Stand Up and Cheer on the Heavy Days!

So what do I mean...  stand up and cheer on the heavy days?  Well, I am not sure about everyone else in the world, but some of my days seem SUPER heavy.  Concerns over finances...  concerns over personal health.... concerns about aging parents...  concerns about my children leaving the nest and heading out into this big, crazy world...  SCREECH!!!!  Let's turn off this pity party and get the cheering started (corny I know LOL)--

I was reading Facebook today, and one of my friend's from high school posted a quote by Henry David Thoreau.  "Wealth is the ability to fully experience life."

Our life experience is not just happy times... but also times of change and growth... times of sadness... times of feeling lonely...  All of it makes up the story of us as individuals.  We can't just have our fairy tale "and she lived happily ever after" part.  So, if you feel anxious and out of sorts, pull those  poms poms out and start cheering--  because all of it is part of your story!  You may not feel like cheering... but just start doing it-- because once you start, I am sure you can think of several things to cheer about!

What I am cheering about today:

• Good Health
• Sunshine
• Warm Puppy Kisses (who is really not a puppy anymore, but I refer to him as such because he is so cute and adorable)
• ... and even the "heavy stuff"-- 'cause at the end of the chapter...  I will learn something new...   I will have more empathy for my fellow man...  I will be stronger...  

I AM CHEERING!!!

Weekly Transition Wash Routine

Part of transitioning from relaxed to natural is finding a weekly routine that address two different hair textures.  This current regimen seems to work well for D.W.'s hair.

Detangle:

Before washing D.W.'s hair, I detangle.  This helps keep any shed hair from causing additional knots and mattes.

First, I thoroughly wet her hair under warm water.  I separate her hair into four equal sections.  I apply conditioner to each section and detangle using my Tangle Teezer (working from tip to root).  I continue until her hair is completely detangled.

Purchased at Target

Wet sectioned detangled hair

 Cleanse/Shampoo*

Once per week I will cleanse/shampoo her scalp and hair.  I use warm water to loosen up any product that has been used to style her hair, and then I apply the cleanser/shampoo.  I only do 1 wash.

Hair One purchased at Sally's Beauty Supply/ Aveeno purchased at Target

Conditioner

Next, I deep condition her hair with either the Silk Elements Moisturizing Treatment or the Silk Elements Intense Conditioning Mayonnaise Treatment.  I leave this on her hair for about 30 minutes with a plastic cap.  I rinse with cool water.

Purchased at Sally's Beauty Supply

Leave-in:

After thoroughly rinsing the conditioner from her hair, I apply a leave-in.  Currently I am using a mixture that was made popular by Kim Luv from Kimmaytube on YouTube.  I use the Shea Moisture Curl and Style Milk as my conditioner.

2 tablespoons of your preferred conditioner (silicone free)
2 tablespoons of (Whole leaf version) Aloe Vera Juice with a pH 4.0 or 4.5
2 teaspoons of Castor Oil
2 teaspoons of Jojoba Oil

Purchased at Target

10 months into transition with leave-in mixture applied to wet hair

That's it--  Check back soon for more updates!
*Note:  I only use the sulfate free shampoo every 4th wash week.  All other weeks I use the Hair One Hair Cleanser and Conditioner.

Getting back to natural... without the BIG CHOP! (A preteen's journey)

Introducing my youngest daughter, DW (12 years old)--

For the past 10 months, I have been transitioning DW from relaxed to natural.  I decided it was time to stop relaxing!  I have been natural for many years, and my oldest daughter, Asia from www.youtube.com/girlsloveglamour, has been natural since 2010 (transitioned for a year).  DW was ready for the journey, but had no desire to cut her hair off in a drastic big chop.  My plan is to transition her over a period of 24 months with regular trims.

This feels like a brand new journey because her natural hair texture is different from Asia's.  As a matter of fact, we all have different textures.   I like that though--  It is exciting finding different products that work with our different hair types!

This picture was taken at the 6 month mark.  Her official transition start date was April 1, 2012.

October 2012 (6 months transitioning-- wet hair)

6 months transitioning

Today is hair wash day, so I will post a 10 month comparison picture soon!

Introduction

Welcome to my blog!  I have thought about doing this for a long time, but FINALLY I am taking time to turn my thoughts into action.

 

Thanks so much for stopping by... and check back soon for regular updates!