Summertime Slim Down — On My Way to a Healthier Me

Posted on by Michelle
Green Smoothie
with Kale, Apple, Cucumber and Banana

This year I’ve been learning lots about the importance of eating a diet heavy in fruits and vegetables.  I even found out a thing or two about juicing and how beneficial it can be.  Still, it took my upcoming summer vacation to finally get me motivated to lose some weight.  I’ve been telling myself how great it would feel if I could just lose the 7-10 lbs. that have been keeping me from looking my best.  There are all sorts of reasons why I fell off of the exercise wagon so I’ll save the long story.  Thankfully my diet only needs a few tweeks here and there because my family and I eat pretty healthy.

After watching the movie, “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead,” earlier this year, I decided to start juicing more.  At first, there was a bit of a learning curve but I’m used to it now and can whip up a glass of juice for breakfast with no extra fuss.  I’m happy to say that it helped with my psoriasis which was crazy out of control for most of the winter.  One of my favorites is a green smoothie with Kale, Cucumber, Apple and Banana.

Now that my skin is looking better, I’ve been trying to exercise more in hopes of losing a little extra cushion around the middle and thighs.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m thankful that I’ve been around the same size for years.  It would be nice though to not have to rely so much on help from shaperwear when it’s time to dress up.  Plus, I want to have more energy to help me get through these long summer days with the kids.

As for my hair, I’m hoping that the cardio and strength workouts will lead to a faster metabolism.  This in turn can lead to faster hair growth (maybe).  So for now the Wash n’ Go hairstyle is super easy for me.  Since I use a heavy gel product like Eco Styler, I can just wet my hair in the shower to reactivate my style.  Co-washing is also pretty easy because it removes most of the product without stripping my hair or causing my curls to go into shock.  Sometimes I even use a light oil on my hair either in the shower or right after to seal in the moisture and combat dryness.  The wash n’ go style is so much easier now and great for the summer.

Becoming Catwoman (Eartha Kitt Style) for Denver Comic Con — Pic Heavy

Posted on by Michelle
Me as Eartha Kitt style Catwoman and
Wolverine from the X-Men
at this year’s Denver Comic Con

Yes, I finally did it!  I have wanted to dress up as Catwoman from the Batman Television series and attend a comic book convention for ages.  When I heard that Denver finally had it’s own Comic Con I knew it was time to put a costume together.

For those of you not familiar with what a Comic Book Convention is let me fill you in.  It’s usually a three day event where fans of comic books can gather to meet people from the industry and other fans.  Science fiction movies and television series are also showcased.  There are conventions each year in several major cities and this year was the second convention for Denver.

At the Denver Comic Con my family and I were able to meet many comic book creators, illustrators and graphic artists.  There were even classes, gaming and a film festival.  One of the other fun things about a Comic Con is that there are people who dress up as their favorite characters or superheros.  Knowing this, I decided long ago that if I ever had the chance, I would dress up as Catwoman (Eartha Kitt style no doubt) from the Batman TV series.

We took the kids and had a blast people watching and looking at all of the cool comics and artwork.  My husband has a huge collection of X-Men comics and his favorite character is Wolverine so we were very excited to see someone dressed like him.  It was a long day but we had lots of fun.  I’m just glad I was smart enough to bring a comfortable pair of shoes because those Catwoman high heal boots were just too much!

Old Denim Belt I painted gold with
Acrylic Paint

Rit Dye to turn the Satin Gloves Black
old satin gloves

The costume took some time to put together but I managed to get it done in time.  I purchased the pants at Ross and went thrifting for the top.  The belt I already owned but had to change the color to gold with acrylic paint.  I also had a pair of vintage satin gloves that I died black to match the outfit.

Took this apart and attached
Cat Ears
Gold Belt for some
Catwoman Bling

I really had a lot of fun constructing the mask and ears for the costume.  They were probably the most time consuming but I loved how they turned out.  I took apart an old halloween bat headband and attached cat ears to it constructed out of material and foam from an old cami.  I used more of the same material for the mask after making my own paper template.
Used an old black Cami for
mask and ears
The mask took forever but totally
made the outfit

Now for the hair, my favorite part of course.  I googled the hairstyle Eartha Kitt wore on the Batman Series so that I could see it up close.  Come to find out she wore a braid crown just in front of the cat ears and a long flowy ponytail.  The ponytail was a sinch because I’ve bought drawstring pony’s before but the braid was a little tricky.  I ended up buying a pack of braiding hair and cutting a big section of it to form one long braid.  I put rubber bands on both ends and used bobby pins to secure it.  I used Eco gel to smooth my hair into a high bun and placed the drawstring pony over it.  The style was so cute I didn’t want to take it down!
Section of the braiding hair secured
with a rubber band

Braided down to the end and used another
rubber band to keep from unraveling

Slicked MY hair into a high bun using Eco gel

Attached the braid using bobby pins

Added the drawstring ponytail

Final look with the Mask and Ears
The Denver Comic Con was a blast and I can’t wait to do it again next year!

From Wash n’ Go to Braid Out

Posted on by Michelle

For Memorial Day I decided to wear a wash n’ go because it’s seemed to be the easy thing to do with my hair.  I had a few errands to run but still managed to fix myself up before heading out.  One of the things I tried was stretching my roots with the blowdryer for the look of more length.  My hair was still damp when I was done so it shrunk up a little.  Still, I was pretty happy with the end result.

Later that evening, I wanted to co-wash my hair and re-style the wash n’ go which meant re-applying all of the products and waiting for it to dry.  Instead, I decided to just kick back and watch Youtube while braiding my hair up for a braid out.  I was surprised this morning to see the amount of definition I had.  I was also happy with the look of length I got without having to use any heat this time.

There was already plenty of product in my hair from the wash n’ go so I just spritzed each section with a little water before braiding it into plaits.  I then spritzed a little more water on the ends and twisted with my fingers to get a slight curl.  The product in my hair helped with this step.  I didn’t even have to use a comb or denman brush.  I just stretched my hair with my fingers and detangled a little here and there.  It was almost too easy!


I’m beginning to see a routine forming here.  I can totally see myself wearing my wash n’ go’s for a few days and then turning them into braid outs when they start to get a little fuzzy.  I hope this is the case because I get the feeling my hair needs a more simplified routine and this may be it.  What’s funny is the fact that this is what I used to do during my first year natural.  Now I’m not sure why I

ever stopped.

Wash n’ Go on Memorial Day
Braid out the next day

Natural Hair: Growing it Out In Your Own Time

Posted on by Michelle

This last couple of weeks I’ve been kicking myself for the frequent trimming that has kept my hair journey stuck in neutral.  Right now my hair sits just below APL (arm pit length) in back and layered in front with bangs (when straight).  My main motivation for going natural was to grow my hair longer.  I figured I was on a five year plan but saw how much faster my hair grew (or broke less) during the first year natural.  I was so excited and figured I would see Bra Strap Length hair (BSL) some time around the halfway mark.  When that didn’t happen, I started to get down on myself and wonder what I was doing wrong.  It also didn’t help that I kept seeing progress pics and videos from others who gained length and thickness in what seemed to be much less time.

HAIR GROWTH TALK AND TIPS
INSPIRATION VIDEO BY “MYNATURALSISTAS”
This week though, I watched a very helpful video that reminded me that everyone’s natural hair journey is different.  It’s okay to look to others’ experiences for inspiration.  However, it is unrealistic to compare my hair to someone else’s even though we may have the same hair texture and starting point.  Each hair journey is a very individual experience and there are so many different variables that decide the outcome.  There’s also a lot to learn along the way and we all do this in our own time. 
For now, I’m going to try to not focus so much on what I DON’T have and get back to appreciating what I DO have.  The longer length will come in time so I’m just going to have some fun with my hair as it is right NOW.

Gearing Up for Summer

Posted on by Michelle

Finally here in Colorado we are getting some warmer weather.  That weekly snow storm business was beginning to drive me crazy!  Every time I saw the cold temps coming I cringed at the idea of wearing a Wash n’ Go.  Curly hair is great but, wet hair when the weather is cold is not so great.  As a result, I have been wearing my hair either straight or in stretched styles.

HAVANA TWISTS INSPIRATION VIDEO

Now I’m beginning to wonder what style I want to rock for the summer months.  I’m thinking about maybe taking on Havana Twists.  These are twists done using Marley Braid hair but much larger (and faster) than mini or medium size twists.  It looks like it may be easy to install but I haven’t done my own extensions in ages so who knows what I’ll get.

I’m also loving the medium size, “Poetic Justice” type box braids.  I would also be doing these myself but I tried to practice recently with some leftover hair from last time and it didn’t go so well.  Until I make up my mind and try to tackle a summer protective style, I’ll be either straight or curly depending on what activities my family and I have planned.  Since the warm weather is late here I’d better hurry up and decide before it’s too late!

BEAUTIFUL BOX BRAIDS INSPIRATION VIDEO