Thrift Society

I'm proud to call myself a lifetime thrifter!! I never would have thought that thrift stores would add such a joy to my shopping experience. 4 years ago I wouldn't have stepped foot in a thrift store, thinking all they had was old, smelly, outdated crap...in my head that's what I associated it with. Well I gave it a try with a friend one day and baby it changed my life!!! Now you may see a good bit of the old and unfashionable pieces BUT have patience!! Cause when you dig through the trash you just may find unique treasures. Many fashion trends repeat themselves so you can definitely find something you like in any thrift. The coolest part though is that it's like a one stop shop department store. Clothing (new or gently used), jewelry, shoes, books, electronics, home decor, and the list goes on! When I can find banana republic dress pants with tags for $7...who gon' check me boo?!? Lol That price is right!! I can easily get a bag full of items and pay less than $50 for it all.  I understand that some people have an issue with "recycling" clothing and shoes in particular but I don't. Especially with 2 kids and living on a budget, saving money is a must. My motto is "I don't pay full price for anything, unless it's already cheap (under $30)". Now there are going to be your once in a while exceptions for shoes, handbags, etc. I'm a woman who loves quality pieces, so although I'm cheap I do have standards to it. I hunt for my bargains. I have an eye for lux materials and quality craftsmanship. Look in your area for local thrifts, and I'm not talking Goodwill or Salvation Army (they typically cost a little more because it's a chain store). I made a run to one of my fave thirfts yesterday and found some really awesome pieces that called my name. All pieces were between $3-10 and you can't beat that with a bat. Check out some of my haul!!!

Faux Fur Vest with a satin tie

Real Fur headband/earmuff 

Men's leather gloves 

Suede leather heels 

Nelly <3

Time for a trim

Hey Peeps!!! I hope everyone is having a blessed holiday season and eating really good too Lol! I've seriously been doing my best with trying to treat my hair better since I cut it 2 months ago. Well I recently noticed some splits in the middle of my mane and I knew I had to get rid of 'em before it runs up my scalp. I needed to even it out too so I chopped like 1-2 inches off last night. I washed with Eden's coconut cowash and handled my business. My styling products were a leave-in condish by Taliah Waajid and a curl creme by Beautiful Textures, which by the way feels and smells awesome!! I put my hair in small two-strand twists for now and I'll unravel in a few days. Until next time Loves! 

Nelly

Black Friday and Sally's Beauty

While everyone else hit the stores on Black Friday, I kept my behind out of the madness this year and went online.  The only thing I was interested in we're hair and beauty products anyway.  I landed at Sally's beauty where I was able to save 20% off my $50+ purchase and I got free shipping.  Now let me say, I've been going to Ms. Sally for a while now but never ordered online before.  I got some oil, leave-in, cowash, deep conditioner, and some retinol products. 

I got the package exactly a week after ordering and this is what I got...

The packaging obviously wasn't the greatest because my deep conditioner was all over the box and everything else. Presentation is half the battle and the crumpled up packing slip didn't help either.  I called Sally's customer service first thing Monday and they offered apologies and said they would ship me a new bottle of deep conditioner, which was my expectation.  I can't say I'd order online with them again, especially when the Sally's rep I spoke to said that shipment damage is common.  If the discount is right though I'll give it another go Lol. 

Nelly

What's new this week

I got that "experimental" itch this week and tried my hand at some things.  I bought some Dark and Lovely Go Intense golden blonde hair color a while ago and was nervous about using it.  Now I've had this color in the past so I knew it would go well with my skin tone but I wasn't so sure I wanted to do a chemical treatment.  Then I said to myself why not just do henna instead as a more natural coloring option.  I did use henna once before and loved the results.  So I bought the henna and read up on chemical based hair colors vs henna.  I found out that you can use henna over permanent hair dyes but not vice versa. Even bleaching (stripping your hair of previous layers of color) won't work on Henna'd hair, it must grow out.  Armed with that info, I went ahead and tried the golden blonde color to see how it would turn out.  Worst case scenario I can henna over it and be good to go!  Well here is the turnout...

I got a slight lift in my roots but the color is not what I anticipated at all....I left the color on for an extra 10 mins since my hair is pretty resiliant when it comes to coloring.  The main reason I wanted to color was to cover my gray's and it did absolutely NOTHING to them.  I'll rock this highlight for a bit and then I will use the henna because that covers the gray with no problems.  

After the color process I blow dried my hair and put in about 25 single braids and rolled them into Bantu knots. In the morning I took that down and got the hairstyle pictured below.  This is not what I expected but I worked with it...channeling 1960's vintage hair.  As the day went by it got bigger and fluffier...the day ended in a small ponytail cause I couldn't take it!!  I was extra happy to be able to make a ponytail too hehe!!  

Nelly <3

Coil out pin up

The end of the week is here and this hair held up good hunny! I played around with some pin-up action today since I'm heading out to a fight party later. I can't wait til it grows super big again ;-) 

Nelly

Coilout Update!

I seperated my coils this morning for a true coilout. I made sure to recoil the seperated parts in the same direction it was originally coiled. I also coated my palms with shea butter oil for added softness, moisture and shine while seperating. It came out nice and my hair looks full but not poofy.  We'll see how it holds up over the week. 

Nelly

Finger Coilout on 3A, 3B, 3C Natural Hair

I tried a hairstyle this weekend that I haven't had since a young child...coils.  I'm ALWAYS rocking twistouts or wash and go's since I opted for the BC (big chop) in October, so this was a nice change up.  I first co-washed and then gave myself a deep conditioning treatment with Hydration Elation (As I Am) under my hood dryer for 15 mins.  After rinsing I applied The Great Detangler (Taliah Waajid) as my leave-in conditioner. This is my first time trying Taliah Waajid products and the leave in smells good and my hair detangled decently.  I don't find anything standout about the product but it got the job done.  I used the iC Olive styling gel as my styling product.  I then sat under my hood dryer and set it on low heat for about an hour and change. After drying, my hair did have a semi hard cast which I combated by scrunching the coils. Once I did that my hair was nice and soft and no trace of residue left. So all in all I'm a happy camper, I'll post more pics of the unraveled coils in an update. Enjoy the recording I made!!

Nelly

Turban Headwrap

I have a habit of washing my hair late at night.  After work I go home to my other jobs as a mother and wife, so I don't typically get to ME time until like 9 at night.  I decided to do a mid-week cowash and threw in some single braids for overnight.  It wasn't dry by the time I needed to get ready for work...that would be too much like right Lol!!  Since I didn't want to take out the damp braids, I opted for a Headwrap aka Turban look.  I did a chic side twist with a long scarf I usually wear around my neck.  If you would like to see a tutorial...leave a comment! 

Nelly ❤️

Product Review: Olive Styling Gel by iC

Everyone has their staple hair care items, but it's nice to experiment with different products.  You never know when you might find something you like better than the last, and at a cheaper price too! This week I tried out Olive Styling Gel by iC for my twistout.  I must say I'm impressed with the results and I would re-use.  Curl definition, shiny, soft and smooth hair = a happy natural!! I payed $3 and change for a 16oz. jar and barely scraped the top layer when I was finished.  If I had to name a downfall on this product it would be that it's contents are not on the organic side of the market.  I do like to read ingredients before purchasing because the more natural ingredients the better.  

 

I co-washed and detangled my hair with a wide tooth comb and then sectioned my head into 4.  I applied the gel in the back section and smoothed it out with my fingers to ensure the hair was saturated from root to ends.  I then combed through the gel with a smaller comb to make sure none of my hair was still tangled.  Once that was done I took the section and made about 4-5 two-strand twists. Repeat on the other 3 sections, I air-dried and used a hood dryer for over an hour because my hair is thick.  Once the hair is fully dried, gently untwist for a neat look...fluffing out the twist will give more volume.

Nelly

Get Fit

This is a must...I found this and other healthy tidbits on pslovecharli.com. The editor Charli is a naturalista that I follow on IG by the handle pslovecharli. Let's not wait until spring to start thinking of summer bodies

and workout plans. Find a routine that works for you and go get fit!!!

Nelly 

 

Hair Goal

  

Still getting used to my short hair but it's cute. It wont be here to stay though, I do plan to grow it out...lower back is the hair goal. My hair grows about 1/2-3/4inch per month typically, so the plan is to be at my goal within 2 years. I hope you follow along in my journey!! 

Nelly <3

Can't go wrong with a twistout!

Washed my mane the other day with As I Am's coconut cowash. After washing I typically oil my scalp with a mixture of oils and then apply the desired product.  For this two-strand twistout I used Eco Styler's olive oil gel, I make sure to saturate the hair from root to ends and comb through.  After your hair is fully dried...fluff and go!

Tip: Re-twist your hair before bed with a little oil for moisture and shine, cover with a satin cap.


Nelly <3

Back to blogging!!

So it's been pretty much a year since I started this little blog but it will be neglected no longer!! A lot has happened in this year of hair. My length grew to bra level again but I began to have breakage around my edges...stress...no bueno!  I then decided to transition into locs in April 2013...I've always had a love for locs and gave it a go. Several people told me how difficult it would be for me with my texture of hair...saying it would take 1-2 years to loc...did I listen...yea and no. I still wanted to try and that lasted for about 5 months before I went for the big chop (10/6/13) to start over.  I've lost at least 6 inches in length through this process but I truly have no regrets as I've learned some lessons.  Some reasons why I cut was simply because I did not like the way my locs were shaping out and professional maintenance was beyond my budget.  I can manage my curls myself and I have a new level of appreciation for them!!! I also have much respect for those who can make it through the loc journey...I may attempt again but I'd definitely use a Pro the whole way. Here's the year is pictures :-)