back to that place again. :)

Till next time!!
Nessa*

Updated Regimen Basics & PICTURES!!

This is kinda like a rough draft of the basics that I do with my hair. Some things have changed, so this is why I am reposting. I also threw in a few collage photos!!
Hope it makes sense lol if it doesn't, feel free to ask your questions in the comment section.

-1st week I wash with my black soap shampoo, usually scalp only & let the lather run down the length of the braids to cleanse them.

-2nd,3rd,4th & 5th week I rinse with water & deep condition only

-finger detangle before washing by spritzing hair with a  water/conditioner/oil mix in a spray bottle & a dime sized amount of my crisco & coconut oil cream for the ends

-wash & detangle hair in 9 sections, then loosely braid

-pre poo with my crisco & coconut oil mix

-rinse deep conditioner out with cold water

-moisturize as needed with aloe/water spritz

-use braids or bantu knots to stretch hair after moisturizing & sealing

-on "shampoo" days,I put oil on the crown of my head ontop of the lather to help prevent fuzzies

-sometimes I add honey to my deep conditioner for an added 'umpf'

I think that about covers it!

Till next time!!
Nessa*

Updated Wash Regimen & Staple Products

A few things have changed in my wash regimen, to save me some time & GRIEF :) its not much, but every little bit matters.

Staple Products
-Shea butter
-Crisco
-Safflower,castor & coconut oil
-Black soap
-Aloe vera juice
-Yes to cucumber/carrots body butter
-Silkience conditioner
-Garnier fructis come clean conditioner

(1)Wash day(soap)
(A)Wash day(water rinsing)

1/A-Dampen hair with my conditioner/water/ oil mix,finger detangle with a nickel sized amount of oil

2/B-Loosely braid hair in using 6 braids, band the ends to prevent unraveling

3-Apply soap mixture to scalp using applicator bottle, distribute a small amount of oil on the crown on top of the lather

C-Rinse hair & massage scalp w/ warm water for 5 or more minutes

4/D-Squeeze out excess water

5/E-Saturate hair with conditioner,and deep condition with cap 30 mins or a previously heated conditioner for 15 mins

6/F-Completly rinse out hair with cold water

7/G-Squeeze out excess water

8/H-Let hair dry under a tshirt or a microfiber turby for 15 mins

9/I-Moisturize with Yes To Carrots body butter, & seal w/ my crisco & coconut oil cream. Spritzing as needed if hair begins to dry,with aloe vera juice/water.

10/J-Put hair in about 20 braids for stretching

11/K-NEXT DAY-When braids are dry,take down each one & leave as is for a braid out,bun it, or do someother style

12/L-THAT NIGHT-Put hair in two ponytails using satin scrunchies. Moisturize w/ aloe vera spritz, & seal w/ crisco & coconut oil cream. Braid each ponytail, banding along the braid if needed & tucking away the ends. Mist a satin scarf w/ water, and tie it around my edges.

Length of Time:
•1hr 20mins-Prepoo,finger detangle & braid
•20 mins- Let pre poo sit
•15 mins-Water rinse or Shampoo
•20 mins-Apply conditioner for deep conditioning
•30 mins-Deep condition
•10 mins-Rinse out deep conditioner
•15 mins-Dry hair w/ turby twisty
•1 hr 40 mins-Moisturize,seal,braid for stretching

Total time-
4hrs 50mins
Roughly-5hrs

Till next time!!
Nessa*

What has helped me,on my journey to a healthier me!

These are just some of the main things that keeps me going as I continue to shape up & strengthen.
Maybe, someone else will benefit from these as well.Enjoy!

•Not punishing myself for something I ate the day before,by either excess workouts or restricting what I eat.
•Knowing that there are no "bad foods", some foods may not be the healthiest, but nothing is bad.
•Eat what I want, when I want...in moderation ;)
•Remembering that working out is more than just losing weight,for me. Its also pain management for whatever illness I have right now. Staying mobile keeps me & my muscles happy.
•Drinking 20oz water w/ every snack & meal. 10oz before & 10oz after.
•20 grams protein,5 grams fiber per meal & 10 grams protein,3-5 grams of fiber per snack
•Morning workouts before eating
•Staying active! Whether its jogging on the treadmill or swinging at the park. I love to swing!! Lol #bigkid
•Reading weight loss testimonials on CalorieCount or where ever & seeing the before & after photos.

Till next time!!
Nessa*