Project

So I have to say that this month has gone by a lot faster than I first thought it would.  The first week was horrible but after I got into the groove of going back to work and also having my sister here to keep me company things went by pretty quick.  I only have two more weeks of work to go and then I will be headed to NM to see my family.  I am getting pretty excited too.  It is going to be really nice having the time to spend with everyone.  I have been missing the bf like crazy that is for sure.  We text almost every day though and have been able to skype and face time a couple of times.  It makes things a bit easier.   

So as I mentioned before I did start a project and have finally finished after taking a little over a two week break but I am very excited to share it with you guys.

A friend of mine wanted to repaint her guest bedroom.  So after looking at a few different ideas this is what we did.

It is really hard to see here but this is where I sketched the outline.

Finally started painting...

All done of the base.

Time for some details...

Sister snapped a pic of me lol.

And the finished result.

I am really really happy with the way that it turned out and it was a ton of fun to do.  So that is also what I have been working on.  Like I mentioned I did take a break from finishing it so it took a while to get done.

The other news that I have is I have decided to go all natural with my hair.  I am likely going to toss my hair dryer and straightener.  No more sulfate shampoos or silcone conditioners, no more washing my hair every single morning because you really aren't supposed to, and no more styling product. 

It has only been about a week but so far I am really happy and loving my hair.  I am also excited about actually finding a way to not mess up my hair at night so that it is actually decent in the morning.

So here is the before picture.  This is right when I decided to make this change and my hair having been washed everyday at that point and has product in it.

Its dry frizzy, poofy, and just messy and this pic is also a good hair day as far as not making an effort to straighten or curl it.

So this picture is after the first wash with my new products which I will list in a bit.

It is definitely more ringlety which I like a lot specially after it completely drys and gets a bit of volume.  I think it helps that I scrunched my hair dry instead of wrapping it.  I also used a T-shirt and not a towel. (because I don't have a microfiber towel.)  I have read a lot that regular towels specially for curly haired curls will pull all the moisture out of your hair and wrapping it pulls out the natural shape of your curls.  

So scrunch scrunch scrunch...

This is second day hair in the next pic....  Definitely a bit of frizz but it is at least doable and I can go out and be seen lol.  Normally if I sleep on my hair it is CRAZY when I wake up in the morning.  I invested in a satin pillowcase though so there is less friction on my hair.  Also instead of braiding, I flipped my head upside down and pulled all my hair HALF way through an elastic band.  That way when I stand up right it is this really high, loose, giant fan bun thing.  I only wrap once so that it will not crease my hair.  So when I wake up in the morning there are a few fallen out strands but for the most part most of the frizz can be tamed with water and curling with my fingers. 

Third day hair was a bit different.  It looked fine at a passing glance but at that point there were more tangles than frizz.  Which I was probably the only one who would have noticed but it made me self conscious, so using my fingers I brushed it out the best I could and then threw it into a clip and called it good. 

Oh and just to throw this out there though I am sure most of you have assumed.  Just because I am not washing my hair does not mean I am not showering.  Totally showering everyday just not washing my hair.

Anyways....

So this is after the second wash...  It does have some "product" in it.  But I was just something I made.  In a 6 oz spray bottle I put about 3 tsps. of conditioner and 5 drops of coconut oil and filled the rest up with water.  When I got out of the shower with my hair still really wet I sprayed it all over and then scrunched my hair dry.

I tried to lighten the photo up the best I could so you could see the curl.  But I am REALLY REALLY happy with how they turned out today.

So anyways enough pictures of me.  But I wanted to show the difference since I have started.  I can see a difference I hope everyone else can to.

So these are the products that I am using...

I use the coconut oil not only for the spray but also for when I am in the shower.  I don't think I am going to use this every single time but to start off I have been.  So when I shower I shampoo and then I scoop this and run it through the length of my hair, avoiding the top and scalp, until it is nice and coated.  Then I add my conditioner on top of it still avoiding scalp and the top bit of my hair.  I haven't really decided whether or not this counter productive or not, to use both products at the same time.  I don't think so because the coconut oil doesn't give your hair that slickness that conditioner does.  So when I use my wide tooth comb to comb out my hair (only time I comb my hair at all) the conditioner really helps to make that easier.  After I have finished combing it out I just let it sit while I finish up my other shower activities.  When I do rinse it out it does take a little bit extra time to get rid of the slightly oily feeling.  It isn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be though.  The jar of coconut oil cost me nearly $10 at Walmart and the suave was only $1.50 at Walmart as well.  Which is pretty awesome that the conditioner is a pretty good one and cheap.

Oh and just to throw it out there I am choosing to go silicone free with conditioner because the silicone creates a tubing around your hair that doesn't allow moisture to get in.  I choose to go with the coconut oil over another oil because it seemed like the shower use would be the easiest with it since it has a cream like texture and also because it promotes hair growth.  

This is the shampoo I decided to go with.  This was much harder to find than the conditioner.  All shampoos have sulfate it is nuts.  I was able to find it at Walmart as well though it is a bit expensive at nearly $10.  I am only using it for my scalp though so it should last a while.  This brand also has a line geared towards curly haired girls but it had sulfate in it while this one does not.  Weird.

The reason for no sulfate is because it strips your hair of its natural oils and drys it out.  I am still getting used to it since sulfate is what helps the soap lather.  I am so used to the lather that using this I feel like my hair isn't getting clean even though it is.

So yeah...  Fun stuff.

I hope that you all are doing well.  Sorry that it has been a while since I have posted.  I will try to keep you all updated on the visit with the family.  =)

Oh and I do think it is necessary to say that pretty much all these new products and techniques I discovered from an amazing youtube channel CurlyPenny.  Here is the link to her channel where I got all these great tips.  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCD0XqR_pfjolXudnjkeHgIw