My Six Week "Curly Girl Method" Journey- Day 1

So there's this thing called the "Curly Girl Method." You can read about it here. Or you can buy the book here. The basic premise of this method is in order to acheive your true curl potential you need to forgo shampoo unless the shampoo does not contains sulfates, which are harsh cleansing agents that create all the soapy lather that we have grown to love, but ultimately dry out and damage our hair. The idea is to co-wash (conditioner wash) your hair in leui of the "poo" with a light weight silicone free conditioner.
I use VO5 or Suave Naturals conditioner.

You massage that into your scalp only for about 3-5 minutes (like you would with shampoo) to makes sure you remove all the natural build up and then rinse thouroughly. After that, use a richer/thicker conditioner for the actual conditioning conditioner.

I use Tresemme Nauturals Vibrantly Smooth conditioner.

Slather that on the ends first and then work your way up. Use a thicker application from your ears down and then a lighter application on the top of your head.

After your usual shower regimen- you apply sulfate free/silicone free styler product (gel, mousse, etc) to dripping wet hair, scrunch and gently squeeze your curls into shape, dry with a cotton t-shirt or microfiber towel- this is called "plopping", and never touch it again until it's completely dry.

These are the ones I used today.

Back story alert: I was born with poker straight hair, then I hit puberty and it became wavy/curly. I used to wear my hair in it's natural state after college (before that I just pulled it back cause I had no idea what to do with it), but then- some years after college I discovered the dreaded blow drier and flat iron. I'd rotate curly and straight depending on my mood, but recently- as in the past 2 whole years probably- all I've done is flat iron. I think the last time I left my hair curly was when I was pregnant with Conrad in 2011. It's not so much I feel bad about damaging my hair per sei, but the other day I decided to let it air dry curly because I'm pregnant AGAIN and super lazy and the summer is coming (which means straightening is basically pointless) and curly hair would just be less time consuming and easier for me to handle these days. And wouldn't you know....my hair barely held a curl!!! It was just straggly and dull and gross. And I KNOW it's because I've been flat-ironing it into oblivion. Poor wavy/curlies. That, my friends, is why I'm going back to my roots and taking these drastic measures. I'll try anything at this point. If I keep babying and moisturizing this head of hair 'o mine- I truly believe the wavy/curls will come back to me. We'll see.
So, I used a clarifying shampoo on Sunday one last time just to get all the product build up out of my hair to start from scratch with a clean slate of hair. Today was my first day of the Curly Girl Method (co-washing). Surprisingly, my hair felt pretty clean afterwards. I'm not sure if it's gonna work, but it's worth a shot.

I've seen some GREAT results!! This is the blog that actually inspired me!
http://www.andreasteed.com/node/1296

This is a pic of the finished results. Sorry for the sh*tty pic. I had to use my phone.

Co-Wash: VO5 Tea Therapy Camomille Conditioner

Rinse-Off Conditioner: Tresemme Naturals Vibrantly Smooth

Styling Products: Culr Keeper and Pantene Styler Strong Hold Gel

While we're on the subject of natural and healthy eating...

i wanted to share with you a product I've dicovered that I am in LOOOOOOOOOOOOVE with. after i started eating healthy and feeling good, I decided to maybe investigate other ways I could move towards  more nautral and organic trends in other aspects of my life. during my research I discovered that most glorious 100% all natural organic product out there. Coconut Oil. People, if you're not already using it- go out and get yourself a jar. It's got a million uses, but there are only a few I can vouch for so far.

HAIR MASK:

Since the color stripping nightmare I had back in June- my hair hasn't been the same. It's just been breaking and damaged looking. It's not as soft as it used to be and I read online and watched youtube videos about using coconut oil as a deep conditioning treatment. Before I wash my hair, I'll run this through my hair and leave it in for about an hour. I started 2 weeks ago so I've only done this twice (I do it once a week) and I can already see and feel a difference in my hair's texture and shine.

LIPS:

During the first hair mask application I remembered seeing somewhere that you can use it as a lip balm, so while waiting the hour to let the hair mask penetrate, I rubbed a little on my lips. Heaveeeeeen!!!! Best lip balm I've ever used....which convinced me that if it made my lips feel this smooth it would HAVE to do the same for my skin.

SKIN:

My skin gets sooooooooooooooooooo dry when the weather starts getting cooler. I'm talking so dry that I woul slather the thickest layer of moisturizer on my face and bod after my shower and by the time i got to work- my skin was flaky and dry again. This stuff has made my face so soft immediately and continued to leave my skin smooth the rest of the day. The best part about it is that it's oil, but if feels more silky than oily. I LOVE it!! I did notice last week a few little whiteheads pop up on my chin, but I'm just gonna assume that's the coconut oil bringing all the toxins and bad things to the surface of my skin to get rid of them. Did I mention coconut oil is also an antifungal and antibacterial product as well?? This week my skin has improved, so I'm gonna keep using it. It's worth the few whiteheads for the way it makes my skin feel!!!!

DIGESTION/WEIGHT LOSS/ ENERGY:

I'm also planning on taking it by mouth starting next week becaue it also has a lot of health benefits when taken daily. The recommended amount is 3 TB a day, but they say you should start gradually. So, I'm gonna start with a tspn a day in my oatmeal in the morning and the next week do two tspns a day and so on. woo-hoo! I'm so excited!

DIAPER RASH:

I also heard this is safe for baby's to use as a moisturizer as well as for diaper rash. Since it's all natural- I can't see why not. I'ma check with Conrad's pediatrician and once I get the 'ok'- he's getting all coconuted up. ;-)

There are so many more uses for this stuff. For now, this is all I got, but I'll definitely keep you posted!

Weight Loss Journey: Something that finally works!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

sooo, i've lost 42 lbs, b*tcheeeeeeees! bet you didn't see that coming. I mean, it's been 9 months so 42 lbs isn't a massive amount of weight to lose in that span of time. regardless, i'm so f'in proud of myself for sticking with it. the most MAGNIFICENT part about this particular weight loss attempt is i discovered what works for me- FINALLY!!! and it only took 3 million tries. ;-) when i initially started trying to lose weight back in like 1998- i did weight watchers. and then i tried weight watchers again...and then again...and again. i tried weight watchers more times than i can count. so many times, in fact, that i don't remember how many times. it worked for a while, but never really stuck. I did that on and off for about 12 years and then got pregnant and had a baby in 2010/2011. The beginning of this year I tried WW again, as you may already know, but they changed the points system and I got frustrated like 2 weeks in. Let's be honest though- it probably wouldn't have worked anyway. So, I switched over to the Lose It website where instead of counting points- you count calories. That worked for a few month, but it didn't really stick with that either. I eventually gave up and during the period of eating like a pig and feeling sorry for myself- I thought about what was keeping me from succeeding. Then I noticed the pattern. The answer as to why I continued to fail at these programs had come to me in the form of a giant lightbulb atop my giant head. And it's so simple.

I get lazy and stop counting.

I decided that I didn't want to do any counting or adding or subtracing of ANY numbers when it came to the food I put in my mouth. I did some reasearch and decided to stay away from white flour and sugar. Basically, I was going to allow myself to eat proteins, vegetables, and fruits...with moderate amounts of whole grain bread, pasta, and brown rice in between. For the most part- clean foods. Unproccessed healthy food. Oh, and LOOOOOOOOTS of water!! And guess what people?? I lost weight the first week and kept losing weight every week after that. Here's a great example of how finding something that works for you makes all the difference. I started at 240 in January and fluctuated up and down til June. I lost 15 lbs in 6 months and was miserable and consumed by my weight the ENTIRE time. The "clean eating" epiphany hit me the last week of June at 225. And I can happily say that today I weigh in at 197. That's a whopping 27 lbs in 3 1/2 months.....without even trying that hard!!!!!! The first week was a little bit of a struggle cause I guess my body was going through white carb and sugar withdraw, but by the second week- I had found my niche'. The only annoying part about it is that you gotta be prepared. You need to go grocery shopping and plan you meals for the week cause if you get hungry and you don't have any healthy options- you're gonna head over to the vending machine and trust me- there's nothing healthy in there. Other than that- it was soooooooooooo easy to follow. I know exactly what i can eat- don't have to count ANYTHING and I just feel so content. I don't feel like I'm deprived or struggling to keep the weight off or worried about falling off the wagon. I'm finally happy because instead of feeling like this is a diet- I feel like I found the new healthy lifestyle change that's actually gonna stick with me for life. I have my off days. I'm no saint, but let's face it- life is full of holiday parties and happy hours and events where eating badly is inevitable. But hopping back on the wagon has never been easier for me and for that I am so truly thankful!!! It's been a long road and now I know that I was never a failure- I just hadn't found what works for me. And now I have. Realizing this has been a major milestone for me. My best advice is what works for one person may not work for everyone. So, if something doesn't work- keep on looking for something that does. It'll change your life!!!!!

i'm a liar

i always say i'm gonna do these reviews and post before and afters and i never get around to it so i might as well stop saying it.
updates:

1. I tried the GARNIER BB CREAM and it rocks. i don't think everybody would love it though. it's very thick and has a stronger scent than say just a light foundation of unscented moisturizer. it's a little perfumy.although, i must say i have very dry skin. so, this stuff is perfect for me. it brightens and moisturizes and does feel a litle greasy to the touch, but my dry flaky skin counter balances it. someone with normal or oily skin may not like it.

2. i am down 18 lbs. i got a little lacksdasical with the counting calories and monitoring my portion sizes, but i am happy to say that i haven't gained much back. the most i've lost was 21 lbs since i started trying to lose weight in January. i'm getting back on the wagon HARDCORE on Monday. so, we'll see what happens. i need to lose 20 more lbs before getting pregnant so that should be motivation enough to get serious again. i hate talking about this anymore, but it's weight struggle is the story of my life. damn those people with lightening fast metablisms... ;-)

3. my baby is 10 months old. he's crawling and on his way to standing. i'm so excited for him to walk. it truly is amazing watching him grow and learn. i love the shit out f him and do not know what i would do without him!! he rocks my world and is more awesome than you can imagine.

4. i attempted to strip my hair and redye it and i looked like a total a-hole, but not because the hair color remover didn't work. it actually worked great, but i didn't buy enough boxes to cover my whole head and had to rinse it out and go to the store to get more and after i dried it with a blowdryer and tried to re-saturate the hair i missed- my hair was just so dry and tangled like a brillo pad i couldn't get it stripped evenly so it just looked like a patchy mess with different shades of red, yellow, and balck all over. so i dyed it back to black. it was quite the experience.

OH, AND ANOTHER THING...

i'm down 11 lbs. it's been a struggle to lose and it doesn't help that i'm a chock full fo excuses, but at least i'm still down. 3 lbs away from pre-pregger weight.

and i also bought a few other things during my beauty product black out. they're hair care products, but i'll mention them later. you know...after i turn my hair to straw and try to try to re-nourish and soften it back up a bit. ;-)

A REVIEW EXPLOSION IS ABOUT TO BE IN FULL EFFECT!

i've been busy. forgive me. but i'm back to tell you that i lost my God dang mind at target the past couple days and bought lots of stuff to review. the "health and beauty" aspect of my life tends to ebb and flow. i'll be real content...or more like empathetic for a while with the products i use and my hair and i just don't feel like being bothered andi let myself go and my eyebrows starting growing in like groucho marxx and the white hair starts overtaking my roots and all of a sudden i look at myself in the mirror and say, 'katie. fix yourself up, girl. you look like a homeless person." something like that. anyway- since spring/summer is coming i decided to bite the bullet and lighten this black hair of mine. my hair is naturally a soft black/ dark dark brown color, so that's what i've been dying it for years (i'd say approximately 10 years) now and i'm finally so tired of it that i'm willing to risk removing the color, sporting orangey/yellow hair, re-dying it a lighter brown color and a few weeks after that highlighting it....all by myself...with NO professional assistance at all. awwwwwkward. i need a new look. a fresher look. an "i'm getting old and it's showing so i have to try a little harder" look. and i am willing to take a chance on destroying my hair and having to shave my head bald in the process. i've officially gone mad. i also bought some miracle skin renew cream for my ruddy old wrinkly face and teeth whitening toothpaste. if you haven't noticed the pattern, i'm clearly trying to brigthen up everything for the season.

so, keep an eye out for these up coming reviews on the following products- in addition to the before and afters (cause let's face it...those are the best part of review blogs):

1.) L'Oreal Hair Color Remover

2.)Garnier Nutrisse Hair Color in Medium Ash Brown

3.) Rembrandt Deeply White Toothpaste & Mouthwash

4.) Garnier Skin Renew Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream

P.S.

i quit weight watchers. that new points plus program is so convoluted. i barely have enough hours in the day as it is and now i needed to take 10 minutes to plug in the fat, protein, carbs, and dietary fiber of everything i eat just to find out how many points i'm consuming. no thanks. i was getting majorly stressed out. so, i started on the "Lose It" website which is totally free by the way...and they also have a free app for your iphone or android. all you have to do is stay within your daily caloric allowance (which is calcualted when you sign up after you enter your age, height, weight, etc-information) and you lose weight. simple as that. it's soooooo much easier to look at a box of something in the grocery store, see the calories and make a decision- rather than pull out your phone, find a signal, plug in 18 different things just to realize it's too many points and not worth it. it was just giving me major adgida and i couldn't take it anymore! and, clearly, this other route is working just fine since i'm still losing weight. sweet yo! check it out. :-)