Mixed Silk Deep conditioner and Leave in

I also purchased the Mixed Silk leave in and deep conditioner yesterday. I believe it is Sally's version of Mixed Chicks. I am a co-washer and I do not use shampoo at all on my hair, so I did not purchase the shampoo. I totally bought this product on a whim and did not read the ingredients in the store. I am not super huge on not using certain ingredients, but I have stayed away from a lot of silicons and this product definitely has some of those in it as well as other ingredients that many may not like.

As I used the leave in last night, it had a smell of a mild pump it up as it came out of the bottle, I used it anyway and I can't say as of right now if I will do away with it or not. I have heard great things about the deep conditioner though. I twisted my hair last night after applying the leave in and sealed my ends with shea butter wheat protein. So maybe tonight I will use the deep conditioner and let you all know what I think about it. Stay tuned...

Naturally EJ

Bentonite Clay/Powder Review

Good morning!

So last night after I got my ends trimmed at super cuts, (Yes, just walked in and let them go to work) I applied bentonite clay to my hair. It was suggested to me by http://www.youtube.com/anaturalbeauty3 to help bring more definition to my hair and so far I am more than pleased! This product is sold at whole foods, vitamin shoppe and places like Earth Fare which is where I got mine. Here is a picture of the one I got below.

It was super easy to mix, although it is basically a trial and error thing with the consistency of the powder and water. It was a HUGE mess, but very easy to clean up. I followed a simple recipe that I saw on Curly Nikki and went to work. I judged the mixture by eye. I added the powder and warm water until I got the mixture to a pancake batter like consistency. After that I added about two table spoons of honey.

I applied it and left it on my hair for about 10-15 minutes. It is also good to use as a face mask and of course I could not help myself... I put it on my face as well. My skin is really sensitive so I ended up having to wash it off pretty quickly. It did make my face smooth and I may try to spruce up the face mask recipe to add something to not make my face feel so dry.

Soooo in my opinion, I am very pleased with the results, I could definitely tell that my hair had more curl definition than before I applied the mixture. I don't expect a miracle to happen in one night, but over time I do plan to add this to my regimen and will keep you all posted on the results. Here is a picture of my hair after rinsing out the treatment... I will also upload a video to my youtube page about the application of this...

Bringing features and spotlight soon as well as giveaways!

Okay, so I have really gotten into blogging and doing the videos again. Since my decision to get into this, I've decided that as I get more followers on here and on youtube, I will start to feature some of my natural friends and I will also start doing giveaways and having contests. There are lots of products that I plan to try and review so look out for it. I will also do makeup product reviews here and there.

I have completely neglected my hair this winter. I have not done any deep treatments and my ends haven't been trimmed in some time now. As I do the blogs and videos, I hope to be able to show you guys a transition in my hair from how it is now being neglected and how it can be. Also, with the help of my natural friends,(I have plenty) hopefully their pictures, videos, blogs and features on my page will help an natural girl out there.

Thanks for reading, I will be uploading a twist out video in a few hours so stay tuned for that on youtube... I was also told to try out amla powder or bentonight clay... Has anyone tried either of these on your hair for strengthening and curl definition? If so please let me know how it worked, I have included a picture of both below. Please post comments and ask questions...

T.G.I.F
~NaturallyEJ

My favorite products right now

So, I am sitting here and decided blog about my favorite products. I have co-washed (conditioner only, no shampoo) my hair for approximately one year now and I wanted to let you guys know my current regimen.

Since being natural I have worn my fair share of wash and go's, but as the winter came, I decided to try not to wash my hair as much and to try to keep it moisturized in other ways. I am a faithful Herbal Essence *hello hydration* user. I co-wash with this and I also use it as a leave-in. On the days that I do not wash my hair, I simply tie it with a silk scarf and the next day I apply Soft sheen Carson Roots of Nature Hair Healing Thickening Cream... It is my miracle working solution for now.

Another product that I use on my hair is Shine hair polish and this is also one of the greatest things to me. Below I have included a picture of each of the three products mentioned in this post. I will upload a video of a twist out from the dry hair state and a twist out from the wet state using these products to show you what the results are on my hair. Stay tuned!

Chat soon
~NaturallyEJ

My pictorial video

Again, please bare with me as I learn how to add music and do more with my videos. I am a work in progress.. LOL

My first Youtube Intro Video

I wanted to post my first youtube video. I have not quite mastered editing, music and whatnot just yet, but I hope to get that down soon. Feel free to leave any comments on good sites to use as far as editing is concerned. Right now I am using Picasa.



Also, please subscribe to my channel at www.youtube.com/EJHalo

Thanks
~NaturallyEJ

Back to Blogging and Say yes to the dress...

Hey there everyone,

I am going to attempt this again. Today, I have just uploaded my first two youtube video's on natural hair and I said, I would start blogging again as well. As usual, lots of things have gone on since the last time I have been on here, but I will definitely fill you all in.

I am heavily engulfed in planning the wedding and everything has been a huge blessing of a journey. Just had my maid of honor,3 bridesmaids and a friend here this weekend to help me "Say yes to the dress" and boy did we have an amazing time the whole weekend. Life is good and God is even greater. I could not be more pleased. Stay tuned for more updates and blog posts and be sure to check out my youtube page and subscribe. www.youtube.com/EJHALO

Here is a pic for you guys from the "Say yes to the dress" weekend... Enjoy

NaturallyEJ

So much going on, but all smiles!!!

Hey guys, just wanted to jump back on and give an update. I've settled in nicely from the move and things are going better than expected! Just to cap up things that have gone on in the past couple of months, Sammy and I have been to Miami and enjoyed a wonderful beach front suit at the Hilton Bentley hotel! Amazing, we also went to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic for his birthday and had an even better time.

On a different note, I got word around 1a.m. that our beloved Dr. William P. Foster has passed away, we are all still in shock, but taking this as best as we know how. He meant so much to so many and we all want you to know that we all love you dearly. I will check in soon.

Checkin in and updates

Hey folks,

I just wanted to check in and give some updates of what's going on. The fiance and I just had our second engagement party in Atlanta and it was a huge success. I especially loved the cake, which was made by TheSouthernCakeQueen. She is based in Charlotte, NC (Thank God for her being family, or else she would not have brought that cake all the way from NC)... The cake topper was a replica of my ring! I loved it... We gave away about $600 in gift cards and small prizes. We played a few games, and even had personalized scratch offs with about 20 winners for our day. We had an absolute ball. I would like to thank all our friends and family who took the time out to attend out day, it was one to remember.



I just got back from Miami, on an impromptu girls getaway which was much needed. I'm ready for the summer jet setting to begin. I just wanted to jump on and say hey. Hope to be back soon. I must get back into this blogging thing.

Hey Hey Hey!

Okay, I am going to attempt to try this again. It has been a while and a lot of new things have happened since the last time I blogged. I got engaged in the Bahamas this January and I am now planning a wedding, planning to move and planning a career change. I am very excited about what is to come. I am also letting my hair grow out and into a lot of natural hair websites. I kept it short because my then boyfriend absolutely loved my short hair. I kept cutting it since he liked it and it didn't matter to me either way :/ LOL... I hope everyone is well and hope things start to get going again on my blog! Until the next time...

Hey Folks, I'm back!

Hello all, it has been a while and I have decided to come back and write after all these months. This will be a very short post, but I did want to get back into blogging. I hope that everyone has a great holiday season and that everyone gets what they want from Santa! Get back with you all soon!

Point of no return or Forgive and Start Fresh?

Hello all, I had a few days off, but I am back with a topic that I hope to get some good responses on... Why is it that you have to damn near loose someone you love before you realize that with them is where you want to be? I mean is it to much to ask someone to not compromise the feelings of someone they are dealing with by making careless decisions??? Yes, we all make mistakes, but sometimes, some mistakes should only be made by those of us under the age of 16. Have you ever dealt with someone and you got to the point of no return, but all of a sudden they wanted things to be right? What did you do, did you take them back, was it still the same or did things change in your relationship? How forgiving are we as people? Did you hold a grudge for a long time or just let it go and started fresh?


Anticipating your thoughts

It's all in fun... Or do you beg to differ?

Good morning, I apologize, but my Monday got a hold of me and I was unable to post anything yesterday. Today I want to talk about having fun!!! I know that having fun is a broad topic, but when I speak about it, I'm wondering how much fun are you willing to let your significant other have? I know people who have many different aspects on it and personally I know from experience that mine is a bit different from that of the average female. Not saying that there aren't any women who think the way I do, because I know there are many, but just in my circle of friends alone, it differs a bit.

Take me for example, I am very, very comfortable with my significant other hanging with his boys and doing what they do, even if it's going to a strip club. Some women wonder, "Why does he need to go to the strip club", but if he has the desire and you can't get on a pole, or throw on some sexy heels and dance for your man, then I say let him do his thing. Heck, even if your willing to dance for him, I think it's cool to spice things up a bit and let him enjoy that environment from time to time if that is what he wants to do. I have dated someone and I've personally gone to the club with them and paid for them to get dances and vice versa, it's entertainment folks. No big deal, no harm intended, Just having Fun. Some women don't want their husbands to have a bachelor party before they get married, or they want to dictate what is done at the party, I say let him have fun.

On the flip side, some men get a bit jealous if their significant other hangs with males. Some feel that if they are not hanging with their girls, then there is something going on. Is it not okay, that your girl may want to watch a basketball game with some fellas, or they may want to go shoot pool at the billiards and drink some beer? They may just have a male that they are really cool with and may want to kick it and shoot the breeze. Just because my girls are not there, doesn't have to mean that there is something going on? I know of some males who want their significant other to cut off all ties with any male friend they have that isn't family. So I think personally, that in both cases, maybe the male or female is a bit insecure about themselves or what they have when they don't want their significant other to be able to do anything with someone of the opposite sex or someone that they could possibly be attracted to. So my question is, how much fun is to much fun? And how do you feel about the different scenarios that I spoke on? Please give more scenarios if you have different ones.

Anticipating your thoughts and responses...

Reason, Season, Lifetime...

I missed a day of blogging, but here goes the last post for the week. I am sure we have all heard the phrase, "People come into your life for a reason, season, or lifetime." This is on my mind, because over the past 6 months, some people have been brought into my life and while I am still trying to figure out the purpose for them all, I am grateful. Please don't get me wrong. I have some FRIENDS that are lifelong, whom I have been close with since 2nd grade, and as I get older, I do know that my circle of associates will grow at a nice pace, but I can't say that I expect my circle of FRIENDS to grow much. Okay that's a bit off topic, but back to the point.

When people come into your life for a reason, it can be because of a lesson you need to learn, to help you realize some things about yourself, or just to throw a little flavor in your life. Which leads me to a people who come into your life for a season. In my experiences these seasonal people are not always the best things for you. We learn from them, and hopefully apply what we learned to our life and keep it moving. Season and Reason can be tied together. Now, those who come into our life for a lifetime.... I am most thankful to God for these kinds of people. They normally cover all grounds, they come into your life for a reason, and their season is forever (lifetime). This is truly just a blog, because my thoughts are so random on this topic. No matter if you are in my life for a reason, were here for a season, or will remain for a lifetime, I am grateful for you...

Secrets...

Okay, so I was sitting down thinking about some close friends and reflecting on a few past situations and wondered how you felt about secrets. Is there ever a time when some things just have to remain a secret, or do you feel like the truth is always the best answer? This topic offers contradicting thoughts in my mind, because I always like to be honest and upfront, but often times, especially when it isn't my business, I think keeping the secret will yield a better outcome than telling. For those of you in relationships, do you sometimes tell secrets to your spouse or partner, even when your friend may think it has been sworn to secrecy? Do you have any secrets that you think you will take to your grave, or do you think maybe one day when you are old and gray, you can share it every secret you may have bottled up inside and not have the burden of a secret on your mind?


Anticipating your thoughts...