Washday...Deep Side Part With Curls

Firstly, can we get a handclap for three day weekends! On a more serious note though I pray everyone had a fabulous Memorial Day weekend and took the time to reflect on the real reason for the holiday.

In preparation for Memorial Day weekend I washed my hair on Thursday. Here's how my washday went...

• Prepooed with coocnut oil for 20 minutes. (I'm participating in the Hairlista Coconut Oil challenge. Join us!)
• Detangled with Mane N Tail Detangler in sections.
• Shampooed with Shea Moisture Retention Shampoo
• Applied Nexxus Emergencee to my hair for about 5 minutes.
• Rinsed and applied Keracare Humecto Creme DC
• Sat under my Gold N Hot conditioning cap for about 25 minutes.
• Rinsed and applied a small amount of the Generic verision of the Matrix Bioliage Detangling Solution.
• Did a final rinse and gently detangled my hair in the shower
• T-shirt dried for about 30 minutes.
• Applied leave ins using the L-Chi Keratin Mist, C-It's A 10 Miracle Leave In, O- GVP Smoothing Serum method. 
• Air dried hair

Style: This week I decided to rock caruso steam curls with a deep side part. I pretty sure I got the
inspiration from Pinterest, but have no idea which picture! I aboslutely loved this style. It was an awesome way to jazz up my look for the weekend and just screamed summer to me. In face I loved this simple style so much that I am planning to rock it again this weekend with flexi rods instead!

How was your wash day? Have you checked out 'The Washday Experience' Linkup? If not join us!

Bonus: Check out my quick length check update video!

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I Finally Reached APL! Now What?...

It feels really good to finally say that I've officially reached APL! I've been so focused on reaching APL that I haven't thought of what Mini goals I want to achieve next. For those that don't know my ultimate goal is BSL (Bra Strap Length), but since I'm about 4-6 inchese away from that I'm going to set mini goals for myself. Here's what I've come up with so far:

• When my hair is pulled forward I want it to reach my Arm Pits (my ultimate goal is for it to reach boobie land, but baby steps! 
• My hair is cut into layers and my shortest layers only reach my neck. I would like for these layers to reach shoulder length. 
• I would like for my hair to reach the top of my length check shirt. I have about 3 inches to get to that point.
• When my hair is curly or flexi rodded I want it to be shoulder length. I swear I suffer from shrinkage even though I'm relaxed because the minute a curl hits my hair it shrinks like nobody's business!  

Those are my top mini goals that I will be focusing on during my journey to BSL land. Having mini goals really helps me to stay on track and not get discouraged. What goals have you set lately?


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Washday...Messy Textured Bun & Curls Galore!

I was so ready for this washday. I don't know about y'all, but I'm convinced that I only like flat ironed hair for length checks! Other than that I love curls and volume! I swear the bigger my hair got as it air dried the happier I was. Here's how my wash day went.

• Prepooed with coconut oil for 20 minutes (I just recently joined the Hairlista Coconut Oil Challenge. Check it out here).
• Detangled with Mane N Tail Detangler.
• Deep conditioned with Keracare Humecto Creme Conditioner on the length of my hair and Macademia Natural Repair Masque on my ends for about 30 minutes using my Gold N Hot conditioning cap.
• Rinsed and shampooed with Shea Moisture Retention Shampoo.
• Rinsed and applied a quarter size amount of the generic Matrix Biolage Detangling Conditioner.
• Did a final rinse and t-shirt dried my hair for about 20 minutes.
• Applied my leave ins using the L-Chi Keratin Mist, O-GVP Smoothing Serum, C- It's A 10 Miracle Leave In **Newbie Alert** method.
•  Air dried my hair for about 2.5 hours.
  

Style: On Saturday I had an early appointment so I just threw my hair into a textured high bun for the day. On Sunday I wanted some volume so I opted for flexi rods! I dry set my hair on 10 flexi rods using a bit of my Dark N Lovely Au Naturale Curl Souffle. The results were awesome. I had the softest curls with a soft hold that lasted all day!

How was your wash day? If you haven't checked out The Washday Experience Linkup yet join us! 

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MakeUp Mondays | How To Apply Blush

Finally Growing has a new feature that I'm super excited to share with you guys! For those of you who may not know I'm almost as obsessed with Makeup/Beauty products as I am with healthy hair care! While I enjoy high end products I revel in finding drug equivalents at a fraction of the cost. My plans for this feature are to discuss different products, beauty methods, and of course answer any questions that y'all may have. I am not a MUA (Makeup Artist) by any stretch, but I am a girl who seriously enjoys amping up my look from time to time! In addition I hope to provide product reviews for some products that I have a hard time finding reviews for myself!

So now that I've gotten the introduction out of the way I thought I'd spend today talking about blush application. A few years back I never wore blush because I always felt like I looked like a clown, which honestly I did because I had no idea how to apply it it my cheek bones. Now every body has a different cheek bone structer. My daddy blessed me with nice ample round cheek bones, which scream put a bit of blush on me please! I believe that two things are key to proper blush application:

• Blush brush
• Complimentary Blush color
• Technique

Easy peasy right? Let me explain. When I first began wearing blush I was using an E.L.F blush brush and while I love E.L.F cosmetics and even some of their brushes this brush was not for me...well not for blush application, but I'll save that for another post! Eventually I decided to invest in a Sonia Kashuk Blush Brush. This brush totally changed my application game!

My favorite blush colors especially for spring and summer are beautiful coral and peach toned blushes. They compliment my skin tone beautifully.

To apply blush I start at the apples of my cheeks and work my way toward my hairline. I start with minimal product on my brush because it's much easier to build up your blush color than to tone it down. Now please remember that there are countless ways to apply blush. This is the method that I've found works best for me and my bone structure. Until next Monday stay beautiful :)


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Wash Day & Relaxer Update!

This past Saturday I relaxed my hair at 8 weeks post. As always I went to my stylist. Here's what I did to prep leading up to my relaxer:

• 1 week prior used Nexxus Emergencee as a protein treatment.
• 1 day prior:
• Thoroughly detangled using my Mane N Tail Detangler
• Coated the length of my hair with the GVP Smoothing Serum
• Applied JBCO to my new growth and ends

These preventive steps help to protect my hair from relaxer run off. Here's how my visit to the salon went.

• My stylist thoroughly based my scalp
• Next she applied the Mizani Honey Shield to the length of my hair.
• She began applying the relaxer. My total processing time was 16 minues.
• After she thoroughly rinsed out the relaxer she applied the Pherphecting Creme Normalizing Conditioner for about 20 minutes.
• Lastly she shampooed my hair twice with the Balance Hair Bath Neutralizing and Chelating Shampoo.

I recieved a trim as I do every 4 months and got my hair flat ironed. This is normally the only time that I use direct heat. Overall I was pleased with my results. The biggest question for me was did I finally make it to Arm Pit Length?! Based on my length check picture below I believe that I did, however I believe that I am only grazing APL and am not full APL. Clearly I was having a my hair doesn't seem that long moment because based on the picture I've OFFICIALLY REACHED APL!!! **Throws Confetti** At first I was aggrivated with my progress until I looked at my progress pictures and realized that my hair is growing and while I'm not where I want to be I'm a lot closer than I was! With that said now that I've reached APL what's next? Don't worry I plan to dedicate an entire post to answering that question so stay tuned!

For more details check out my quick video!

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Ulta Love Your Hair Event!

This is just a quick blog post to tell y'all about a fabulous event that Ulta has going on from May 11th through the 31st! I would've told y'all sooner, but I just found out! Ulta is having different deals on various hair products each day so if there's been a product that you've been eying this may be the time to get it! For more details you can click Here.


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Product Review | Keracare Humecto Creme Conditioner

Initially I tried this product a few years ago when I was a serious product junkie and serial regimen jumper (no wash day was the same!). While at the salon one day my stylist was applying conditioner to my hair and it smelled so amazing that I just had to ask her what she was using. When she said it was the Keracare Humecto Conditioner I was sold and immediately decided that I had to give this product another chance. The first time I used this conditioner I was using so many different products (none consistently) that I had no idea if this product was working for my hair. Needless to say this gal is all about second chances when it comes to conditioners because well I'm a sucker for a good deep conditioner and although I've tried tons I still haven't quite found the conditioner that makes me want to make it my one & only!







Price: $8 on sale (normally $13.50)

Place of Purchase: JC Penney Salon

Promises: KeraCare Humecto Creme Conditioner helps correct and prevent moisture loss due to exposure to chemicals and thermal styling appliances.

• helps correct and prevent moisture loss
• superior detangling
• helps prevent brittleness, breakage and split ends
• eliminates static charge
 

My Thoughts: **HOLY GRAIL STATUS** If those three words don't give you an indication of how much I seriously LOVE this product then allow me to explain. This product smells amazing...kind of like a tropical island (who doesn't want to have a mini getaway while washing their hair!). This product is thick (but not too thick) and very creamy. I love that this product completely sinks into my hair. My method of choice when applying this conditioner is to apply on semi damp hair. I have no idea if it helps with detangling because I thoroughly detangle my hair before I deep condition, but this product is extremely moisturizing for my hair. In fact once I started using this product even with a steady 3-5 day workout schedule I still only have to wash my hair once a week! This conditioner was the start of my new and improved 'no muss no fuss' regimen. I've gotten 7 good deep conditioning sessions from my 8 oz bottle.This product is a bit pricey, but I love this conditioner so much and remember Sunshyne of Hairlicious Inc mention the 5lb Amazon for $52.00. After doing a bit of math I realized that it's a lot cheaper and easier to purchase it in bulk. I feel like I just typed a lot, but this conditioner deserved every word. This conditioner will be in my regimen for a long time coming. It's compelely kicked every other conditioner I own to the curb!

Have you tried the Keracare Humecto Creme Conditioner.


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Fitness Fridays | My Top 5 Tips for Weight Loss & Maintenance!

It's been a while since I've done a Fitness Friday post, however I hope this vlog will make up for that. This week on my YouTube Channel I decided to share my top 5 tips for weight loss. These are also the tips that I used to maintain my weight. I hope you guys enjoy and please make sure to join the fabulous Fitness Fridays link up!

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