Fitness Friday

When I originally saw this idea on Saving Our Strands it was at a time I was getting somewhat lazy with my workout routine.  And then I fell completely off the map with working out all together.  I changed a habit here or there but had not stayed consistent or gotten back to the gym before last week so participating while moping about seemed silly.

Last week I was tired but my life was slowing down enough that I felt that I could take the hour I needed to get back to the gym.  So on Thursday and Friday of last week I hit the gym for the first time in months and it felt fantastic.  My old greeters at the gym were still front and center.  I left sore and happy each day and committed to get back there ASAP.  Well I didn't back until Thursday again this week mostly because I was hovering over mom who had oral surgery.  However, as she has started feeling better the gym has become my respite again and while I didn't plan on going yesterday I went anyway to calm down before dealing with the next round of weirdness from the woman who gave me birth.

The last four trips haven't gone much past an hour because I'm not trying to go all out yet but work out as much of my body as I can before I get back to the routine I had worked up for me before I disappeared early this spring.  The gym is back to being empty again and I love it.  I sweat, rock out to my workout mix and leave.  Yesterday I used an easy bun starter instead of trying to get cute to go sweat.  Yeah I know folks do but my brain is so not there.  That was only after acknowledging I was neglecting my hair again.  I'm hoping the next two months off from full time work will allow me to be more focused on both my hair and fitness.  I have taught two classes this summer but don't teach the month of July and well I guess it's not two months off I have to start prepping for my fall courses for the changes I want to make and things I want to get done.

How goes your healthy pursuits?

Wash Day: Two Strand Twist Adventures

My wash day did not start as planned.  I was so tired last night I didn't even try to prepoo.  And when I woke up this morning I was in pain so I was debating putting it off and calling a stylist to wash me up later this week.  My hair was a poof ball and a bit dry so I said screw and it got my lazy gear out of the way and got to work on my hair.  So here is how the day went and observations I want to share about each.

1. I covered the length of my hair mostly with the Organix DC and mixed in a bit of the Moroccan Oil DC while waiting for the Strong Roots to warm up a bit before adding it to my scalp.
2. I covered my hair with a plastic cap and my bonnet and waited about 3 hours before getting to the next phase.
3. I rinsed my hair with warm/hot water and was amazed at how well my hair had taken in some moisture in my shortened prepoo.  If I could have stopped here and my hair felt clean and ready to go I probably would have.
4. I washed my hair first with my Moroccan Oil moisturizing shampoo and then the Organix Macadamia Oil shampoo. My hair felt great actually.  Just not tangle free.
5. I three stepped the conditioner as normal.  Moroccan Oil gave my hair good slip and felt tangle free.  Aphogee 2 Minute gave my hair some strength but not super soft.  Mizani gave me back the slip and softness and the feeling that my hair was buttery in a good way lol.
6. I towel dried and then added my Dr. Miracle's DC for about 30 minutes before rinsing out at the sink.
7. I t-shirt dried for a little over an hour and my hair really was loving all the attention.  It was strong and healthy looking and felt very moisturized.
8. I opted for just It's a 10 as my liquid for the LOC method.  I only used the TIL oil treatment for my oil and just the As I Am leave in for the rest of that step and then used my three combs to detangle, moderate hair loss but that's from two days of lazy.
9. And because I wasn't feeling like doing a full roller set I went for two strand twists.  I ended up with seven of them I think about medium sized and then set the ends on flexirods.
10. I tied down my edges and then covered the whole thing in a bonnet and have been that way since about 3 this afternoon--which hopefully means my hair is dry before I need to head to work in 10 hours.

I hadn't really thought about it till just now but my hair could have been getting more love because I have been upping my water intake dramatically.  Most days I am at least drinking about 72 ounces of water if not 96 ounces depending on what I am up to.  Because I have let my weight keep climbing that's not half my body weight yet but it's way more than I have had on a regular basis in the last year.  I still have my V8 Fusion but it's not my go to option anymore.  I have only had a bottle in the last week and that was because none of my water was ice cold--it has to be ice cold or I kinda hate it lol.  Thanks to the Minute Maid fruit punch drops and now the Mio fruit punch drops I've been doing great.  I made it back to the gym twice last week and plan on getting back there tomorrow after work.  What's up with you ladies?

The Joys of Wash Day

So it's been a month since I did more than flexi set and finger combed my hair. And I had honestly forgotten how much I enjoy wetting my hair.  My hair and I are still in the honeymoon stage as I am just four weeks post.  It does what I want and soaks up things easily.  I prepooed last night which was good cause I was kinda looking like Mufasa before I added the conditioners to my hair and oil to my scalp.  And my old container of Moroccan Oil conditioner has bit the dust.

 Me right after the prepoo was applied cause yeah Mufasa would have been jealous of my mane.

I woke up ridiculously early considering I had no one to celebrate with so I ate an odd breakfast, put my chicken in the buttermilk brine and an hour or so later I got in the shower and rinsed out my hair.  I deep conditioned with my Dr. Miracle's for about 40 minutes and then rinsed it all out.  This is me after about an hour of t-shirt drying.

I have decided to air dry and then do a slight wavy bump to mimic my vacation hair.  Tying down the edges till then.  I also did a face mask but I think the shiny I'm seeing on my cheeks is lighting more than anything.  Regardless I need to take better care of my skin again since I have finally managed to get my water intake up again.

And because my stylist was way late the last time I went in she gave me a good bag of stuff.  I decided to use the It's a 10 spray along with the Macadamia Healing Oil in place of the TW mist that I normally start the LOC off with.  The It's a 10 felt amazing and I'm kind of wishing I had just stopped there to see how it worked on it's own without the MHO.

Really hair felt good at each stage of washing.  Not too much in the way in hair loss and detangled like my combs were warm knives moving through butter.  I am truly loving my hair again.

And totally random, I finally found a reasonable, to me anyway, deal on a t-shirt quilt via Living Social.  Project Repat is running a special with them right now.  It looks like the lap quilt is sold out but the other two are still in play.  Add RADDAD to the process and you can save 15 percent.  Click HERE if you want to check it out.

Pre Vacation Hair

I'm not sure if you remember but I planned on getting my hair done right before I went on my little mini vacation.  I went and had a blast and my hair held up for most of the random weather, heat, humidity, massage and party.  I set it on flexi rods to get a slight curl in it and then finger combed them into a loose state to more closely resemble the photo below.  So at three weeks post I got a fresh wash and from here on out it's me and the long wash days.  My hair is still feeling long and healthy and one of my friends was nice enough to massage my scalp a bit while I was there.  I LOVE that.  And the view from my hotel was gorgeous.  Great lake, nice woods, really nicely done deck.  It was great no matter what time I looked out at it over the two days.  Anyhoo, how goes wash days around your parts and tell me what you think of the vacation hair.

Just a Quickie: Dry Shampoo and Updates

Howdy folks,

I'm almost three weeks posts and I deliberately not washed my hair because I wanted to enjoy the super straightness until my wash and set this week.  For the first time this year I am going on a real vacation.  Nothing for work or family.  I'm leaving on Friday and will be back on Sunday because I still have to teach on Monday lol but for forty-eight hours I will be kicking it with friends from all over the country who are meeting up with me at a fun event.  It's not Essence but meh after all headache of trying to plan this year's trip it's not even worth comparing the two.  I'm packing my flirting gear, will be getting my toes and nails done probably on Thursday along with my hair, and then flying out on Friday morning.  I'll be back early enough to do normal Sunday running around and then one more week of one class and then comes a tiny bit of respite with my scheduling.

However after two weeks of no washing my hair was feeling kinda funky so I went ahead and tried the dry shampoo I got from Influenster on hair that actually needs it.  It seems to work quite nicely.  My hair felt fresher almost immediately and as I brushed it in as instructed it felt even better.  I wrapped it and went to be and haven't toyed with it today.  Just hoping I'm not bald when I do lol.  How is the world in your neck of the woods?