NOTD: Zoya Jo

I needed to wear a medium blue (my current mood...). This is two coats. I'm getting some length now but I've got quite a bit of damage to grow out. So I'm stuck filing down a little length every week for a few weeks. But geez! Look at that color. Who cares about length, right? Preeeetty.

xoxo,
A.

Braid-outs: My New Year's Resolution

Hey guys!

As the title states, I have made a personal NY resolution to do more braid-outs, which is my most hated hair style. I hate them basically because I haven't figured out how to make them look good on me. I see them on other people and catch hair envy real quick, lol. My hair is weird--the tight curl pattern makes for a good styling base, but my overall density and weight of my hair is all over the place so I have to tweak styles to hide that. So it is always a production to style my hair. Yes, having FINE HAIR is a joy *rolls eyes* lol.

But anyway, I want to start liking braid-outs because I like the pattern they create and they stretch the hair out more than twists (on me).

Here's a pic of the braids I put in

That part down the back of my head is the bane of my existence lol...

Products used:
ABBA Pure Gentle shampoo
Paul Mitchell Super-charged Moisturizer (sat under the dryer for 25 min or so)
Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie
Kukui Nut oil

Results:

I was super-duper lazy so I kept the braids in for 2 days. I had such a hard time unraveling these darn things!! I think I braid too fast because I always have these small strands get tangled up when I take the braids down. They twirl around inside braid so it's a PITA when they come down. So it's frizzy before I even get to separating them. I coated my hands with the kukui nut oil prior to separating...I needed to separate them pretty much completely to fill in the parts (that back center part esp!!) but I like that it's shiny and soft.

All in all, I am okay with the results. I will keep practicing.

If anyone has any tips for a successful braid-out, feel free to share. Also how long do you keep it in before you re-do it? Night-time maintenance?

xoxo,
A.

All You Need is Moisture

Hi guys!

I wanted to come on and write about somewhat of a light bulb moment I had recently.  I mentioned a couple of posts ago about how lazy I have been with my hair, nails, and especially my skin.  There is no other excuse for that, besides feeling too unmotivated to really go through the whole she-bang (due to life stuff).  But I realized that even when I slack off in any area, the one thing that keeps me from having to start completely over? Moisturizing.

[Source]

Moisturizing is the key to life, I believe.  If your skin is acting out of whack, itching or flaking, breaking out, etc. No matter if it's dry or oily--moisturizing will fix it. Skin is often temperamental due to dehydration.  If your cuticles look like you are about to grow another finger lol--moisturizing will keep it at bay (and can prevent nail breaks). If your hair looks like "whoshotJohn" and a little bit more, guess what? A moisturizing treatment will usually fix that too.

And let's not forget what 8-10 glasses of water each day can do for just about every aspect of life/body...

So when you are frustrated, or unsure how to fix a beauty issue...stop. Don't go and buy a ton of treatments and then try to make them all work at once. Just moisturize for a few days and then you'll see where you need to go from there.

Hope this helps someone

xoxo