Elisa shared an Instagram photo with you

Hi there,

Elisa just shared an Instagram photo with you:

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"Bangs + Poof = airport 'do #teamnatural "

Thanks,
The Instagram Team

Elisa shared an Instagram photo with you

Hi there,

Elisa just shared an Instagram photo with you:

view full image

"Stay tuned for a post about my lastest style obsession... 3 strand twists. #teamnatural "

Thanks,
The Instagram Team

Just happy and nappy

When I first started blogging about my transitioning journey, I never (1) thought that I would be able to go completely natural, (2) that I would still be natural almost 6 years later, and (3) that I would have fallen so in love with natural hair.

It is clear that a lot of things have changed in my life.  I went to business school, moved across the country, and most importantly, I married the absolute love of my life.  But my hair journey continues to changed as well.  I am no longer trying to go "from dyed and fried to happy and nappy".  Instead, I am "just happy and nappy".

Now some people have a problem with the word "nappy".  My hair is tightly curled or coiled.  I love my hair.  So yup, I am just happy and nappy.

I hope you will continue to follow me as I continue on my ever evolving hair and life journey.  Here's to a new year, new beginnings, and all things happy and nappy!

Follow me on Instagram: @kabobbell

BluePrint Juice Cleanse

BluePrint Cleanses.  Renovation Level.

Hello lovelies!  So a few days ago, I completed 3 days of the Renovation level of the BluePrint cleanse (BPC).  I've tried to do a fruit and veggie cleanse in the past and I ended up not being able to handle it (you can search on my blog for "cleanse" to check out some old posts).  I was determined to get through just 3 days of a juice cleanse as a way to purge my system of my holiday "fun" and to get myself back on track.  Before my wedding, I was in the zone and I just want to get back to that state of mind.  What I wasn't determined about, was the price.  

A good quality juice cleanse isn't cheap.  I spent weeks researching different companies across the country, only to find they were all around the same price.  I lucked up on a Rue La La "sale" and got the BPC 3 day cleanse for $155 + $30 for shipping, roughly making each juice $10.  The juices are also sold at Whole Foods for about the same price, but I liked the idea of having super fresh juice, sent to me all at once (it is shipped overnight via FedEx).  And plus, there is no guarantee that Whole Foods will have each juice that you want.

So I am not going to try and sell you on the benefits of juicing.  I'm only going to share my experience. I think so many people are curious about how I did it because I am not shy about my love of food and if  I don't eat every 2 hours, I am cranky, mean, bitchy... etc.  Which is probably why my husband wasn't too thrilled about me doing this.  So here goes.  I tried to keep a diary to detail when I drank each juice and how I was feeling, as well as the weight loss I experienced.  Just a warning, it is clear that I am an over-sharer, so if poop grosses you out, it is mentioned below.  You have been warned :).

Juices:

1. Green Juice - Kale, Apple, Ginger, Romaine, Spinach, Cucumber, Celery, Parsley, Lemon
2. PAM (my second favorite) - Pineapple, Apple, Mint
3. Green Juice - Kale, Apple, Ginger, Romaine, Spinach, Cucumber, Celery, Parsley, Lemon
4. Spicy Lemonade - Lemon, Cayenne, Agave
5. CAB - Beet, Apple, Carrot, Lemon, Ginger
6. Cashew Milk (my favorite) - Cashew, Vanilla, Cinnamin, Agave

Day 1

Until 10:30 a.m. - As instructed by BPC, I snacked on apple slices, water, and herbal tea until my juices arrived.

10:30 a.m. - #1.  Has a very strong parsley smell but the actual taste isn't overwhelmingly parsley.

12 p.m. - #2. Very refreshing and not overly sweet.

2 p.m. - #3.  Note to self.  Don't let the green juice get too warm...

4:43 p.m. - I'm feeling kind of light headed.  Why did i do this again?  Drank some water as I was leaving the office to hold me over a bit longer.

5:15 p.m. - #4.  This is good, but I wish it was spicier.

7 p.m. - I am not a huge fan of this one but it is much better than I thought.

9 p.m. - LOVE the cashew milk but it does get oddly lumpy towards the end.

Day 2

***Down 3 pounds***

7 a.m. - Drank warm water with lemon and I'm actually not hungry, but I am kind of gassy (sorry TMI, you were warned).  No poo this morning so I am drink some laxative tea (I really like Smooth Move).

8:49 a.m. - #1

11:11 a.m. - #2

1:25 p.m. - #3

3:30 p.m. - Time for some laxative tea.

5:00 p.m. - #4. Starting to feel light headed so I guess it was time for a juice.

8:00 p.m. - #5.  Sigh.  Still feeling light headed a bit. 

10 p.m. - #6.  Thank God!  Time for cashew milk!

Midnight - Bedtime

Day 3

***Down 1.4 pounds***

7 a.m. - Chamomile with lemon and then some warm water with lemon.  Still no poo.  WTF!

9 a.m. - #1

10:09 a.m. - Poo!  Finally!

11: 15 a.m. - #2

2:00 p.m. - #3

4:30 p.m. - #4.  Now I seem to have the hang of this...

7:14 p.m. - #5

10 p.m. - #6.  Wow.  I really did it.  I will miss the cashew milk though.

When I woke up the next day, I was down another pound, so I lost a total of ~5 pounds and I was back to my pre-holiday weight.  Woohoo!

Follow me on Instagram: @kabobbell

Curlformers: Attempt #1

Right now I am in the phase of falling in love with my natural hair all over again.  I was uber lazy this week and rocked a giant poof.  So I think it is time to try some new things especially since my hair is a lot longer.

Enter Curlformers.

I've been very skeptical about these curly things and the price tag ($70ish) didn't help either.  But I said, f*** it and bought the styling kit from Sally's.

At first I was skeptical and didn't think that I was going to end up with smooth curls because of my tight curl pattern.  But things turned out well!

Cleanse

1. Pre-Poo: Avocado Oil.  20 minutes.  No heat.
2. Cleanse: SheaMoisture Thickening Shampoo. Since I am not longer taking my Alopecia medicine, my dermatologist prescribed an oil treatment for my scalp.  For that reason, I am experimenting using a gentle shampoo to make sure my scalp is properly cleansed vs. cowashing.
3. Deep condition: SheaMoisture Anti-Breakage Masque + Avocado Oil + Olive Oil.  30 minutes with a plastic cap and towel on my head.  No heat.

Style

1. Detangle: Kinky Curly Knot Today
2. Hold: Kinky Curly Spiral Spritz
3. Installed Curlformers.  This took me a little over an hour simply because I didn't know what I was doing.  When I was done, I went to bed and when I woke up my hair was completely dry.  I did sleep in a scarf too in order to keep the front Curlformers off of my face.  It wasn't horrible sleeping in these things, but I didn't get solid sleep.

Finished Product

My hair is SUPER soft and the curls are pretty damn smooth.  My ends on some curls are so so but I think it is because I used too much hair for that particular curl.  I must say that I am impressed.  Now I did miss a few small pieces here and there, but for my first time, I think I did a pretty good job.  Here are a few tips:

1. Twist you hair at the root so you can easily hook it and pull through the Curlformer.
2. Use small sections.  I found that if I used too much hair for a curl, it was hard to pull through the Curlformer.
3. Resist the temptation to mess with your curls a lot.  I wish I had just left them as is and separated them  in a few days.

This may be my new 'do for the next few weeks!

Follow me on Instagram: @kabobbell

Out with the old and in with the...natural?

Hello.  My name is Elisa and I am/was hooked on weaves! 

For my wedding, I really wanted to have long beautiful curls. I should have known I would get hooked and keep weaving it up for months. Well last night I was finally sick of it and took it out *snip snip* (well actually my mom did). 

Messy poof.  Post weave removal.  Pre wash.

My hair is in pretty good shape. It's not dry at all. My ends look great because I just got a trim before my last install. But I freaked when I got all the weave was out. Why, you ask?  You know the saying "out of sight, out of mind"? Well this saying truly applies to my alopecia situation. I stopped taking my medicine back in September (that is another blog post in itself) and figured that letting my hair rest would hopefully keep my hair loss to a minimum. I don't know if my alopecia has worsened or if I am in shock because I haven't really seen my hair since June, but I am definitely feeling some kind of way. I do have some edge breakage but I am pretty confident that I can get them back on track. 

All in all, I really missed my natural hair and I am so happy to see it. I have been lusting after beautiful 'fros, twists, and poofs and now I can have all of that again.

Cleanser: Wen Sweet Almond Mint Cleansing Conditioner
Deep Conditioner: Wen Sweet Almond Mint Re Moist Intensive Hair Treatment
Detangler: Kinky Curly Knot Today
Twisting Agent: Organic Root Stimulator Lock & Twist Gel

Follow me on Instagram: @kabobbell

I need to stop being lazy...

So finally my life is starting to get back to normal.  I finished my MBA, moved to California, started my new job, and the wedding planning is wrapping up!  In the midst of all this transitioning, I did whatever it took to minimize the time it took to do my hair.  Yup, basically, I got lazy.  Real lazy.  So today I decided to not cut corners and to mix up a great deep conditioner.


And with that. I rediscovered my love for shea and avocado oil.  After I washed my hair with SheaMoisture Yucca & Aloe shampoo, I coated my hair in a mixture of shea and avocado oil and massaged it in.  Then, I applied the SheaMoisture Yucca & Aloe deep conditioner and slapped a plastic cap on my head.  I accidentally fell asleep with a towel on my head (don't ask) and when I woke up, my hair was super soft.  I easily detangled my hair with the mixture in it.  After that I used a heat protectant and used the blow dryer to dry my hair.  I changed up my two strand twist method and if it comes out cute, I will post again tomorrow with pictures and instructions.


So I am making a promise to myself (putting it in writing so I will actually be held accountable) to really start doing my hair like I used to!

Follow me on Instagram: @kabobbell

Bio-Oil - Is it the real deal?

Well hello Lovelies!

My wedding is quickly approaching (less than 6 months away) and I am trying maintain my skin care regimen.  I have been doing very well with my face regimen (I haven't had a breakout in more than 6 months) but now I am starting to pay more attention to my overall body.

A few years ago, I was about 50 pounds heavier (thankfully I have managed to lose that weight and keep it off).  I put on the weight pretty quickly, so I have stretch marks.  Luckily for me, my stretch marks aren't terribly noticeable, but I want to be as close to perfect as possible when I am lounging in sun with my new hubby on our honeymoon in Mo'orea!  With that said, I have heard about Bio-Oil for years, but never bought it.  Mainly because of the price tag - about $14 for a 2 ounce bottle. But after doing some reviews, I decided to bite the bullet.  Many black women have seen success with Bio-Oil, so I figured I would give it a shot.

The key with this product seems to be consistency.  The instructions on the bottle say to use twice a day for at least 3 months... woah.  I will definitely report back in 3 months to see if I have started to see any results.

It has been TOO long...

Hi Lovelies!  It has been WAY too long.  After my summer internship in New York City, I moved back to Ithaca for my last year at Cornell.  School mixed with wedding planning and recruiting made for a hectic life.  So for the most part, I have been rockin' my natural hair.  I did however get a weave for our engagement pictures.  Here is one for your viewing pleasure :).

Photo by Love Life Images, Inc.

So let's talk about the weave.  My weave was beautiful, but I decided to leave some of my real hair out to make it look more natural.  I have never done this before.  I usually get full weaves, not exposing any of my natural hair.  Here is a close up (you know I can't resist showing off my handsome fiancé).  This was a hasty decision because I didn't think about the maintenance for keeping my hair straight, especially since I have a trainer 3 times a week.  When my hair was freshly straightened, it blended very well with the weave (this time I used wavy Indian Remy human hair).  But as the days went on it was harder and harder to blend.  I ended up putting heat on my hair 3 times a week and using that much heat on my hair concerned me.  Since I rarely straighten my hair, I didn't want the heat to alter my curl pattern for that one section that I left out.  I was very good about using heat protecting products before any heat touched my hair, but that still didn't make me feel comfortable.

Another issue I had to deal with was due to my hair thinning due to Alopecia.  Making sure my scalp wasn't exposed was difficult and really left me feeling insecure.  I did discover "hair shadow" which is basically eyeshadow for your scalp.  The stuff is great.  I was able to put this on my scalp to give the appearance of hair; this stuff was a lifesaver.

Well I managed to leave my weave in only for one month.  I'm going to Brazil (yay) for 10 days and the thought of having to deal with the heat, humidity and my hair, was too much to think about.  I have noticed that my curls are more relaxed in that one spot that I was flat ironing on a regular basis.

I'm glad to have my natural hair back.  I'm still following my same wash, condition, and styling routine, but I am finding that I experiment with how I wear my twist outs a lot more.  Here are some pics of my latest 'do.  Also, I put a clear rinse in my hair a few months ago.  I'm sure it has rinsed by now, but I'm loving my hair color (most of the henna has grown out).

Reasonably priced products alert! Check out Pooka.

Hello lovelies.  As my internship ends, reality has set in and I'm slowly realizing that I am once again a broke student (only one more year of this, praise the Lord).

Pooka Pure and Simple is an all natural, handmade beautycare line that was conceived after the creator, Dawn Fitch, was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.  She decided to take a natural approach to hair and skincare by making her own products.  I was even happier when I realized that the products are *gasp* affordable!

  

 

I had the pleasure of trying the Shea & Olive Hair Butter (4 ounces) and the Nectar Hair Oil & Treatment (4 ounces).  Following are the ingredients for each:

Shea & Olive Hair Butter - Shea Butter, Olive Oil, Beeswax, Rosemary Oil, Lavender Oil, Fragrance
Nectar Hair Oil & Treatment - Avocado Oil, Olive Oil, Rosemary Oil, Lemon Oil, Lavender Oil, Peppermint Oil, Fragrance, Lavender Buds, Rosemary Leaf, Lemon Peel

The first thing I noticed, about both products, was the amazing smell.  Both products smell so crisp and fresh and made me even more eager to try them.  The great thing about the Nectar Hair Oil & Treatment, is that it comes with a dropper, which makes scalp application a breeze!  The Nectar Hair Oil & Treatment claims to stimulate growth which I think is something that should be evaluated on a case by case basis.  As you all know, my hair doesn't "love" oils, so I've been using the Nectar Hair Oil & Treatment for nightly scalp massages.  This product also doubles as a hot oil treatment, which I have yet to try.

I've been using the Shea & Olive Hair Butter once or twice a week as a moisturizer for my twists.  What is great about this product is that it doubles as a body moisturizer as well.

I can easily see both products becoming staples in my hair routine.  Give them a try.  I don't think you will be disappointed.