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*

FAQs-Part 1

Just a few FAQs for your consumption :) more will come!

How long have you been natural?
-This Febuary (12th I think) will make 3 years...BUT I have been growing my hair out for about 4. Its important to ask how long have you been growing out your hair instead of asking how long they have been natural. Some transitioned for 2 years & then "BC", they may have only been natural for a few months when you see them.

Do you use any growth aides? (Vitamins/growth oils/etc)
-I take a multi vitamin from GNC, its not a "hair growth vitamin" either. Lol its for vegitarians. And I'm not even consistant with them. Bad Nessa, I know.

What do you use on your hair?
-I use many things. They are usually the repeat of the same products. See my staples in this post. When people ask this question, I can't help but think they think that whatever I'm using on my hair is what got it to "grow" the way it does. O_o No, our hair is always growing, its what you do to it that determines how much you retain aka how much hair you keep on your head. Funny story, I was in a grocery store one evening & these two older ladies approached me. One asked if my hair was mine,(it looked like this) then upon answering yes she asked what I use on it. I will almost always give people the exact answer they asked for. I won't go into a decription of my wash days, my regimen, finger detangling,protective styling, yada yada yada. I feel that not everyone really cares about all that lol & even if you were to tell them, they may not even take that advice because they feel its just to much work for some hair. Magic pill anyone? But anyway, I told her "crisco", because that's what I use the majority of the time. Especially on my ends if my hair is out. Gah, were they shocked!! Lol I had to throw in there that I mix it with other oils before I apply it to my hair. Boy they took that & ran w/ it! I could only imagine that they probably left the store w/ a small container of crisco & a bottle of olive oil. :-p

Do you grease your scalp?
-No,I do not. I can't remember the last time I even used grease on my hair. I really don't see the need of ME putting any kind of oil or grease on my scalp to be honest. I realize that its just something we've always done in the black community, & some people figure why should they stop. They shouldn't if its working for them. Many longer haired naturals do this with no problems. I just don't :)

How tall are you?
-Okay, this may not be a FAQ BUT its kinda an important question. I am about 5'1 or 5'2 with about 18 or 19" of hair. This puts it at the lower end of my back, I need about 20" or 21" to make waist length. For some naturals who may be a tad bit taller than me, 20" for them might put them at BSL (or bra strap length). Their torso is longer than mine, so they would probably need about 24" to make waist. Now on a child, 20" of hair just might be at their tailbone or longer depending on the height of the child. Remember this when you see somebody shorter than you, with the same amount of inches but it might be to their waist but yours is only to your bra food for thought.:)

Okay, we'll I'm going to call it quits for right now BUT I SHALL RETURN!!! Sorry its been so long since you guys have heard from me. I don't want to long of a post ;) can't have you noddin off over there.

Till next time!!
Nessa*

Real Talk:Asthma...Inhaling Reality

  A few weeks ago, I had an asthma attack. It came out of no where, & was so bad my best friend had to call EMS. A few days after that, I happen to look on Facebook & see that somebody had passed because of one. Seeing that really hit home, because as I've gotten older I've been very nonchalant about having this. And for a while, I even stopped refilling my inhalers. My mom has been struggling with asthma all her life,but she was also a smoker. So hey, I figured that since I don't smoke, I'll be just fine. Soooo many people have it, & that gave me even more reasons to shrug it off. Also, I've been battling with some serious muscle issues for almost 3 years now, so asthma continued to sit on the back burner.

  It shouldn't be that way, & should never even got to that point. I don't care how many people have it, any illness that prevents you from breathing is serious. Its shameful though, because I had to hear about someone passing for me to put this back in reality. I give thanks to my Heavenly Father,for He could've easily made that my last attack.
  I'm happy to report I have an inhaler with 200 pumps (close by I might add) ,with 5 or more refills AND another prescription with even more refills. :) You better believe Vannesa Marie is on top her game now.
  If you or someone you love also has asthma, PLEASE stay on top of yours as well. Don't wait untill some tragic event like I did to kick you into gear. Educate yourselves!! for we must be proactive, not reactive.
  
  Breathing is what we do everyday. It doesn't require much thought, if any at all. Unlike walking, talking, or feeding ourselves, it happened naturally moments after we exited our mothers womb. So simple, yet so precious. And something I won't take forgranted anymore.

For further reading:
American Lung Association
Asthma-Mayo Clinic
COPD
Asthma-Wikipedia
Asthma-Symptoms
Asthma-Preventions
Asthma-WebMD
Asthma in children
Teaching your child about asthma

            Happy New Year!!!!
  

Till next time!!
Nessa*

Photo credits:
Photo1
Photo2

Photo Fun & Length Check (pic heavy)

Hope you guys are enjoying the holidays w/ full tummys & lots of love from your friends & family!! :) anywho, this isn't anything special just a few pics. I'm so close to waistlength I can taste it!!!
Enjoy!!

Till next time!!
Nessa*

Blog Feature: Nappturally Aisha

Yet another NAPPturalista from the big apple! :) I love it!!

Tell us a little about yourself:
Hello! My name is Aisha! I'm a single mom and Social Worker who lives in NYC!
I love being a New Yorker! Especially during the Christmas season. I enjoy church, reading, Central Park, shopping and trying new restaurants!

How long have you been natural? what inspired you to start your healthy hair journey?
I've been natural for 21 months! I started to see all these girls with curly BIG hair! I realized that I had tried every single hairstyle except my OWN! I wanted to meet my hair!

Did you encounter any negativity along the way?
I encountered negativity along this journey but it just made me stronger. A guy I was dating said he didn't think I would look good after a BC. Well, I DID look good and he and I are no longer dating.
Some friends asked me, what was I going to do with my hair now. LOL! I took it all in stride. I'm very proud of my hair and what I accomplished in this time.

What is your current regimen?
My regimen to date has changed for the winter months. I wash every two weeks with Shea Moisture shampoo and deep condition with ReVe Essentials Deep Treatment. I then use Curl Junkie as a leave in. I follow with ReVe Essentials Hair & Body Moisturizer as a moisturizer.
I style my hair with a rotation of stylers. I am now using ReVe Essentials Hair & Body Creme and HoneyChile Hairlove Toasted Pumpkin & Almond Butter to seal.
My current style is a braid out. Definition for days.

Do you have any length goals or hair "heroes" :)?
My length goal is BSL (bra strap length) & I am my own hair hero.

What are some of your favorite products?
As you can tell my favorite products come from ReVe Essentials. Their Hair & Body Moisturizer is a STAPLE of mine & an absolute must have! I also like the Tresseme Naturals Conditioner, Shea Moisture Deep Treatment Masque and Naturalista Juicy Leave in conditioner.

What are some techniques that you think made this journey a tad bit easier on you?
Keeping it simple has made this journey easier for me. The more I focused on my hair and what it responded to and less on all the products I wanted to try or all the styles, etc, the easier it became for me to just...breathe. Take it one day at a time,less is more.

Do you have some advice you wouldn't mind sharing that would help someone just starting their hair journey?
My advice is that length will come with TIME and PATIENCE. Please know that it will take time to learn your hair. Don't give up so easily!

Where can we find you?(blog,facebook page,website,etc)
•http://www.facebook.com/ladyantoinette2
•aishapicott@gmail.com
•linkedin.com/in/aishapicott 

Thank you so much Aisha for sharing! And kudos to you for kickin 'ole boy to the curb ;)

Don't forget, if you would also like to be a feature on Nappturally Nessa,please send an email to; nessadodd@yahoo.com,with "Interview" in the subject bar, & I will respond back with the details.

Till next time!!!
Nessa*