Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Natural Hair Goals for the New Year! 2015

Hiya, curly mamas! I want to do a post today about my hair goals for the upcoming year, and because I am a homeschooling SAHM and don't have a lot of free time at the moment, I will be as straightforward as possible. ;-)




My goals for this year are to:

1. Experiment with heat more. Since I am seasoned in my 'naturalness', I am no longer afraid of putting heat on my hair. Just not a lot, of course. Remember, everything in moderation... always.

2. Try a new color! Right now, the ends of my hair and my bangs are reddish, but I originally wanted a much lighter color than that. So, you might see me with a golden brown/blondish color soon. ;)

3. Reach full waist length! My hair right now is actually almost at waist length, the middle of my hair is. I've had a few setbacks, but my hair is still growing profusely. It won't be FULL waist length just yet unless I have some super growth next year or something, but I have about 6 inches left to grow before I can comfortably pull a section of my hair to my waist. :O

4. Go back to the basics and enjoy my hair! This year, I got a little caught up in some 'hair hype', like boycotting certain ingredients, but I'm at the point where if it works for me, I'm going to use it regardless of whether or not it has the 'curly girl' staple ingredients. Sue me, but I'm tired of being a little strict about my hair regimen. It's not going to kill me to use something with mineral oil in it.  >_>

My last relaxer was April 2009. I transitioned for two years, then chopped off my relaxed hair in March 2011. In March 2015 (also my birthday, yay!), I will have been fully natural for FOUR years! It's time to break out of the 'natural Nazi' box and enjoy my hair. After all, it is just hair. If it gets very damaged, I can always chop it off and grow it right back... and with all the knowledge that I've gained over the years, that shouldn't be too hard at all. ;-)

~Epic Realist~
https://www.facebook.com/curlsofinnocence





Sunday, December 28, 2014

Kisha Rose: TRIPLE Butter REVIEW! Part 1





Product review time!



I hope you guys enjoy this video! I have a part 2 up as well. Let me know what you guys think. ;)

mytriplebutter.com



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybSgRKmx-Gw&feature=autoshare



~Epic Realist~

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Holiday MEGABUN! ~VLOGMAS Day 1~

So I will try to do as many days of 'Vlogmas' as I can. Christmas is just about here now, but I'm doing what I can! #vlogger



Here is that holiday hairstyle I promised you guys. Enjoy! ;)



Monday, December 15, 2014

Holiday Hair Routines

Hiya, peeps! Hope you guys are having a great holiday season. Mine is... meh... not all that interesting, but we're all alive and grateful anyway.
For my hair, I may have a special holiday hair video put together soon, and also might straighten Syriah's hair like I do every year around Christmas (yay!). I haven't been doing too much with anyone's hair lately. We're just coming out of a super rough situation at home and still recovering from it. So everyone's hair has pretty much been protected and pinned up until wash day. I don't have time to moisturize the kid's hair every other day the way I did in the past, but that's okay because using Whipped Curly Butter on top of a leave in is all the moisture they need for a week. On the second week, I take it down, re-moisturize, and re-braid/re-twist for another week, then wash, condition, repeat.
This method works and fits my busy lifestyle now. I have little jobs that I do work from home doing, as well as homeschooling, cooking, etc. I have an actual part time job now as well that I won't be starting until January.


For my hair, I keep it twisted or braided up right after washing, and I still wash every week unless I wore twists the entire week. If I do, then I wear a twist out for the following week, then shampoo my hair.


 

So, yes, I may do some special holiday hairstyle video just to see if I can conjure up anything new and exciting. If I don't end up doing it, don't fret. Videos are still coming! The new year will bring more opportunities. I've got reviews coming up, NEW concepts, and new ideas for Curls of Innocence. I will not let life get me down to where I cannot do what I have grown to love. So stay tuned & peace out! xD

~Epic Realist~




Monday, December 8, 2014

Fake the BIG CHOP?





Heya, curlies! Check out this easy method on how you can 'fake the big chop'! ;) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0I6oZdCEI28&feature=youtu.be

Saturday, December 6, 2014

Back to Good Health ASAP!

Hola, curly mamas! Today I wanted to talk about health. I don't mean hair health; I mean my overall health.
When I first went to college in 2005 (Art Institute), I was still living at home with my parents. I had to take a bus and a 45 minute train ride to get there. I remember the reality of being a little bit 'on my own' hit me, and I realized that my mother was no longer around to tell me what to eat anymore. So, I immediately took my health into my own hands... and became obsessed with the topic of health and fitness.
Now I was already pretty healthy back then. No illnesses, fast and energetic, 5-4, 115 lb 17 year old. I also lifted weights at home and did home workouts on schedule. I literally had a schedule on my wall of what exercises I'd do and what days. My stomach was practically non-existent. It was fun. But I didn't always eat the healthiest. My family and I were always on the run, hustling and bustling out the door in the morning, each of us headed in different directions. You guys know how that can be. Still, I ate oatmeal nearly every morning and a slice of turkey meat, with a piece  of fruit if possible. I did my best to eat well, even though dinnertime was always rushed, too.
But college was different because I was definitely 'out there' and not close to home. I saw the options that the school had grazing their deli and coffee bar menus and I was NOT impressed. Hot dogs, burgers, nachos, chicken tenders, fries, you know the deal. The school didn't have much of a campus, so there was the deli to eat at or else leave the school and walk up the street to a fast food place. I knew I would easily pick up bad eating habits at this rate.
So when I realized what I was up against, I began to really pay attention to what I ate. I brought healthier food from home a lot to warm in the deli microwave. My hubby and I, who were only dating at the time, found a restaurant close by that sold better food, like enchiladas, smoothies, veggie burgers, huge fruit cups, and granola bars. They were expensive, ( 7 bucks and up for a combo meal) but we ate there a lot anyway!
This was when the FUZE drinks had just come out... those and the NAKED drinks. I fell in love with ALL of them. I remember buying the FUZE Green Tea drink almost every day. Also, the Vitamin waters were a fave of mine. I began to not count calories, but to examine each and every ingredient that was in these things. I spent extra after school hours, pouring through the internet and gathering, saving, printing out articles and articles of health information. Yeah, I was a bit obsessed then. I boycotted aspartame and anything that had Splenda in it. I stopped drinking soda completely.
I also had an entire notebook that I used as a food diary. I made sure the best I could that I ate 4-5 servings of fruits and veggies daily, and I guzzled water like a fish. I skipped the shuttle to the train station every day and walked the quarter of a mile there. I was in the best shape of my life then.
I say all that to say that somewhere along the line, I completely lost focus of that. Actually, I already know what happened. I got pregnant like, right after getting married, and because I was already kind of underweight, I needed to eat. Everyone around me fed me! After having Syriah, I was about 135 lbs, which actually looked good on me. But I got pregnant with Jamian when she was 8 months old. Ever since then, I have completely lost my exercise routine and good eating habits, and everything else that came with that. Having baby after baby within a year or year and a half in between had completely transformed my body. I'm not even close to being as healthy anymore. I have poured on the junk foods over the years, not having a job and being a stay at home mom (and dealing with the aftermath of abuse). I had 4 kids and I am currently 165 pounds.  90% of that is my stomach! Now, it is really time for me to take my health back with force.
I have already been working on this since my last child, who is 7 months today, was born. 




I recently found this ring that I used to wear back then to remind me to eat better. I think that it came with a FUZE drink back then or something. I had totally forgotten about it, and I am going to start wearing this thing every day again. It used to be so loose on my finger years ago, and now, my fingers are much fatter, and the ring fits perfectly.


It's easy to get caught up having babies and gaining weight on top of weight. But it's not easy to get your health back once it's being threatened. My heart palpitates a lot now, my legs cramp and tingle a lot, and I get a lot of headaches. When I stand up, I feel lightheaded and dizzy. I don't get enough sleep most of the time. I don't move enough anymore because I network online a lot and play computer games (MMOs). My hands and feet swell when I eat a lot of salt as if I'm still pregnant. When I make my kid's food and snacks, I often end up eating tidbits of their stuff, which isn't helping me. So, I really have to do better with my health. I miss the way I used to look, feel, and carry myself. Now it's going to be hard to keep up with a food diary now because I'm a busy mom documenting baby feedings, homeschool lessons, bills, and grocery lists, but I have been eating more fruits and veggies now than I have in the last month or two. I drink more smoothies because they are quick and effective. Oatmeal (not the instant kind) is still my go-to breakfast. Every day, I do a little exercise, even if I don't feel like it. It may be 20 squats, or 20 leg lifts, 10 push-ups, crunches, lunges, jumping jacks, sometimes all of the above. It gets better every day, and I am really taking my health back by force. I have 4 YOUNG kids; I can't afford to be lazy and sluggish!
I keep saying that I will get up early in the morning and go outside and jog, but I have yet to do that. Again, I go to bed too late and get up late. By that time, the kids are awake and mega hungry. Ugh. Oh, well. Good health and fitness takes time and I am steadily working on it every day. It would help if my kids actually wanted to exercise WITH me, but they always decline and dance by themselves when they think I'm not looking. LOL!
Anyway, with that being said, I need to get up right now, put these soaked red beans on the stove to cook, and do some stretches. Sorry for the uber long post that has nothing to do with hair, but I just wanted to share this story with ya. Thanks for reading, guys. Remember to #eatbetter! ;)

What are your health struggles? How have you gotten off the bandwagon?

~Epic Realist~



Saturday, November 29, 2014

Got Gorilla Snot? (REVIEW)

Hola, curly mamas! This is my mini product haul. I had ten bucks to spend and I was out of conditioner AND leave in, so I found new products to try. By the way, that leave in is full of proteins, so my hair will probably act up with it, but I wanted to try it anyway. 
I finally found that Gorilla Snot that everyone in the Facebook 'Beads, Braids, & Beyond' hair group always raves about! Walmart actually had it this time. This is a Mexican product, so most of the text is in Spanish. I have already tried it all of these products, but this Gorilla Snot is the main one I have been aching to try.
Quite frankly, I was a little intimidated to try something with this name. I mean, wouldn't you? What it it really was gorilla's snot? LOL! #IJS

 

Gorilla Snot Review

Consistency: VERY gooey/gluey substance. Extremely sticky!
Look: Yellow and slimy
Smell:  very light chemically smell, not strong
Ingredients: Water, PVP (used for crunchy hold) Alcohol, PEG-150, Sorbitol (binds water), Hydroxyethylcellulose, Triethanolamine, Carbomer, Cyamopsis Tetragonoloba Gum (Guar), Fragrance, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Yellow 10 (CI 47005), Yellow 6 (CI 15985), Green 8 (CI 59040)
Not at all the best ingredients, especially the alcohol, and I haven't used any alcohol products in ages, and the artificial colors are a no-no
Effectiveness: Highly effective for slicking down hair; however, it has the tendency to leave white flakes after a day (in my hair, that is). Didn't do so in Syriah's hair for some reason when I left her hair twisted with this stuff
Overall grade: B+
Why: This gel is AWESOME for slicking down every little piece of hair that sticks up, BUT the hold is way too crunchy for my taste. I would honestly never try this gel for a wash and go because my hair would be rock hard and would probably barely even move after drying.  Also, I'm not fond of the color additives. They're totally unnecessary. But for edges, this product is BEAST! Yes, I would use it again, but sparingly.

So, that's my review for this product. Keep a look out on YouTube. I will have a video review on this soon. Hope you enjoyed this review! Peace out and Happy Holidays! <3

~Epic Realist~

Saturday, November 22, 2014

Once Upon a Curly Clan...


Heya, curly mamas! I just wanted to upload some pics of my kid's recent hairstyles. 


Riah

 



















Jam 






Mari





Lani (6 months)



These styles were done with a leave in and a gel (except the baby) and lasted a whole week. When I take Mari's hair out after a week, the moisture is phenomenal when I protect her hair in styles like this. Then she can rock a twist out/braid out for the next week before I wash. I absolutely cannot wash every kid's hair every week, so I've pushed their hair washing days to biweekly instead of weekly (except the baby who's hair gets washed during baths).  It's just too much freakin work! lol
I've started selling my whipped shea butter again as well, so it's been super busy around here. I'm still homeschooling and cooking and all that other SAHM jazz. So hair is sometimes at the bottom of the list. But moisture is still a top priority for everyone, regardless!


 

 

So that's my quick update for now. Got babies to feed and housework to do, even though it's Saturday. Blah. Hope you enjoy the hair pics! If you check out my YouTube, I am doing a series on my DIY avocado and banana deep conditioner. ;) 

Peace out! 
~Epic Realist~




Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Watch My Hair REVERT Back To Curly!

 

So, this is the follow up video I mentioned that I was going to do on my previous blog post! This is how I made my hair revert back to curly. I got NO heat damage! Hope you guys enjoy this video! The style is slightly different than what I usually do, but I still enjoyed it.



Peace! ~Epic Realist~

Monday, November 10, 2014

Did I Get Heat Damage? O_O

Heya, peeps! I wanted to mention that I washed my straight hair out a few days ago. I couldn't take the itch! It was straight for a week like always, and then my scalp was on fire as it always is when I don't wash my hair every week. I missed my curls, anyway. This is why I can never do protective styles and keep them longer than two weeks, because my scalp starts to feel like needles after about 7 days. -___-
Now, I have wet my scalp and added some oil sometimes when my scalp itches, and then gave it a little massage to loosen up whatever is causing my scalp to itch in the first place. But unfortunately, it's only temporary. The relief is there for a little while, about a day and then it's back to Itch City. I don't have any tea tree oil, which I have heard is great for itch.
Soooo, on wash day, I sprayed my hair with aloe vera juice and water that I had in the fridge and watched my hair revert. I added EVOO along with that onto my hair and scalp as a pre-poo and then covered my hair with a plastic bag for two hours. Felt so good using something cold on my scalp! I made a video doing this process that I will edit and upload soon.
I washed my hair with a cheap sulfate shampoo and did an ACV rinse afterward. My hair felt amazing, and not an OUNCE of heat damage. Woo hoo!
Don't get me wrong; I'm going to miss my straight hair. I don't do it often, so when I do, it's wonderful. It looked amazing, too, as you can tell from the pic of me and my hubby lol! But it's all good. No heat damage. Three years natural, almost four. I know my hair now, and I am doing a great job with it. Yay!
Stay tuned to my YouTube channel. I have more videos coming up, including family vlogs! ;)
www.youtube.com/curlsofinnocence


Peace out till later, curly mamas!

~Epic Realist~