Update + Shout outs

I feel like every other time I post, it's an apology and excuse for why I haven't posted in a while *le sigh* It feels like I've been away from my blog for forever! :-( Here's a few things that have happened since I last posted:

1. My autumn semester went...eh...womp. No further details.

2. I'm still going strong on CG! And loving it :-D

3. I'm still enjoying the GF Pure Clean condish :-)

4. I've decided to keep my YT channel and post videos there and on here #doingtheeabsolutemost.

5. I stopped baggying nightly because (get ready) we ran out of plastic bags and I have no plastic conditioning caps *hangs head in shame* I tried sleeping on a Ziploc bag for a couple nights, but my head is ginormous so I'd get dry patches.

Now, part of the reason why we no longer have plastic bags in the house is because the county I live in (MoCo) has a tax on plastic bags now - 5 cents per bag. It might seem like an insignificant amount, but after buying a cartload of groceries every 2 weeks, it starts to add up. So we just have reusable bags to go shopping with now (it looks ultra tacky in the mall -___-). Sigh. So, I have to find a place that sells plastic conditioning caps. Humph. Any suggestions, curlies? All the ones I've seen in Target and Wal Mart have that foil-type stuff and me no likey. Mayhaps it's time for me to stop being a cheapskate and buy a satin DCing cap? Ugh...who knows?

Anywho...
I have a video (sorry for it being so long, btdubs :-/) telling y'all all about what I'm planning for this year. Lots of new and exciting things!

 In addition to what's mentioned in this video, I'm going to be adding a new contributing author to La Vida - one of my bestest buddies! She's not natural (I can hear the gasps and fainting now), but she has long (almost waist length) texturized hair. Her hair is healthy and burgeoning, and I feel that it'd be beneficial to show that you can have beautiful hair no matter what. She's also big into health and fitness, so there'll be some recipes, fitness tips, etc. to come as well.

Additionally, I've decided to change up my regimen. The way things were just weren't cutting it for me. I timed myself in the shower during my last wash session, and from poo to the last rinse, I was standing in there for almost 2.5 hours! #Ain'tnobodygottimefodat...especially with the semester quickly approaching! Like, really? Humph. I've been obsessed with the magic YT of late, so I checked out videos by Heyfranhey (highly recommend her, btdubs) and MahoganyCurls, and I think that I might know what my new regimen might be. I'm still trying to get my thoughts together on it, though, so I won't give out the deets just yet.

I'm also thinking of exclusively WnGing, but the upkeep..blech. My hair has a weird porosity; if I did it between 7-11 am, it might be 90% dry by the time I hit the sack. It's so irritating. Thus why I've been sticking to twists for so long. But, I've been noticing that with my curls, staying in twists can become a nightmare. My curls get unbelievably tangled after being twisted for 6 days. It's not even funny how messy it can be. So, I wanted to see if my hair just wants to be freed instead. I'll report back once I see how that goes.

And finally...detangling has been getting on my dangnabbit last darned nerves! Don't get me wrong - I love my Denman, I truly do. But standing in the shower for that long trying to get out every single stinking tangle is driving me insane! I detest finger detangling and wide tooth combs, but I might be revisiting them again. I just do NOT have the time and energy to stand in there for so long. I'll let y'all know how this goes, too. Be prepared for some tears and rants. Lol.
 The D3 that I hate to love, and the wide tooth comb that I love to hate. How to find a balance?


Oooh! And I found a YTer who does the TightlyCurly method - AuCurls Naturelle. Check her out; she's doing a series on the TC method, and it is by far the best and most thorough I've seen on the magic YT to date. It's really difficult to find good quality videos on this method, and since I started my natural journey doing TC, it's near and dear to my heart. I was ecstatic to see channel! She has gorgeous curls and such a sweet spirit; I highly recommend her :-)

I think that's about it on my end...what's been up with y'all? Que hay de nuevo?

P.S. Before I forget, I also wanted to shout out Shelly of GlamNaturalLife! I won a giveaway on her blog a week or so ago, and I received a package of sample goodies on Monday. I'll be doing a video on it soon!

P.P.S. I also have to do an update on my OBOT and weight loss/health journey. Ahh! So much to do!

P.P.P.S. And I have a movie review to post, as well as reviews for the books I'm currently reading. Deets later :-)

Product Review: Garnier Fructis Pure Clean Fortifying Conditioner + POTW

I did a video on the magic YT (there's a story behind that name, btdubs :-P ) about this product, but I've decided that YouTube land isn't for me. I like being a subbie only :-) So, I'm redoing the video just for the blog :-D

Here are the ingredients, as promised:

Aqua/Water/Eau, Cetearyl Alcohol, Distearoylethyl Hydroxyethylmonium Methosulfate, Octyldodecanol, Zea Mays Starch/Corn Starch, Parfum/Fragrance, Pyrus Malus Extract/Apple Fruit Extract, Camelina Sativa Oil/Camelina Sativa Seed Oil, Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil/Apricot Kernel Oil, Glycine Soja Oil/Soybean Oil, Tocopherol [Vitamin E], Caprylyl Glycol, Benzoic Acid, Niacinamide, Pyridoxine HCI, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Linalool, Hexyl Cinnamal, Citric Acid, Saccharum Officinarum Extract/Sugar Cane Extract/Extrait de Canne a Sucre, Citrus Medica Limonium Peel Extract/Lemon Extract, Camellia Sinensis Extract/Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Malpighia Punicifolia/Acerola Fruit Extract.

Not too shabby ingredients-wise, methinks. Update: I tried this condish as a detangler today in the shower on my back sections. It worked well, but I needed a LOT to do it. I'll try it on a looser section next week.
On the bright side, this product does rinse very clean and leaves almost no residue. It actually rinses more clean than VO5, so a new staple cowash has been born :-D


Ooh! Since I only do my hair on a weekly basis and I don't really moisturize in between wash days, I've decided to add a Products of the Week (POTW) feature every weekend so that y'all can see what I'm using. Here's this week's video :-)

I ended up using all three conditioners to detangle my hair. I had my hair divided into 12 twists, so I used TRESemme Naturals on my first four twists, Garnier on the next four, and Yes to Cucumbers on the last set of four. It worked out pretty well, I believe. Since I didn't use TN for my entire head, I still have a tiny bit left...quite an aggravating amount that's staring back at me at this moment lol. Quick note: Remember how I mentioned the fragrance that the Garnier Pure Clean condish has? Well, it wasn't nearly as strong when I was in the shower detangling. It smelled mostly like an apple-ish type fragrance; I could hardly smell the fragrance. I'm thinking that the concentration of fragrance might be less in this formula than in the other types of Garnier conditioners. Whatever the case may be, I'm really liking this! It's already mixed up in an empty Nature's Gate conditioner bottle with aloe vera juice and vinegar, ready for my next cowash :-D

I also gave the Taliah Waajid PMB another shot, and I'm glad that I did. One curly on CN mentioned that she used it on damp hair. So I plopped for about 30 minutes, and then spritzed each twist 6 times with the PMB. My hair was barely damp, and it worked much better this go! It still doesn't have that slip that I want that the Oyin Juices & Berries has, but it's better than it was the last time.

That's about it for today, chicas!

When is your wash day, curlies? Do you like quickie regimens, or do you like to give your hair a slower, more delectable treat? What were your POTW?