Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Rat Tails and Vlogs

Hey curlies, check out my video of my husband's hair getting cut... by ME! I gave him a rat tail again. Last time he had one, he had to cut it for job reasons. Now, there is no job issue. So enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDHSNSGpnNc



I have been trying to do a few vlogs as well just because. Here is the latest one. Enjoy the kiddos!



~Epic Realist~

Personal blog link: http://epicrealist.blogspot.com/
WARNING: If you are easily offended by religious debates/statements, DO NOT even attempt to read this blog.

Friday, May 23, 2014

Transitioning Styles and Tips (2009-2011)

Hiya, curlies! I wanted to post some pics here of how my hair looked when I was transitioning. I didn't have any natural products then because I couldn't afford them, so I stuck with pink lotion, very cheap leave ins (African Pride Olive Miracle) and Pantene shampoos and conditioners even though I was beginning to realize that those things were bad for my hair. But I used what I could! :-)


 


 
 

I was home most of the time, so I kept my hair twisted up a LOT. I remember how my twist outs looked, mostly stringy at the bottom and nice and fluffy at the top. I transitioned for two years because my relaxed hair was already about 16 or 17 inches long and I didn't want to lose all of my length that quickly. I don't remember getting a lot of breakage with my line of demarcation because I was very gentle with my hair then. Eventually, when I got tired of the two textures (and needed a change in life), I did my own big chop and cut my hair a little past ear length.

See my whole hair journey here! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8y9UEDQV8D4

I was never very fond of or good at updos; I love having my hair down. That's always been my signature thing. Occasionally, I'd wear a ponytail or two, but nowadays, It's rare that you'll catch me wearing a ponytail or a bun unless it's inside the house. I'm quite sure that I'd still look nice in updos, though, especially since most people say that I look Indian based on the way my head is shaped when you look at me sideways. LOL! (random)



Transitioning Tips:

1. STAY AWAY from combs! Try to do as least combing as possible to avoid breakage at the oh so fragile line of demarcation.

2. Finger detangling is always best. Don't worry; you CAN do it! If you have stubborn type 4 hair, make sure that your hair is wet and saturated with conditioner or a silky leave in before attempting to finger detangle.

3. Deep condition weekly. This was one thing that I couldn't afford to do back then, but I wish that I had been able to. My hair would have been a lot stronger, and I would have probably avoided seeing a ton of hair come out in the shower. :-/

4. Protect the ends! Yes, they are the relaxed, already damaged portion of your hair that'll eventually get whacked off, but trust me, you don't want dry, raggedy looking ends when you're trying to blend your two textures. Been there, done that. Pay more attention to those ends than anything else; seal them like you'd seal your bank account.

That's all for now, folks. Peace out!


~Epic Realist~

Personal blog link: http://epicrealist.blogspot.com/
WARNING: If you are easily offended by religious debates/statements, DO NOT even attempt to read this blog.

Monday, May 12, 2014

Baby #4 is Here! :-)

Hiya, guys! Just wanted to let you guys know that Jalani Lann was born on May 6th! If you're following me on Facebook and Twitter, you may have heard already. It was a super quick labor and natural birth as usual, and he's healthy and adorable. I may do a video about all of my birth experiences soon, but right now, I have a huge handful of kids to look after lol!
Stay tuned for new hair escapades!

~Epic Realist~

Personal blog link: http://epicrealist.blogspot.com/
WARNING: If you are easily offended by religious debates/statements, DO NOT even attempt to read this blog.

 


Saturday, May 3, 2014

New Organic Soap/Money Saving Tips

Heya! This is a post showing you guys the new natural soap that I just purchased and tried. It's amazing so far.

I ordered this stuff from Amazon.com because hubby and I were looking for an organic soap that will last with our family of five (almost six). I wanted to try a liquid body soap just to see if it would last longer than using a bar soap. Previously, we were using Dove because for a while, we couldn't afford the natural soaps that we were buying a year and a half/two years ago anymore. But now that we can again, this was a good choice because we love this stuff!
So this Dr. Woods soap smells wonderful. Some people said it smelled like licorice, but hey, that's not a bad smell to me. It's ALL natural, not one chemical or animal fat or dye it it. I love black soap anyway because it's very cleansing, so I was actually surprised to see that this stuff was moisturizing to my skin and not at all drying. We got a pack of two (about 25 bucks in total), but it's well worth it. I'm hoping that both of these bottles last us over 3-4 months. We shall see!
And the best part about it is that the whole family can use it, including baby Jalani when he comes in a few weeks. I love buying products that are versatile for the whole family because you waste a hell of a lot of money when you have to buy things separately, like lotion for you, then lotion for your kids. Hair products for you, then hair products for your kids. Detergent for you, then detergent for your kids. Some things require that, but most things don't. I am realizing that more and more that being natural with all of your products cuts way down on the amount of money you spend purchasing products that cost a ton and end up harming you in the long run anyway. We are currently using home made detergent, deodorant, disinfectant spray, baby wipes, and toothpaste right now as well as cloth diapers, and saving a ton while being more eco-friendly. That's what being natural is all about, right? It's not all about our hair looking it's curliest and freshest.

Here is my braid out from two days ago before I washed my hair. This is like, 6th or 7th day hair; I forgot! But it looked good down to the end. #progress


If you haven't tried any natural soaps, you might want to start looking into them. They are way better and healthier on your skin and Amazon.com has a ton to choose from. Hope you ladies enjoyed this post! Peace out till later, curlies!

P.S.: NEW business card design! 


~Epic Realist~

Personal blog link: http://epicrealist.blogspot.com/
WARNING: If you are easily offended by religious debates/statements, DO NOT even attempt to read this blog.