KCCM Challenge and CurlMart Haul

Heya, curlies! Here are my results from the KCCM Spring Challenge 2014, Week 5! I'm very impressed with my growth. So close to waist length! I really hope that I win the challenge this time. I could sure use that $100 worth of Shea Moisture products! That'll probably last me and my fam for almost the rest of the year LMAO! And you know we have a ton of hair...

I got to order from the famous CurlMart a few days ago for the first time ever and my items have arrived! Wanna know what I got? Stay tuned to meh YouTube channel for a vid! ;)

Curls of Innocence YouTube channel!

Peace out, curly mamas! Stay curly!

~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.

MAJOR Breakage & Sally's Haul

Heya, guys! I wanted to show you what's been going on with my hair lately. I've had a hair setback that I'm not too proud of. :(  Natural Hair Setback

Check out the video link or click the picture above to see the details.

I am hoping that this breakage is irreversible. I did some research and went to Sally's to get an ApHogee product that I had heard raves about as far as restoring damaged hair. It was seven dollars and change for the small bottle, so I hope that it works for me!
I got the ApHogee Keratin 2 Minute Reconstructor, which is apparently notorious for helping to strengthen and repair hair. I was careful to get this one and not the protein treatment, because a load of protein is the last thing my hair needs right now lol! I got the Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie (an old fave) mostly for my daughters because my hair especially can't handle protein during the colder months. Although this product only has silk protein in it, it still has coconut oil in it, which adds more protein. And you know from a previous post how my hair feels about protein during the colder months. LOL! But for my kids, it works just fine without the crispy feeling the next day.
The last thing I got from Sallys was the satin scarf in the picture. One of my other satin bonnets had recently fallen apart. The elastic was stretched out really bad and basically, the thing had to be discarded. So I threw it away and got this new kind for two bucks. Here's a pic of me wearing it. lol

I am still doing the KCCM challenge this winter, although it's been rough keeping up with it and my three busy kids and their homeschooling/mischief. But I'm doing it! So that's my update for now. I'll let you guys know how the ApHogee worked out for me... as soon as I get a chance to use it. LOL!

Peace out, till later, curly mamas!

~Epic Realist~

Click Diva chic's pic above to see her newest hair video! ;)

My Recent Length Checks... and Hair Tip #5

Hola, curly mamas!

I haven't posted about MY length checks in a while. Life has been... well, life. Three kids under four, marriage, homeschooling, working from home, housework, the list goes on. So today, I will show you guys how my hair has been doing lately as far as my growth.

I am beyond pleased with my results lately. Shea Moisture products, deep conditioning, and those KCCM challenges have really been working! I've also been doing more protective styling... mini braids, twists, buns, etc. This is a lot of growth for two months.

Now the last KCCM challenge I was in, I had to basically drop out of because I was without internet for a little while. So I couldn't do my check in questions every week. But I am so ready for the next castor oil challenge, which is coming up in September.

Waist length hair, here I come! Hehe.

The ends of my hair and whatever portion of hair that I dyed back in April is still healthy. I haven't been able to purchase another dye just yet to enhance the color that I have, but the little red that I have in my hair is moisturized and strong. I keep water on my hair, and always seal with oil. Coloring my hair hasn't damaged it at all, and I'm very grateful for that. 

Hair Tip #5

The trick to permanently dying your hair is that before you even attempt to do it, your hair should be in TIP TOP shape. By tip top, I mean your hair shouldn't be a stage where it's falling out a lot, with tons of split ends, excessive dryness, bad breakage, none of that. If you don't feel that your hair is at it's best, DO NOT DYE IT until it is! You're only going to cause more harm to it. Your ends are probably going to feel brittle and break off. Doctor your hair up for a while and then try dying. 

If you feel that your hair is already in tip top shape, then by all means, go ahead and try some bold color! ;)

So that's my advice for today. Peace out till later! Take care of your curls!

~Epic Realist~

KCCM Summer Challenge, Week 5

KCCM Summer Challenge, Week 5

1. What are your favorite natural hair styles? How long does it take you to style your hair this way? Which products do you use to get the best results of this style?

My favorite styles are twists, twist outs, and braid-outs. It doesn't take that long to fix my hair the previous night for a twist out, unless I feel like doing small twists or braids. I like to use my whipped shea butter on wet hair for definition and moisture. If I don't use that, I use Shea Moisture leave ins.

2. How did you do last week (week 4)? Did you follow through with your goals? Any challenges thus far? Did well as usual. I used the castor oil on my edges and scalp after wetting it.

3. Based on your length check pics, can you see a difference in thickness or length yet? For those of you focusing on your edges, are they growing in? Oh, yes. I see length already, and I am loving iiiiiit! ;)

4. Post your length check pics! Done! ;)

~Epic Realist~

Third Time Around: KCCM Challenge, WEEK 4

So, I'm doing the KCCM challenge yet again. Looks like I'm going to be continuously doing these until I win (hehe), so I might as well same some of my answers here to copy and paste for the future. If there are any changes, I will make them on the challenge page. 

1. There are so many products on the market, what are your favorites for washing? What are your favorites for moisturizing/styling? What qualities does a product have to have in order to become one of your favorites?

I LOVE all Shea Moisture shampoos. They are a staple for me until I actually feel like trying something else. I also love anything Shea Moisture... their conditioners, their deep conditioners, everything. I tend to use their deep conditioners as a leave in, especially the deep treatment masque in the tan packaging. A product has to be at least 90% natural for me to even consider it. No mineral oil, no waxes, sulfates, or parabens, and especially no odd colors.

2. Since using the castor oil, has your hair seen any of the benefits listed in the list above? Which ones?

Oh, yes. I have had lots of growth as usual, as well as baby soft hair. Since the last two challenges I've participated in, I have grown in my baby hairs very well, and dandruff is a thing of the past.

3. How did you use Castor Oil in your hair last week (week 3). Did you find yourself losing momentum or are you still going hard?

I never lose momentum. LOL! I am still going hard, using castor oil on my scalp every other day, on my edges, and on my ends.

4. (optional) Share a pic of your natural hair in one of your favorite styles!

Done! I LOVE braid outs.

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I hope that you guys are getting great results as well with this. I love castor oil!

~Epic Realist~

I Can Haz Length Check Update? ^^

Morning, curly mamas! I wore a protective style updo yesterday, which is very rare because I like to show my length. I'm a complete sucker for long hair, always have been. I wear my hair in protective styles all day long at home, so when I go out, I like to have it down and out.
But it was cold and rainy (ugh, bipolar weather), so I pinned it into a low messy bun with a scarf. I don't have many scarves. I used one that I recently got for two bucks at the beauty supply store and tied it up. It came out better than I thought.

I also have a length check update. I can say that I'm offically BSL now! This is with me trimming off about two inches of it last month to get rid of straggly ends, but my hair is growing ridiculously fast lately. Between the vitamins that I started taking and the constant use of castor oil, my hair is growing like a weed. So happy. Also, its been shedding less as well.

My hair (obviously) wasn't stretched here, but this is what I could get out of the length check at the time. My arm doesn't hurt now when I reach for my longest piece of hair and pull it out. It would probably appear longer if I had straightened it, but I didn't feel like it. I can tell my hair is growing because I check my bangs about every week because of the KCCM castor oil challenge. I'm so proud of my progress. :-)

So, that's my progress for now. I've been keeping up with my hair routine, the kid's routines, housework, homeschooling, my marriage, writing, creating hair products and selling, gaming, and artwork all at the same. Soooo busy. Oh, the life of a SAHM. Hehe.

Peace out till later, folks! xD

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https://www.facebook.com/pages/Curls-of-Innocence/256662627753918?ref=hl
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http://epicrealist.blogspot.com/

~Epic Realist~

Styles and Trials- Routine Updates

Hola, curly mamas! Haven't done a good update in a while.
I rocked mini twists last week. As usual, they only lasted a week, but they looked better than my first attempt. I dampened my hair and used my newest whipped shea butter, which has castor oil in it. It felt awesome. It began to frizz badly by the fourth day, so I put some oil on the ends and wrapped it up at night again.
It didn't do much to salvage them. I learned my lesson from last time about not spritzing mini twists or braids with water, because that'll just create more frizz. My itchy scalp was screaming for water around this time. I avoided the water and put coconut oil on the ends. Eh, still only looked okay after taking off my bonnet, and then they shrunk up and looked dry again. Oh, well. I'll keep trying and figuring out how to make mini twists last for two weeks instead. ;-)

I used some of my leftover birthday money to stock up on some things. I got my two favorite Shea Moisture products, since I was out and I missed them so much. I also got a new soap, an all natural one that I tried on my face. It's awesome! There are NO foreign ingredients. It's by Nubian Heritage... 3 bucks and change. Walmart has natural soaps now? Holy crap... they're coming UP!

For now, that's my new facial routine. I use this soap day and night on my face, and apply castor oil or coconut oil to my face. It feels just as soft as baby skin, I swear. I'm in love with this soap. Screw the other Ambi crap that made me break out. LOL!

My Current Hair Health: Well, my hair feels very healthy right now, soft, supple, and growing... except for the excessive shedding. I still haven't figured out why I'm shedding every single time I finger de-tangle my hair, or why my hair seems to have gotten a little thinner. I feel like I've tried everything. I've tried using protein to avoiding protein, deep conditioning, natural shampoos, hot oil treatments, and trying to keep my scalp clean. I've even been eating a lot healthier, more water, more fruits/veggies/nuts, less meat. But something else is going on, and I'm hoping that it isn't thyroid related. :-/ I need to go back to taking vitamins...
Pre-poo: About an hour of coconut oil on damp hair
Wash routine: Washing once a week with a SM shampoo, castor oil on scalp and ends, whipped shea butter or SM cream, braided or twisted into whatever amount
Daily care: Spritz with water (which contains vegetable glycerin and peppermint oil) until damp every other day, apply castor oil on scalp, apply shea butter or SM cream, brush through with paddle brush, braid or twist (usually one without protein)
Nightly care: Apply stocking cap if already moisturized that day; if not, do daily care routine
Outdoor styling: Spritz with water, style with SM cream or whipped shea butter
Deep conditioning: Once a week with Roots of Nature Green Tea deep conditioner or hot oil treatment with castor oil

Syriah's Current Hair Health: Riah Chic's hair is very healthy right now as well. Since I got the SM creams again, I threw away what was left of the Cantu stuff. I will never buy that crap again; it's not natural and it made both of our hair feel coated beyond reason. Tried to go cheap and screwed myself yet again. So I got rid of that stuff. If I ever get Cantu again, it needs to be the natural kind.
Pre-poo: About an hour of coconut oil on damp hair
Wash routine: Washing once a week with a SM shampoo, castor oil on scalp and ends, whipped shea butter or SM cream, braided in 6 or more braids or twists
Daily care: Spritz with water (which contains vegetable glycerin and peppermint oil) until damp every other day, apply castor oil on scalp, apply shea butter or SM cream, brush through with paddle brush, braid or twist
Nightly care: Apply stocking cap if already moisturized that day; if not, do daily care routine
Outdoor styling: Spritz with water, style with SM cream or whipped shea butter

Baby Symari's Current Hair Routine: (9 months old)
Wash routine: Wash twice a week with a SM shampoo, castor oil on scalp, whipped shea butter, small twists done without hair ties
Daily care: Spritz with water (which contains vegetable glycerin and peppermint oil) until damp every other day, apply castor oil on scalp, apply shea butter or SM cream, re-twist
Nightly care: Nothing as of yet. I won't dare try to keep a cap or bonnet on this child at this age!

The boys (hubby and Jam), they pretty much do whatever lol! I wash Jam's hair once or twice a week because he's always on the floor, and I just wet it and apply oil to his rat tail whenever I actually remember about his hair. Hubby has a low haircut and a rat tail, which is growing rapidly. I am the hair lady of the family. Hehe. ;-)

Well, that's my super long update. Hope you guys enjoyed!

Until next time, fellas. Oh wait... are they any dudes on this blog? Haha! O_O

http://www.youtube.com/user/curlsofinnocence
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Curls-of-Innocence/256662627753918?ref=hl
https://twitter.com/Epicrealist
http://epicrealist.blogspot.com/

~Epic Realist~

KCCM SPRING Castor Oil Challenge! Week 1

1. How long have you been natural? Did you Big Chop or Transition? Why did you choose this method? If you are not natural, do you think it is something you would consider in your future, why/why not?

I transitioned for two years and then big chopped my hair to my ears in 2010, so I'm almost 3 years ALL natural. I chose this method because my hair was already long (17 inches) and I didn't want to get rid of it all at once. I love long hair! I do not plan on big chopping again... ever. My goal is to attain waist length hair. Once I reach that, then I'll see what I feel like doing with it. lol! Complete hair journey here. http://www.curlsofinnocence.bl...

2. Is this your first time participating in the Castor Oil Challenge?

Nope. It's my second time. :D

3. What is motivating you to participate in this challenge?

I just love a challenge. Being held accountable for the health of my hair is fun, and doing my hair is therapeutic. I love seeing the growth and the effects of the castor oil. I'll probably keep participating in these challenges for a long, long time. lol

4. (optional) Do you ever wear your hair Naked? Post a pic of your naked hair after you wash it.

No, I don't wear my hair completely naked. It would be hell to de-tangle and style if that were the case. LOL! But I do have a pic of how my hair looks straight out of the shower. :-) 

KCCM Castor Oil Challenge, Week 10 Check-In

Check in from KCCM Castor Oil Challenge, week 10:

1. Where do you go to shop for hair products?
My staple products are from Shea Moisture, and I usually get them from Walmart or Walgreens (whoever's having a sale). I use Tresemme conditioner from Walmart. I get JBCO from Amazon, but I think that I'll check out my nearest beauty supply store again to see if I can avoid shipping costs for that. ;-)
2. Do you read product labels? Why or why not? Hell yeah, I do! I always have, even before I went natural. That's just me (health fanatic); I've always read ingredients everywhere, even on food and researched about them. I honestly don't like using ingredients that I can't even pronounce. I believe that it's the key to great health overall, because if you know better, you do better. Avoiding certain ingredients makes you wiser and healthier in the long run.

3. How did you do last week (week 9)? Did you follow through with your goals? Any challenges thus far?

I've been hanging on. My whipped shea butter has JBCO in it, and that's my only form of JBCO right now until I get money to purchase more. So I've been using the shea butter probably... three times a week? It's great moisture in my hair, and I use it on my body as well.

~Epic Realist~

KCCM Castor Oil Challenge- Week 9

Here's the check in questions from week 9. :D

1. Do you think natural hair is a fad? Why or why not?
It's not a fad for me. I was natural since I hit 15 years old and then was allowed to perm, so it was no big deal giving it up. When I did not perm often, I realized what my natural hair was supposed to look like in between perms I and accepted it a long time ago. I'm in this hair journey for the long haul. Now, for other women, I DO believe that some others are doing it for the wrong reasons; because someone else made them, someone else pressured them, or perhaps they want to make videos and blogs and get the attention that other 'upcoming' naturals are getting. Maybe they could care less about the health of their hair; they just to get it long as quickly as possible so they can brag and flaunt it in everyone's faces. This is just my opinion because I see lots of black women becoming arrogant and telling others about their own hair. Here is a post that I made from last year April... natural hair rant! LOL!http://www.curlsofinnocence.bl...
And we've got different debates: Oh, she's not all natural because she straightens her hair, I was natural FIRST so you guys are copycats... who the hell cares?http://www.curlsofinnocence.bl...

2. What is something that your hair CAN’T do that you see other Naturalistas do?
Hmmm... I can't think of one thing, My twist outs are awesome, my braid outs are awesome, my wash and gos (even though I rarely do them) are great as well.The only thing that I sometimes wish is that my hair wasn't so darn thick because it can be a challenge to style. But I'm used to it now. Then I force myself to be thankful because a lot of women would KILL for my hair thickness! =)

3. How did you do last week (week 8)? Did you follow through with your goals? Any challenges thus far?

Well, since I cannot buy another bottle of JBCO at the moment (can't find it in stores and can't order right now), I'm only using my whipped shea butter that has some JBCO mixed in it when I made it. Been using that all over my hair every other day, using my new paddle brush to work it in.

~Epic Realist~

KCCM Castor Oil Challenge- Week 5: EPIC GROWTH!

These are my check in questions and pics from Kinky Curly Coily Me's Castor Oil Challenge- Week 5. My hair is loving this JBCO: it's growing a whole lot! 

Here are the pictures in case they don't show up at the bottom. 

1. What are your favorite natural hair styles? How long does it take you to style your hair this way? Which products do you use to get the best results of this style?

My favorite natural hair styles are two strand twists and twists outs. It takes about 15-30 minutes to style my hair (depending on how many twists I put it in), and I usually use my classic Shea Moisture Curl enhancing smoothie on top of an oil. Twists outs can last anywhere from 3-5 days depending on how well I upkeep them.

2. How did you do last week (week 4)? Did you follow through with your goals? Any challenges thus far?

My only challenge is running out of my JBCO (money very tight even without buying any Christmas presents at all =( ) and not being able to buy anymore at the moment. So I'm trying to scrounge and use a little at a time, mixed with something else. Other than that, I am really trying to stay up on oiling my scalp every other day. The greenhouse method works to seal moisture in and make the oil effect last longer for me.

3. Based on your length check pics, can you see a difference in thickness or length yet? For those of you focusing on your edges, are they growing in?

Oh, I have most certainly seen some length and some thickness! I am enjoying it. My roots are thicker than ever, but I kind of like it. It's harder for me to keep my twists twisted up because I need to focus more on moisturizing the roots well enough, but it's all worth it. My bangs have grown from the middle of my top lip to way PAST my lower lip!

4. Post your length check pics! DONE!

5. (Optional) How was your Christmas? What did you get?

Didn't get much but I'm okay. Kids got gifts from other family members. I wish that I could have gotten some hair products, but we're having job/money issues right now. Bleh. But I'm grateful anyway. At least my hubby was off for Christmas. =)

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