Natural Journeys: My Sisterlocks and stuff

Maybe I should have reintroduced myself prior to my Sisterlocks Haircut Followup post ... since I haven't blogged for over a year at ESandB.com with any regularity. Of course, my time had been directed towards completing my doctoral studies... Now, I have PhinisheD STRONG-- graduated December 2015! * TECH TIP: Fun app used here are MomentCam and Eboticon... LOVE 'EM! Dr. 3girlsmomma  / NappNine, Ph.D. is in the house!! Instructional Technology is my expertise... If ever you need personalized support with integrating technology to realize transformative teaching and learning experiences or improved productivity leveraging technology for yourself or others... the Doctor is IN theoretically...

So, you've seen my video... now, what's holding YOU back about making your personal Sisterlocks decisions?? You might ask, WHAT SISTERLOCKS DECISIONS do I even have?  Well, are you vacillating over questions with regard to your natural hair in general? to the present condition of your Sisterlocks today? or, to scheduling a Sisterlocks install appointment? How about the following questions: Can I afford Sisterlocks upkeep? (Good question... if you are NOT a DIYer) How much do I care about what other people think about me? Are you ready to BE-U-TIFUL*, shameless and fearless?  ( DAILY BAEZ 's word...I like it!) Should I take the plunge into Sisterlocks in stages ? No BIG CHOP just yet...just loc the new growth?  Are am damaging my Sisterlocks by NOT cutting them? Can I resist loc envy and stay the course whatever my stage in the process? You'll note that the motivating crux of all these questions is your MINDSET. Your mindset mediated by your own sense ...

It's after Labor Day 2014, y'all...the official END of SUMMER. I have had a TREMENDOUS SUMMER 2014 that included a "magical" family trip to Disney World that culminated with our family reunion also in Orlando. Next, I visited Seattle, WA on a business trip that was a rich learning experience where I met some truly creative and passionate educators. Then, I traveled to North Carolina for my first Market America International Convention (#MAIC2014)  where  my belief in my unFranchise business was built and my knowledge expanded to improve my entrepreneurial endeavors. I recently broke the seal on one of my Market America haircare products: Fixx Argan Oil Shampoo. The shampoo is clear (a plus for lock'd hair); it effectively cleaned my scalp, yet left my hair soft and not stripped of its moisture.    I will be certain to reorder this product!! An 8 oz bottle of Fixx Argan Oil Shampoo retails at my Shop.com website for $19.95. Follow this hyperlink to get you...

September 2005, I became a Green-Diva ...  I became a DivaCup user as a more eco-friendly, sanitary, and HEALTHY feminine hygiene solution to tampon and pad use. During my 9 years of DiveCup use, I replaced my DivaCup once after ruining its integrity by improper cleaning. (I scrubbed it creating a tear.) Today, I lay my DivaCup to rest in pieces...(RIP --see what I did there...heHe) The manufacturer asks that users dispose of their DivaCups by thoroughly washing the cup, cutting it up into smaller pieces, and then disposing it to the trash. Why? What has changed ...you might ask? CHANGE is a good word... let's go with that. Well, it seems that at 46 years old my body went into a pre-menopausal stage that manifested itself in irregular menstrual cycles. When it did show, if it did at all, it was excessive lasting for months at a time... I found that I NEEDED to wear black pants or skirts just to camouflage any overflow to my clothes. Yeah, it was enough already. I was ...

I am a proud  Market America UnFranchise business owner. VERY PROUD, in fact, being just back from #MAIC2014 .  I'm proud because I have FINALLY gotten involved with a system that makes complete sense to me on spiritual, intellectual, economic, and community levels.  The limitations of becoming successful with Market America are solely that of the individual's lack of effort to: engage in result producing activities; invest in his/her training; continue to learn; execute the plan, and renew one's mind and behavior. COLLABORATION is key in these business opportunity. I'm all about that-- my dissertation research focus is COLLABORATION. These are my people-- MY maBUSINESS PARTNERS! I love them ALL! #maFamilyLove SPIRITUAL - Our team comprises of different ages, ethnicities, and home states, yet ONE common purpose ECONOMIC FREEDOM. We each are working for a life of service unto others...  Duane McLaughlin - ...

Hmmm, well, I guess I figured out  my Lottabody to Water ratio...  I sure needed to because as you can you see, I have a half bottle of the stuff yet to go... and this large bottle WILL LIKELY last me for the next 9 years... lol!

On July 18, 2014... Kandi Manning was careful not to have my request for Copper highlights result in a color too bright for my skin tone. So my while my highlights are subtle against my naturally dark hair, the copper highlights are yet noticeable throughout my Sisterlocks... and I LOVE IT!!

This is my version of YouTuber DeidraMM's   Sisterlock Curly Fro ... For my version I attempted to somewhat maintain the A-line stacked Bob haircut effect I was going for in having my locks of 9 years cut this way. (My hair still doesn't stack high like I envision it to... got that fine hair...but people say that they can see the wedge-effect, particularly when my head down...) I used Lottabody setting lotion on my dampen hair, Lock Loops in the top of my head and pipe cleaners in the back. I resisted finger-combing my hair much by just merely shaking my head to breakup the curls in my hair. I created this look in the summertime so my curls did fall quickly at the longest part of my head: the top. As such, I did have to revisit the hair rolling process again, but on the second go around, I used only pipe cleaners for the curls that had fallen out due to the humidity. It came out pretty good...but now I'm wondering if my diluted Lottabody solution is too watery......

Well, it has been about 2 years since my last post... (seems I'm mostly on my personal Facebook page and Google+ not to mention working towards completing my doctoral degree expected 2015 WhoopWhoop... but, I digress...) Here's what up... As the title suggests, I have gotten my length of 9 years cut into an Angled Bob. Now, while I had envisioned my Bob having a definite wedge from the side view... I guess my hair is just to fine to REALLY STACK HIGH naturally. That being said I do like my cut, but I was tickled by it because truly 'all things old become new again'. What I mean is that I HAD a permed Bob with a very short cut nape of my neck upon having my Sisterlocks installed back in 2005...and looking at my hair in 2014 it seems that I have started where I had come back then! (See the pic) Of course, THIS TIME the hair on the top of my head is chemical-free!!  This is ME with all my daughters...we all rock natural hair. My two SL'd daughters-- 2girls...

While Salkis is no longer Sisterlock'd she is STILL kickin' wisdom and knowledge. After seeing her video on coconut oil for ORAL CARE, I did further research and now I am full out "oil pulling" !! Have you heard of OP? Or, am I the only LATE ONE on this powerful healing practice?!? I already use oils for hair and skin care: EVOO, coconut oil, etc.  Start like I did with Salkis Re's video on CO for OC... Check it out! :-)

Valana Minerals is a 'for us by us' line of high quality 100% natural and vegan cosmetics. Sistahpreneur Valerie, owner and creator of Valana Minerals, has entered a competition to win a business grant through Chase Bank and Living Social for business. Winning the grant would be a great opportunity! Would YOU help get her the 250 votes she needs to qualify for the next phase of the competition? Simply log into your Facebook account (I know you've got one!) to vote. 1. To vote, please visit this link and log in http://t.co/dBbpHmR5 2. On the bottom left side enter Valana Minerals in the “business name” box and click “Search” (note: You don't need to type the city and state because there is only one Valana Minerals.) 3. Then click “VOTE” With three quick steps, you can help Valana Minerals get to the next level. The voting process is quick. Now, if you haven't tried Valana Minerals go there now... do yourself a favor and r equest my VMDiscount Code by e...

Loc'd hair thrives on products that are residue –free and offer moisture, but not to the point of causing the loc to swell even after it’s dry. Using Sanaa Zuri’s  More Moisture Silkening Hair Conditioner with CALENDULA- a natural emollient that softens and soothes the hair & scalp while adding sheen,  I experienced locs that were soft to the touch. I initially used Sanaa Zuri’s  More Moisture Silkening Hair Conditioner with Calendula as a leave-in conditioner that I applied to my already dry and curled Sisterlocks. I used about a nickel-size amount in my hand that I applied throughout my dry and pipe-cleaner curled SLs. I just knew that I was about to lose all my curls being that the Sanaa Zuri’s  More Moisture Silkening Hair Conditioner instantly softened my hair to the touch. To my surprise days later I still had curls!! I had merely followed my normal nightly regimen when I have curls: stuff my locs into a fishnet-like cap at night. It seemed that even scrunc...

KnottyBoy.com Justin Bieber, Drake and others aren't the only HOT things straight outta Canada...  This year I finally tried Knotty Boy products . I'm lovin' the Dread Shampoo Bar (with 3 Sisterlock'd heads in the house I chop it into thirds and we all shampoo awhile.) It lathers and rinses well and I love the tea tree scent! Then there is the Dreadlock Conditioning Spray ... again, I love the Green Tea scent (my kids don't care for it--but WHAEVAH!!) I specifically wanted to try the  Knotty Boy Natural MISTic Lock Deodorizer and Fragrance Spray for my dear daughters who have less than fresh heads @ times. I bought the Waterfall scent for them. After it arrived and we tried it, they felt that I should have gone with the  Satsuma Spritz scent. They liked the idea of smelling like a " plump juicy orange!" Overall, the Knotty Boy products performed as promised.  My SLs are noticeably softer to the touch with a spray of the conditioning product without...

My expectations are high for 2011-- spirit, soul and body from hair to toe! My hair ends are re-locking nicely from my first style haircut back in February of 2010. While the cut has certainly grown-out, the result is still something I can work with. What else is new? Well... as you all know, my Sisterlocks where installed by Paulette Brown of Locks4Life Natural Hair Salon. Now, Paulette has moved to out-of-state. While it has been a long time since Paulette has actually retightened my hair herself, I will always well serviced by any one of the SL Consultants of L4L. For the past year, I've been in the chair of Sabrina Sampson. Then, Sabrina opened her own shop: Lock Envy Natural Hair Salon. So, in subsequent posts and videos I'll later create, I'll be rep-pin' Lock Envy! :-) DON'T GET IT TWISTED, though... I've got NOTHING BUT LOVE for Locks4Life!! What else? Well, I have been working on my skin. I've got wonderful pure makeup and natural hair, but my...

We had so much fun putting this together! My three daughters 'bout break their necks dancing and performing Willow Smith's smash single "Whip My Hair" whenever they hear this tune. (Which is DAILY... since music is on-demand these days with YouTube, right?!) I had a little time over the Thanksgiving holiday to put this together. Unfortunately, 2girlsbigsister was ill during the production but managed to get into Day 2 of trying to work this thing out. Ms.ZB was game from Day 1. Her "swag" was only minimally featured in front of the camera, but BAAAABBY that Ms.ZB has moves with attitude when this song is played. As you can IMAGINE we ALL had headaches for awhile after rockin' out take after take, practicing and messing up! What great family FUN, though! Hilarious... DON'T get it twisted... there is a MESSAGE TO OUR VIDEO! We are saying stay the course doin' YOU naturally. "Shake off" the haters and enjoy shakin' off relaxers, ...

I'm glad our WATER BILL was paid... I colored my Sisterlocks! Which is a hellava  RINSING  process with Sisterlocks... WHEW!  I have used semi-permanent color or rinses before, but never a permanent color like this one. J ust tryin' to make sure I rinsed all product out of my SLs , I MUST have emptied our hot water tank for sure!   :-) As much as I LOVE sistahs who really go TRUE golden, auburn or copper with their locs, I'm still not that bold... YET!  If I EVER DO IT, I'll probably get it done by a professional.What I really like in hair coloring Sisterlocks not withstanding is that TRUE tortoise shell 3-tone effect. That's a GOOD LOOK!! I think that requires some bleaching/highlighting  that I'm NOT particularly comfortable with... at least, not as this time. It would seem to me that a sistah would be tempted to color much more often than perhaps she might have originally expected to maintain the effect.  Anywhoooo... not yet for ...

2005 -2010 Five years ago I made the decision to get Sisterlocks... and WOW, I'm lovin' my life from head to toe. FREEDOM come sunshine (sweat) or rain... I LOVE IT!

Notice how perfectly blunt my freshly cut ends appear this first photo. Now, examine how frayed my ends appear in the second film strip framed pic (albeit, cutely camouflaged with a curled set). Take a closer look...below in this pic with my hair free-styled... I KNOW what is it ... failing to band with consistency when washing.  It is also the result of rubbing my hair against unfriendly materials on bedsheets, sofacovers, etc. I mention the sofa because I used to sleep on my sofa WITHOUT the cover and my hair looked AWESOME. I think because of the sofa's woolen upholstery. Note to self: QUICK FIX= remove the present sofacover AND sleep on the sofa regularly. (It is so good to blog and think with y'all readers...) At times when I wear my Sisterlocks free-styled, I totally have an afro-like cloud around the top of my head as it was just the top layer of my hair that was cut back in February of this year. It's the funniest thing... Know what I do, though? ...

THIS I have got to try! Check it out!

This is the "and Stuff" of my Natural Journeys blog: cool websites like this one! Do check it out.