Upside Down Rinse Take Two

A couple of posts ago, I talked about this new technique I learned - rinsing your hair upside down. I had the opportunity to try it again tonight and this time I let my hair completely air dry. I didn't even have to scrunch out the crunch. There was no crunch at all, just soft waves. I usually like my hair better when I diffuse it but, I actually like the definition I got tonight without diffusing my hair.

I'm still not satisfied with the front of my hair. I don't know what I want - maybe bangs or more layers. I feel like the front of my hair doesn't suit my face. I always like the back of my hair better than the front. The picture below on the right is the same as the left but a close-up. I dyed my hair dark brown with one of those dyes than rinse out in 28 washes. My highlights that I was trying to cover up were coming back and about every 6 months I have to dye it until I grow out my old color. The color lasts way past the 28 days it says on the box.

I feel like my hair looks different in pictures than what I see in the mirror. Probably the same issue as makeup bloggers that feel their makeup looks washed out when they take a picture of their FOTD (face of the day).

Products I used were Suave Naturals (cowash), Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose conditioner and L'oreal Vive Pro Nutri Gloss conditioner (mixed together for my conditioner), Kinky Curly Knot Today (leave-in conditioner), Kinky Curly Curling Custard and Herbal Essences Set Me Up gel (gel for hold).

I wish everyone a great weekend. I'm so excited because we're supposed to be having weather close to 70 degrees.

My plans for the weekend include:
1. Get my eyebrows threaded
2. Hike and enjoy the beautiful weather
3. See the movie Watchmen

Unibrow Be Gone

I don't have a unibrow quite yet but, the eyebrows are getting a bit out of control. I'm waiting until this weekend to get my eyebrows threaded at the mall. Most of the places that thread eyebrows are a couple hours away from me so I'm glad there's one finally near me.

I don't know anyone yet that's gotten them done there. I hope my eyebrows don't get messed up and I end up looking surprised for a month and a half.

Or like this.













I don't know if they want credit for it but, images courtesy of:
http://scubadate.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/ugly-unibrow.png
http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee236/Forseye/Eyebrows.jpg
http://www.clipartof.com/images/clipart/xsmall2/19284_pleasantly_surprised_yellow_smiley_face_man_smiling_and_raising_one_eyebrow.jpg

I want to be in the doghouse if ...

I've been looking for a new type of towel. The microfiber towel I currently have does dry my hair quickly but, tends to make my hair frizzy. I had to of course check my favorite store Bed, Bath and Beyond. I found that they do carry the Curlease towel (pictured above). The other brand I'm looking for is Curls Like Us cloths but, I'm still searching for a store that carries it. (Remember I hate shipping costs.) From the feedback I've researched, both brands are gentler on wavy/curly hair which reduces frizz.

On the Bed, Bath and Beyond website, I came across some interesting furniture and such. I want to be in the dog house if it looks like this.
According to the website, your dog will love this "adorable dog house ... constructed by aligning half logs together giving it that great, rustic look. When you add the porch, your pet will not only have a place to seek shelter, but also a spot to relax in the sun." I wouldn't be surprised if the house had hard wood floors too.

The extra storage underneath the dog bed will come in handy when Korina's dresser becomes too stuffed with her current wardrobe, toiletries, MAC makeup, curly girl method products, etc.

Images courtesy of:
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&sku=118269&
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/Product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=16482617
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=14166831

Special thanks to Korina for modeling, at location, in the dog house with porch and dog bed.

I'm a sucker for peer pressure when it comes to hair

When it comes to hair, I'm easily convinced into trying a new technique or product when a majority of the curlies on naturallycurly.com rave about it. What has caught my eye thanks to Icequeen's explanation on Naturally Curly, Laura Lee, and Beauty Hits & Misses, is basically rinsing and scrunching your conditioner out with your head upside down while you're in the shower. I was already warned about the possibility of water going up your nose with this technique. I hate that feeling of water going up your nose while you swim so I was extra careful trying to avoid it now.

I cowashed with Suave Naturals. Added Loreal Vive Pro Nutri Gloss conditioner to my hair and combed it through. Scruched upside down and left it in my hair until the end of my shower. When I was ready to rinse, I put my hair in the water with my head upside down while trying to avoid water getting in my nose. It wasn't that bad, just different. After I was done rinsing, I shut off the water and continued scrunching, still with my head upside down until I got some of the water out. When I turned my head right side up, I was a bit disoriented from being upside down. My hair was still soaking wet. I scrunched in Kinky Curly Knot Today, Kinky Curly Curling Custard, and Herbal Essences Set Me Up Gel.

This technique seemed to give me softer waves that started closer to my roots and volume. I think next time I'll have to add more gel because I felt like my waves were too soft that they would eventually go straight.
I'm also wearing my favorite lipstick at the moment. Most Popular from the MAC Hello Kitty collection. The other color I'm currently in love with is Strayin' lipstick from the same collection.

Woe is me.

I've been sidelined. For the past week, I've been running with some painful shin splints. I haven't had a good run since the Valentine's Virginia is for Lovers 14K. I started having pain when I ran 3 miles in my Under Armour cross trainers so I was thinking once I switched to my new running shoes I'd be fine. That day I ran 3 miles, I ran on a treadmill, with an incline, which I never do, and tried to up my speed. I think my body just wasn't ready for it and that's what's causing the pain in my legs, not running 3 miles in the cross trainers.

I was going to keep running through the pain because I didn't want to fall behind on my half marathon training. The half marathon in April will be here before I know it. After asking my wise, fellow running enthusiasts on the Purse Forum and Krystle, a Body Step instructor at Golds, what I should do, I have decided to take at least a 1 week break from running. I don't mind running through pain but, it seemed like running through shin splints without trying to recover, could lead to worse injuries, such as stress fractures.

Here is some of the great advice I've received thus far and am trying to follow:
(Thanks again Krystle and Purse Forum running thread friends, especially Ali, Frankie, Cristina and WestEndGirl.)

1. Verify you are wearing the correct type of shoes. I never used to think buying the right shoes made a difference but, now that I'm trying to run 15-20 miles a week, I can definitely feel the benefits of having the correct shoe. I'm no expert when it comes to running shoes but, there are various types of running shoes for overpronation, underpronation and neutral pronation. The first time I was fitted for shoes I was told I overpronate slightly and was recommended stability running shoes. Two weeks ago when I was fitted for shoes, I was told that the stability running shoe was over-correcting and switched to a neutral shoe. I haven't been able to determine if the neutral shoe is better because the shin splint pain is all I can really focus on during my runs.

I've also read that running shoes should be replaced after approximately 500 miles. Old shoes with inadequate cushioning could also be a cause for shin splints.

2. Avoid high impact activities until your shin splints are gone. Some low impact activities you can try are biking, swimming, walking, hiking, elliptical machine and weight training. You can do step aerobics but, limit yourself to one or no risers and keep the intensity low. For the week that I won't be running, I will still try to cover the mileage in my half marathon training but, I'll be doing it through walking, hiking, and the elliptical machine. Yesterday I was scheduled to run 3 miles but, biked to the park instead and walked 3 miles.

2. Apply ice for at least 15 minutes to areas where you are in pain, preferably within 30 minutes of finishing up your run. I did this for the first time last night (while watching America's Best Dance Crew), even though I didn't run. I'll try to be more diligent about applying ice as I increase my running.

3. Increase your intake of Potassium and drinks with electrolytes. Some common foods that are high in Potassium are bananas, milk, cantaloupes, oranges, meat, poultry and fish. Those with diseases, such as diabetes, should not be increasing their Potassium intake drastically.

4. Apply Kinesio Tex tape. According to the Kinesio tape website, Kinesio tape "gives support and stability to your joints and muscles to prevent over-contraction without affecting circulation and range of motion." Basically, Kinesio tape will assist you as you try to go through your normal physical activities and prevent you from injuring yourself further as you try to recover. I've been told that it is extremely important to watch the videos on how to apply this tape. If applied incorrectly, the tape will be useless and a waste of money. I want to check out the running store before I try to order this online. You know I hate shipping costs.

Four great tips I hope to be following as I recover and try to stay injury free.

It's frustrating because I was starting to really enjoy running. I've always been into sports but, hated running by itself. I'm just grateful that physical activities aren't completely out of the picture.

Okay, end sob story.

Have a great weekend! I will hopefully be going to Joe's Crab Shack tonight and finally get to order the steam bucket. I don't want to get too excited because last time I did there was a last minute change of plans.

Happy Birthday, Babe!

This weekend we celebrated my boyfriend's, his brother's girlfriend's birthday and his nephew's birthday. Whew, that's a lot of birthdays. It's a long standing joke between our friend Chelle, Josh and his brother about all of them having big heads. Chelle and her daughter made this crown for Josh, haha - perfect fit.


We actually had to go to his cousin's birthday too before we went to his mom's house. This was us at China Buffet, ignoring our diet for the weekend. We sort of matched on purpose.


Yummy cake before and after



When my boyfriend and I went to dinner for Valentine's Day, I had a drink called Snickers Bar Martini. I decided to try my bar tending skills for his birthday and try to replicate the drink. I found a pretty good recipe here.

Snickers Martini

4 Parts ABSOLUT Vodka
2 Parts Hazelnut Liqueur
2 Parts White Cacao Liqueur
1 Part Cream Liqueur

I even bought one of those cocktail mixers so that I'd feel like a professional. I lined the glass with Hershey's Syrup. Adding a lot of it made the drink taste not as strong.

It was a really fun weekend. Happy Birthday again my Juicy Doubles, Rosalee and Roshan!

Hair-wise, I used a mix of CG approved products and products with silicones in them. I cowashed with Suave Naturals and conditioned with GVP Bioloage conditioning balm. I used Tresemme Thermal Creations Heat Tamer Protective Spray, Ouidad Climate Control Heat and Humidity Gel, Giovanni Frizz Be Gone, and a tiny bit of coconut oil. I let my hair partially air dry and then dried it with a blow dryer the rest of the way. I didn't worry about getting my hair straight because I knew I was going to be using my flat iron to make my hair wavy.

Silicones Ahead

The more I try to do the Curly Girl method, the more I'm convinced that silicones are not that evil but, harsh sulfates are. So, I've started experimenting with silicones again. Even though it makes sense that non-soluble silicones will build up in your hair, I haven't thoroughly experimented with silicones to see it for myself. I am still staying away from harsh sulfates and currently use Giovanni Invigorating Tea Tree Shampoo when I do shampoo my hair. I alternate between this and cowashing. I haven't been using silicones long enough this time to really report on buildup. I'm hoping that the Giovanni shampoo or cowash will be enough to remove buildup if I do experience it.

Tonight, I cowashed with Suave Naturals and conditioned with Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose conditioner. I sprayed Sunsilk Waves of Envy Sea Mist then scrunched with Nexxus Gorgeous Curls Enhancing Foam Styler. Both of these products contain Cyclopentasiloxane. I let it air dry for about 5 minutes then scrunched a small amout of Kinky Curly Curling Custard. Finally, I scrunched with my microfiber towel to help with drying. My hair is still a bit wet in these pictures.













I'm really itching to do something drastic with my hair - either with the color or length. I just don't want to regret it which I probably will no matter what I do unless I get a trim. I'm always up for suggestions. Should I keep my hair dark or go light? Maybe even go darker. Cut it short or just an inch or two? Leave it alone and just get a trim again?

My daughter was having a pretty good hair day today. She just got finished getting her hurr did at Posh Pooch so she thinks she's all that now.