Over the course of my pregnancy, I gained quite a bit of weight. I wanted to drop the weight shortly after giving birth. I purchased an elliptical machine from a yard sale and planned to use it 4-5 times a week. I only used it twice before injuring my hip flexor. After that incident I stopped. I was supposed to walk daily, but being a new mom took precedence over exercise and I had a hard time figuring out how to do anything more than care for my son. My eating habits were terrible, I wasn’t exercising, and I started putting on even more weight. I pretended there was no problem until I got on the scale and was slapped in the face by reality. It was time for me to lose some weight.

I started working out using DVDs I already owned. They are part of the Walk Away The Pounds and Walk At Home series by Leslie Sansone. I started working out without making any changes to my diet. I just wanted to get my body moving and get into the habit of working out again. After a few weeks I noticed an increase in stamina, but experienced no changes to my weight or shape. It would only be a matter or time before I got discouraged and stopped. I decided it was time to get serious about my weight AND my diet. I began using the Lose It! App. It set up a calorie budget for me and allows me to log my food and exercise.

I’ve been using it for a week and a half and have lost 4 pounds. I don’t eat “diet food”. I am eating regular food but preparing it in healthier ways. I use less sugar, salt, and added fats. I drink almond milk over regular milk, my cheese has to be fat free, food is baked instead of fried, and all of my beverages are calorie free. I also measure out my portions. I haven’t completely given up processed food, but I buy a lot less of it. Now I have to plan my meals out and make smarter decisions.

As for exercise, I do it 5 days a week. I’m still using the Walk At Home Series. The speed ranges from 4 to 5 mph and I do 4 miles each time. The workout involves marching rapidly, knee raises, hamstring curls (kick backs), lunges, and jogging. It’s definitely a great workout.

I’ll be posting entries regarding my progress, recipes, things I am learning, and anything else related to living healthier.

I was really nervous that the color wouldn’t take based on all of the reviews I read and saw on YouTube. Here are my results after I rinsed and styled my hair this afternoon:

Here is what my hair looked like before I colored it. It’s completely dry and product free :

I’d say it took pretty well! I like it a lot. The color didn’t stain my shower and bath the way the Manic Panic does and it rinsed out pretty easily. My hair was really soft after rinsing. I was happy with that.

The final test will be to see how quickly the color fades. Manic Panic tends to stay in my hair for months. If Beyond The Zone does the same thing, then I’ll likely switch over to using it exclusively.

I’ll update in the coming weeks.

Read part one here.

I plan to apply it the same way that I apply Manic Panic. I’ve already washed my hair thoroughly and I’m letting it dry completely before I apply the color. I have not used any conditioner, oil, or any leave-in. I want my hair completely product free. I’ll leave the color on overnight and rinse in the morning. Hopefully my hair will have a neat red tint to it. If it works out well, I’ll use it in place of Manic Panic. If it doesn’t work… I’ll be a little upset because I don’t like wasting money, but I’ll go back to using Manic Panic since I know it works.

I’ll post pictures of the results and tell you my final thoughts of the dye tomorrow!

When I co-wash, my hair is super easy to detangle but I can’t co-wash exclusively because it doesn’t work well enough as a standalone cleanser. I decided to try detangling my hair with conditioner first, then wash it with black soap. I divided my hair into four sections, smoothed conditioner over each section, detangled, then braided each section. After that, I washed my hair in braids, rinsed well, and applied a bit of conditioner to each section as a leave-in. The result? Perfection! This is the way my hair has to be washed from now on. I’m willing to bet it will aid a great deal in upping my retention too. That’s an extra bonus.

If your hair is hard to detangle, try this method and see if it works for you.

I co-wash my hair using VO5 conditioner. It does a good job of removing build up from hair product and leaves my scalp & hair smelling fresh. VO5 is cheap everywhere, so it’s a good option to use for a co-wash. I’ve also co-washed with Tresemme Naturals, but I’d rather use that conditioner for detangling and moisturizing my hair.

My new regimen is still pretty simple and my hair is responding well to it.

Anyway, during the past month here are some of the styles I’ve been wearing.

4 day old wash & go. Styled with Eco Pudding/Custard

That time I used the UpZing for a half up wash & go situation…

The time I decided to try styling my hair with only VO5 Moisture Milk conditioner & grapeseed oil. It actually worked.

And here is my hair right now:

Two strand twists! No, these aren’t mini twists before you remind me that I said I wasn’t doing these anymore. LOL!

That’s all for now!!!

Hair is constantly exposed to wear and tear on a regular basis. Environment, combing & brushing, washing, styling, sleeping, and many other factors contribute to gradual (and sometimes instant) wear and tear on our hair. There is nothing we can do to prevent or completely stop hair breakage. The products on the market that claim to strengthen our hair simply offer temporary mending to damaged areas of the hair strand. Once hair is damaged, it is permanent. There is nothing we can do outside of cutting it and growing new, undamaged hair.

We can minimize the amount of damage done to our hair. By handling our hair carefully, not adding any unnecessary stress to it, utilizing proper moisture/protein balance, not abusing heat, and protecting our ends, we can preserve the majority of the hair that grows from our head and keep it as healthy as possible. You can’t stop breakage 100%, but that isn’t a reason to put effort into your hair care.

There are various recipes floating around the internet. There really is no right or wrong way to do it, IMO. I think you can toy around wiht it and make a customized recipe for your own hair. Here is one that works well for me:

7oz Eco Styler Gel (whichever version you prefer)
2oz conditioner
1oz oil

Mix together with a spoon or hand mixer. The result will be like a fluffy cream gel.

For this batch, I used the blue version for color treated hair with a hold of 5. I just used an old Eco Styler container I held on to for storage.

Here is how my hair turned out:

Drying time was about 4.5 hours. A huge improvement from using just the gel.

Try out this recipe or one of your own and see how you enjoy the results!

My extended period hair style will be mini braids from now on.

Right now, I am keeping it very simple and wearing buns for a while before my next mini braid install.

Braid & Curl

Bun

After a week, I washed & installed a set of small twists:

Twists

The twist have been in since Sunday. I plan to keep them for about 3 weeks. My previous blog post has the video of me installing the twists if you are interested in watching it.

I’ve decided not to do anymore permanent color this year. I want to make sure my hair is at its healthiest so that I can reach my goals more easily. The only color I will be allowing myself to do is semipermanent. I initially included demipermanent as well, but I think semipermanent would be best. I know for a fact that Manic Panic would last for a while if I ever decide to go down that road again. I don’t know if I am willing to deal with cleaning a pink shower & bath tub again, but we’ll see!