Summer Hair Affair

Aaahh, it feels good to be back!

My apologies for the unintentional hiatus. Everything just turned into one big whirlwind of events overnight....so it seemed. Ah, maybe it did lol. Between my last post and this post, I have aced more exams, discovered new hairstyles, and graduated from college. Yay me!! lol.

I played with the idea of wearing my hair in a natural/curly style for graduation but unfortunately that didn't materialize. I decided to stick with what I was used to (judge if you want, I really don't care lol) which is my slick straight press. My hair was banging and it lasted a good while through all the heat and anti-heat and everything. Well almost everything; it didn't outlast my sebhorreic dermatitis! Argh!! I had to wash my hair even though I didn't want to (wanted my money's worth of flaunting my length lol).

Flash-forward to today which marks a full month since I graduated (yay!!) and my hair is in twists. Cute twists might I add. I have been slacking on my posts and taking hair shots....and posting them.....but I promise I will make that all up this week. I have soooo many pics to share from graduation and before graduation when I experimented with a style I hold dear to me. I am going to name my hairstyle soon enough but it fits me so well that I may just name it after myself :)

Sooooo many things to come. Pics, pics and more pics!
Stay tuned!

~Lena

MaxiGlide Hair Straightener

No.....your eyes aren't deceiving you. It says hair straightener. Don't get it twisted *haha* I LOOOOVVVVVEE my natural kinks and curls, but I also love versatility. I wanted to be able to straighten my hair myself without it looking as damaged as I know those hot plates make it (protected or not!). I was going to get an InStyler at first but that price!! And too many cons to name!! In my research I kept reading that it blows up and stuff. The pros didn't outweigh the cons at all for me. When I asked about the InStyler on the CN forums a very helpful chica over there mentioned the MaxiGlide.

I had neeeeeeever ever ever ever heard about a MaxiGlide. I was intrigued. She gave a link to a lady's blog who has beautiful natural hair and uses the glide to straighten her hair from time to time. I saw those pics and was sold :) A steam feature? Perfectly spaced ceramic teeth on one of the plates?? For detangling?? Ooooh yeaaaa lol **Don't be fooled though, you still have to do your own detangling before the little teeth do anything, and don't press hard....glide---so I've read**

I wanted soooo bad to be able to go to a store and get one but HSN.com has bundles for the price of just the straightener by itself. It comes with a miniglide for those roots (ooooh! the possibilites), Maxius shampoo and conditioner, an after-shine product, heat protector, an instructional dvd, and a detangling brush :)

I wasn't home to get my package yesterday so hopefully UPS will try again after I get home so I can use this thing asap.

Reviews and HD pics coming soon....Promise

~Later

Summer Stylin

There has been an ongoing indecisiveness about what to do with my hair lately. I've been rocking my pony puffs like its nothing for the past month I believe. It's quick, it's easy, it has been my staple style. I need something new asap, or I'm going to scream!! lol "Where's your beloved weave?" you may ask. Well, those plans changed; not because I changed my mind, but the person I was counting on to do it backed out on me. I wanted sleek-straightness instead of curliness (in the weave that is) simply because I don't want to have it in forever for it to end up looking a hot-a-mess in the long run. With a straight weave (especially with the grade-A+++ stuff) you can get away with pulling it back in a low ponytail until you get it redone or taken out if it gets to looking a mess. With a big fake curly mane....no....lol. You wouldn't be able to hide those frizzy lookin things. Back in a pony? I've never seen it done and I don't want to waste time or money trying to find out.

So until I can convince myself to get a curly weave, I am trying to figure out a natural style that I can rock that is cute and different from my usual. Oh yea...a cute, natural, new style that I can rock that won't be destroyed by winds associated with rollercoaster drops! lol Yes, an amusement park trip is in order soon and I don't want to spend an arm and a leg at my natural hair salon on the straw-set that I've been dying to get just so a week later it gets attacked by monster forces(i.e wind, humidity). The same goes for that curly weave. What would that look like? I dunno. Given that it takes me forever to do my hair in twists, shall I embark down that treacherous route? I dunno. Maybe I'll crack and get the curliness anyway. Omg...the madness! haha

Ladies, what have your summer styles been thus far? What do you plan on trying for the remainder of it? Spill it :)

~Jolie


Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse in Caramel-playing with make-up to hide my skin crisis

To Weave Or Not To Weave......

Buen Dia Todos,

During this waiting period to see the changes in my henna sample I've seen nothing. The hair I applied it to is soft and smells great but the color change is subtle. This leads me to believe it will get deeper with time and more applications but I don't know exactly what that would look like on me, on my hair. So..... I have decided to add another sample application to see if any real dramatic color changes occur. The last thing I want is to order tons of henna for my hair only to end up with greatly conditioned hair of a color I don't like lol. The conditioning I want; unapproved color I don't want. Looks like another henna application will occur soon. Very soon.

In other news, after much thought and careful consideration I have decided not to straighten my hair for the rest of the year. *people gasp with shock* I know, I know. It will indeed be a challenge, but I feel that it is time to give my hair a break from pressing combs and flat irons for a while. I want my babies (hair strands) to be comfortable as they are and not have to get tortured every few months. My initial plan was to get it straightened every few months to monitor growth but I feel that doing so will only keep me from my goal length (APL to BSL). Getting my hair straightened has been the norm for my hair since I was little. If it wasn't getting pressed, then it was getting chemical baths (relaxers), and vice versa. I haven't seen my hair in its natural state since I was.....hell I don't really remember, but its been time for a change. I have decided that if I am going to wear it straightened it will be done via some other means. Meaning....rollersets and weave. Up until my visit to that natural hair salon I went to for my teeny-weeny two-strand twists, I hadn't had rollers in my hair since I was a little girl. Now that seems to be my way to go for super tight curls and brushed out straightness.

I've never been a real big weave person mainly because I always had long hair and it was etched in my brain from lack of information and scowls from people close to me that weaves were for super-short haired women, hoodrats, and generally people who thought long silky/wavy/curly/blonde/red/brown hair they weren't born with was the way to go. That was until I found out that wearing weaves is a good way to protect your natural hair from the elements and heat styling, over processing, etc---as long as your natural hair underneath is cared for properly. I was intrigued when I heard this b/c with my hair being APL in the past, few people would question whether or not the hair on my head was mine or not. As long as I have the funds for some great quality hair and someone to do it for me, who knows what the heck they're doing, I will have that sleek look that I'm used to. PLUS, I could experiment with different styles, lengths, and colors without doing major harm to my tresses. Of course from time to time I would leave the weave alone and let my natural hair breathe and be free for a little bit.

I really want to do this. I really do. If and when I do it, pics will be posted.

This summer it is going to be all about protecting what's mine.

Peace