More photos coming up later on....

Yeah barely...lol. I don't care. I'm still claiming it! This took a LONG time. I have a long back.

Hey girls! Okay big things are happening for me right now. As you saw from my last post, I recently launched a new online store. I'm very excited about the store (even though nothing has sold yet!). In due time I know it will be a success. At least, I'm hoping it will! :-)

The hubs and I have also started our own blog together. This is something that I've always wanted to do with him! We're both very headstrong and we always have an opinion about something. We wanted to give people a look into the life of a black young married couple trying accomplish their dreams. No, this is not like your average wedding/parenting/mommy blogs. Totally different. Our debates and dreams are the focus. I'm very proud of it and I invite you guys over to check it out. Let me know what you think!

www.theleoduo.com Yep, we're both Leos! (and that's us in the pic)

As far as the hair goes...it's finally relaxer week! I can't wait because I want to see just how much my hair has grown since December. Look out for photos in the next day or so. I'm hoping I will receive the Alter Ego in the mail today or tommorrow so I can relax on Thursday night.

I've been working for the last few days on something I'm very proud of. It's an extension of Hair Gurl and I AM SO EXCITED. Welcome to Hair Gurl's Boutique (http://hairgurl.spreadshirt.com/) This is where hair & fashion elope. Hey, that might be my new slogan.... ;-)

I came up with this boutique because I'm always coming up with cute & crazy sayings about hair care (and life in general, lol) so now I have somewhere to put them. ;-) I've added a lot of stuff such as women's tees, t-shirts, bags and hats. Right now, there's also a 15% discount on all orders over $35. Just put in the code "MARCHSALE2". This sale ends on March 12th.

So stop by and check out out my boutique. :-) Let me know what you think!

Of course this list is based solely on the relaxers I've tried. I declared myself a no-lye lady a long time ago after a lye relaxer burned the crap out of my scalp! No-lye relaxers are known for being easier on the scalp and harder on the hair. The trick is finding one that's great, but doesn't leave your hair desert dry like most no-lye relaxers do.

Check out the no-lye relaxers I've tried....

My No-Lye Relaxer Archive

1. Dark & Lovely No-Lye Conditioning Relaxer- used this for most of my life & it always left my hair dry :-(

2. Luster's PCJ No-Lye Creme Relaxer for Children- my first relaxer as a child, I loved seeing the PCJ ads in Essence magazine!

3. Soft & Beautiful No-Lye Conditioning Relaxer

4. Organic Root Stimulator Olive Oil No-Lye Relaxer

5. Vitale Olive Oil Sensitive Scalp No-Lye Relaxer

6. Dr. Miracle's Feel It Formula Thermalceutical Intensive No-Lye Relaxer - only used this once

7. African Pride Miracle Deep Conditioning No-Lye Relaxer-used this for years

8. Elasta QP No-Lye Conditioning Creme Relaxer

9. Profective Anti-Damage No-Lye Relaxer

10. Luster's Pink Conditioning No-Lye Relaxer-only used this once too

11. Optimum Care Anti-Breakage No-Lye Relaxer

12. Alter Ego Linange No-Lye Shea Butter Creme Relaxer

13. Silk Elements MegaSilk No-Lye Relaxer

And out of those here are the leading ones.

*My Top 5 No-Lye Relaxers*

1. Alter Ego Linange No-Lye Shea Butter Creme Relaxer!

You guys know I've been using this relaxer since last spring and I LOVE IT. This relaxer provides my hair with the softness, body, and shine I've always looked for! And it straightens my roots. :D I talk about it all the time.....I'm totally satisfied with this relaxer so I doubt I'll be changing again.

2. Silk Elements MegaSilk No-Lye Relaxer

This is a great relaxer and it's cheap! It's around $5-8 depending on where you live. This is what I was using before I found the Alter Ego. SE definitely makes your hair feel silky!
3. Elasta QP No-Lye Conditioning Creme Relaxer

Another great relaxer...Elasta QP left me with beautiful waves. My new growth was straight, but way.
4. Organic Root Stimulator Olive Oil No-Lye Relaxer
This was the second relaxer I used at the beginning of my hair care journey back in 2007. I remember walking around the entire day touching my hair because it was so SOFT. My hair had never been that soft after a relaxer. I really couldn't believe it....
5. Vitale Olive Oil Sensitive Scalp No-Lye Relaxer
Vitale gives you great results as far straightness. My roots were always straight with this relaxer.

Honorable Mention: I have heard about how great Phyto Phytospecific Phytorelaxer Index I & II & Avlon Affirm Sensitive Scalp Relaxer are, but I've never tried them because of how expensive they are. My Alter Ego costs me about $15-20 depending on what kind of shipping I get. So the price is definitely right. Have you guys tried any of these relaxers? What's your favorite relaxer?

Okay guys...so we're settling into our new apartment. We don't have as much room as we did in our old apartment, but we're working with what we've got. :-) So.....no linen closet here to house my many hair products. :-( Here's an old bookcase (now the hg product case) I'm using for my products. It's holding up pretty well....Everything is not on here. Some products are in the bathroom. The black box on the bottom shelf holds my beloved FHI. Ha!



Here's the train case where I keep my hair ties, hair rollers, etc. It's not big enough..... : \ Everything is stuffed to capacity in here.





When we buy a house I would love to have a mini beauty supply room or area to hold all of my hair stuff. That would so NICE. :D Something like this just with longer and wider shelves....

Photo from http://madebygirl.blogspot.com/

Have you ever wondered where the term kitchen came from? Apparently, it derives from African American women and little girls getting their hair done in the kitchen. I can vouch for this because it was in the kitchen where my mother would straighten my hair with a hot comb. She needed to be near the stove for the hot comb.

My nape or kitchen was the toughest part to straighten and I had the burns to prove it. Ha! I've been growing my hair for a little over 2 years and I've learned how to grow my nape long just like the rest of my hair. Same rules-just apply it to your nape!

Here are some things that are helping me grow my nape longer and stronger!

*that's a birthmark on my neck*

1. Wash the scalp & hair in your nape. This area can be easily neglected while washing your hair. Remember to wash the scalp & hair in this area to create a clean growing environment!

2. Condition that kitchen! This may seem like common sense to a lot of women, but some ladies are still not adding ANY deep conditioner to this section of the hair. It's easy to forget as you're slapping that conditioner all over your hair. Deep conditioning this area strengthens it! (especially protein conditioners *smile*)

3. Moisturize your nape DAILY. Also, seal the moisture in with some kind of oil. The nape tends to be shorter & drier that the rest of the hair so it's very important to do this. My nape is definitely a 4B texture. It's very coarse and it's drier than the rest of my hair. I have to moisturize it any time it's feeling dry or it breaks off. Simple as that. The rest of my hair is 4A. (I'll post more on hair types later.)

4. When applying a relaxer, do this area last OR try relaxing it every other relaxer. By relaxing this area last, the chemicals will only have a short amount of contact time with the hair. The longer a relaxer is in your hair, the more damaging it is. So help your nape out by doing this area last or skipping it altogether sometimes. You will definitely have a healthier nape. :-)

5. Don't add unnecessary tension to this area. No TIGHT PONYTAILS. Tension pulls the hair and this leads to the hair breaking off in that area. *raises hand* I'm was guilty of doing this in past!

6. Cover the nape with a silk or satin scarf before bed. Now I realize you may not be able to cover the entire nape, but that's okay. Just make sure you are covering the majority of it.

What tips have helped you grow your nape? It's always great to learn more. :-) Let's give our nape the attention it deserves!

Here's an update on my hair resolutions. Hey nobody is perfect....lol. I'm getting there. -2/26/10

Okay so I'm still not done with my hair resolutions, but I'm going to be checking in at least every month so the list just doesn't get pushed under the rug. haha I really want to complete everything on my list. :-)

Happy New Year Hair Gurls!!! :D

That's me getting ready to go out with the hubs for New Years. I curled my hair using a curling iron and I was really feeling the way it came out. We went to a party in D.C. and had so much fun! (until all of the fights broke out, lol)

So let's get to my hair resolutions......

1. Moisturize and seal my hair with oil everytime it's dry. I slacked on this in '09... Check!

2. Continue to wash and deep condition my hair 1-2 times a week. Check!

3. Do more search and destroys. I can't remember the last time I did one of these..... : \ Still have not done this yet....i'm working on it though. ;-)

4. Buy more hair accessories. My current hair toy stash is pathetic...lol. I've bought one headband! Yeah! Will post a pic of it....

5. Reach apl (arm pit length hair) and then move towards bsl (bra strap length). :D I'm working on it.... hopefully this hard work pays off! :D

6. Try (note: keyword "try") to only flat iron every other relaxer. Again, the keyword is try. lol (FAIL! You guys just saw my recent flat iron photos so.....maybe next relaxer)

7. Continue to relax every 8-10 weeks. I'll be relaxing sometime in the middle of March.

8. Finally, make an appointment for a dominican blow-out (rollerset and blow out of roots only). No money to do this right now.... :-(

9. Keep protective styling. It's boring, but it works. Check!

10. Continue to try out new hair styles! This is such a must. :-) I need to try a new style ASAP!

11. Experiment with oiling my scalp with evco (extra virgin coconut oil). Still haven't done this... I know, I know......

12. Buy a new blow dryer! Still working on this...


So that's it! Let's make 2010 our year! :D

How are you guys doing on your hair resolutions? Updates?

So here's how I wore my hair for the move. First off, I don't know know what that crap is in my hair at the top. Lint? Food? I don't know....

This was just a simple ponytail with a twist on the side. The twist is secured by bobby pins. I added a little coconut oil to the ends of my hair and curled the ends of my ponytail just a little.

Let me know what you guys think. :-)