u.

Revolution in dry shampoo.

The super kind people at Zerreau Beauty sent me their dry shampoo to try. This isn't like any ordinary dry shampoo: its a mousse like texture that lifts the dirt and all you have to do is massage in and towel out- no water required. It reminds me of co-washing, a light cleanse but in half the time!

This is perfect for those headed to festivals where you need something to give a good clean but without having to miss your favourite artists and stand in ridiculous queues; but having discovered this now i've also thought how useful this would have been as a student where club nights often meant beer in the hair and late night/early morning showers before having to be up for a lecture. This would have been a God send.

Now at first i was apprehensive as mousse/foam means alcohol which on my hair texture means super drying and damaging but i was more than pleasantly surprised to see its actually alcohol and paraben free! also pH balanced like, yes! Now cleansing braided extensions isn't always the easiest but this really helped as i didn't have to rinse the length of my hair making the braids heavy with water i just got a nice quick cleanse.

It has a lovely crisp apple sent, which on my scalp was tingling and refreshing. It does what it says, all the product build up, dirt and flakes were gone. They also have a strawberry sent which i'd love to try. The only thing i must point out is it has sulphates which again is quite drying for curly and afro hair. In my box braids and when clarifying this is great but prolonged use on my hair may dry it out, causing breakage, so i don't know if i'd be able to say, use it after exercising to remove sweat and buildup as i planned since that would be frequent which is a shame as i thought i was onto something.

This is worth having in your collection for the times you really need a good clarify but either haven't the time or are inconvenienced by location. Gone are the talcum powder days and thank goodness because i could never use powder dry shampoos on my hair texture anyway this is a much more inclusive product. It smells great, is environmentally friendly, UK made and cruelty free. I just hope one day they could reformulate a sulphate free alternative so curly girls and those on the cg method can be fully on board. I will be trying this again on my afro when i take my braids out for a thorough review so look out for that on my Youtube! 

Hope you enjoyed this post x 

t.

The Birthday Outfit.

Topshop Shirt Dress | Zara Bag | Topshop Necklace (similar) | Stuart Weitzman Wedges

For my birthday, my boyfriend and I went to Burger & Lobster in Mayfair which is one of my favourite places to eat, although purely for the lobster. 

Despite a lot of cloud cover, it was a hot and humid day so i got my legs out in this blue/grey shirt dress from Topshop and paired it with my Stuart Weitzman wedges for a chic, smart casual look that i didn't get over heated in (especially on the tube which we were stuck on for a good leg of the day!).  I think the soft pastel colours are perfect for the summer.

The simple understated pieces like my fine chained multi row necklace, and mini bowling bag make such a simple outfit seem really expensive and dressed up. Harsh lines aren't always necessary, just key pieces for a classic look. I could easily dress this down swapping my wedges for flat gladiator sandals or those lace up flats that are on trend.

s.

I recently got box braid extensions and i'm in love with them. I feel weirdly regal, so naturally couldn't resist a selfie, and am following a tradition of african and afro-carribean styles for natural hair.

Box braiding is where synthetic hair is looped and braided into the hair. It a fantastic protective style, that is, my afro hair isn't heavily manipulated and left to face the elements and friction that can cause it to dry out and break, it can simply grow. 

It is a style that has come back round to western fashion swooped in under the growing 90's revamp where it was most popular.

It's dubbed 'box' due to the squared off sections of hair. One can also get hair twisted in styles such as senegalese twists or faux locs using synthetic or human hair.

The entire process took around four hours to complete, i then cut them to a slightly more manageable length for myself though its not exactly short as i'm having fun playing around with long hair. I simply can't wait to see how healthy my hair has held up underneath, and will most certainly get similar styles in the future.

Hope you enjoyed this post x

q.

Hair of The Day: Flexy Braidout

Use flexy rods/ perm rods to change the shape of your braidouts. Moisturise with a styer of your choice (i find custards/milky stylers set the style well) and leave it to dry overnight,

carefully unravel the rods and gently separate the braids, this will really get that 'curly' style if you have 4b/c hair like mine and struggle with that. In mine i ended up with a touch of frizz because i changed my parting from middle to side but i love the stretch and moisture, its added something new to my usual fluffy braidouts. Do give it a try!

Hope you enjoyed this post x

o.

Resolutions.

Like jumping from one stone to another we have made it to a new year. Classically so, we all try and make resolutions and we must remember to try and make changes to our lives but not try and change ourselves completely because we are who we are and we all contribute- any time you try and change yourself it never works. Here's to bettering what we already know and have, to improve our mind, body and soul. Resolution means a firm decision to do or not do something, and the quality of being determined or resolute. I have made my decisions:

1. Continue To Love and Appreciate Myself. i have grown drastically in confidence since cutting my hair off, i suddenly see my beauty and want to tackle life with the belief i actually can. I still have a little ways to go though trusting in my ability, thinking i'm pretty and knowing i'm good enough. This in no way means i think I'm above anyone it's simply knowing MY worth and value on this planet (the hippy is back) as there will be only one of me so lets make my time fantastic.

2. Do not Let negative thoughts In/Think everyone thinks badly of you. I have a TERRIBLE habit of thinking people don't like me for whatever weird reason and generally thinking badly about myself, it has lessened as my confidence improves but i really need to stop going over and over bad things in my mind (especially before bed, am i right?) first of all i'm going with the age old phrase 'what people think of me is none of my business' its very true, if they aren't worried about you, why are you worried about them- this is not to confuse that 'cut people out of my life' thing people do i'm not into that i believe i can get on with everyone, some closer than others. Some i don't talk to, but if i don't, i'm not talking about them either. Positive thoughts and less self doubt will always put a smile on your face.

3. Save Money. I always have enough to pay for whatever it is that needs paying for i seldom miss out on big events however i do sometimes miss out on the little ones. I'm 23 this year and i really need to have a couple different savings accounts; one for rainy day problems (like my washing machine that broke down) one that allows me to go out to dinner/pub/club with friends because i love sitting down to coffee with my loved ones and having a chat; i cherish quality time but cant always do it and one for the future future (house anyone?)

3 Eat Better. This is like an every month thing let alone every year! seriously though its important to take care of yourself and i'll also be doing the 30 day yoga challenge at some point this year. Socrates said it right:“No man has the right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training. It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable.” i want to look back at all the amazing things i did.

4 Read More. fiction/non fiction. the odd encyclopedia and hopefully this Christmas i'll win all the quiz games.

5 Make Steps Towards My Life and What I Actually Want To Do With It/Be More Organised. This really should be number 1. I haven't fully pushed myself into the career i truly enjoy (acting and play writing) so i need to focus on jobs in my field and taking more risks, I had many opportunities last year that i didn't go for because i was scared. That is no longer good enough. I would like to get to 30 and feel i can openly call myself an actor and writer. I will be more organised in taking directed steps forward, be determined and take risks, as although you never know whats written out for you, you can always change the text.

I look forward to using my Daily Greatness Journal as a guide to creativity and positivity.

Happy New Year!

m.

My, my, my edges.

I've had a serious battle with my hairline. As alot of us do but it seems to be more so in the black community. I do actually have a few of those coveted baby hairs but i rarely catch and gel them so they look non existent and yes i do have a large forehead but i am unashamed in fact i have a slight dislike for fringes on myself; i love showing my forehead, and i share the forehead sisterhood with some good looking intelligent people. However something i was slightly embarrassed by was my edges- or lack there of. Back when my hair was relaxed i had trouble trusting stylists to do my hair as they were scissor happy and often experimented with old fashioned hairstyles i never asked for. The problem with this distrust was that i kept trying different salons and stylists meaning i would get different chemical relaxers (everything from QP to Olive Oil by ORS) and different techniques of applications which left my hair over and under processed. Alongside that I wore my hair in high buns and ponytails and straightened my hair more often than i should. A combination of this caused me to lose my fragile hairline. No not just lose a couple hairs but go BALD. Here's some pictures of the offending edges!

It was first brought to my attention in january 2013- the last time i relaxed professionally. I thought nothing of it until again i saw small thinning around April. Then in June 2013 i really took a good look and saw it was bald, about 5cm on the right side and about 2cm on the left.

(RIGHT SIDE) Look at those stringy relaxer ends. LAWD. i am holding my wispy hair back i can't believe i've cut this all off.

(LEFT SIDE) So plan of action: do a long stretch before the next relaxer (i used to stretch 3/4 months it was suggested i do a full year), stop manipulating my hair, massage emu oil into my missing patch and basically leave it alone.

The above image in september 2013. I stopped relaxing in July and rubbed emu oil in every night. You can see its starting to fill in.

Fast forward to the present and i fell in love with my ringlets and coils and decided to transition to natural.

My edges have grown back i won't say fully as there is still thinness but i no longer pull on my hair in anyway and stopping the relaxer truly helped not only with my hairline but to embrace my true self.
If you want to see how i grew my edges back with tips and tricks check out my youtube channel.

Hope you enjoyed this post, and had a good giggle! x

l.

The Afro Vamp

Just  few more shots/selfies from my super simple vamp makeup and twistout, the tutorial can be found on my youtube here. I always find it fun to play around in makeup so it was also fun to share the look with you all.

Hope you enjoy this post x

j.

Evolution of the twistout.

When i started my natural hair journey i envisioned all the masterful twistouts i would be able to achieve. My hair would unravel to show cascading dark bouncy curls. It would naturally stay in all day because i have curls anyway and i wouldn't need to bobby pin or secure the ends overnight because my coils would lock around each other doing the job for me. I had seen many different ways of achieving twistouts on youtube and instagram but they never seemed to work for me. For one my hair wouldn't cascade but rather ascend to the heavens and for the life of me i couldn't figure out this 'definition' people spoke of. All frizz. All day. This worried me because i thought i would have to wear my hair in an afro constantly (which i mainly do) and therefore my hair would become boring to me as i couldn't do anything with it and also wearing hair out all the time to face the environment can sometimes result in breakage be it snagging on clothes or rubbing against clothes/car seats. I hated twistouts and often didn't get on with braidouts either but one fateful day i decided to give it one. more. try. Voila! i liked it! i could face the public in it, you could see curls, it was somewhat hanging downward; there was no definition but by Jove i done it! Practice most definitely makes perfect and i think its worth exploring your own hair by yourself not looking to others- heck my headshape and the amount of hair i have is different to others so sometimes i can't do 15 twists on my head- So if you're struggling with natural hair styles try and try again and TRY THEM ALL. invent your own as well, we need more than a pompadour. I hit another bump in the road when i tried some gel to get more curl definition and all i got was grey flakes allllll over my hair and shoulders, how embarrassing, but i suppose that's why its called a journey and not a destination. Here's a picture of my first voila moment after a twistout and the second picture is my most recent twistout (before the gel disaster). I now have my method and am exploring other ways to getting that good good soft like butter twistout. Hope you enjoyed my post! x

h.

One Year Natural BABY!

this fro of mine has flourished in the past 4 months. I decided to stop relaxing my hair July 13th 2013 and did the big chop on April 29th 2014. I know people don't consider themselves natural (referring to my state of hair) until all of the chemically processed hair is removed but i treated my hair as i do fully natural from the day i stopped relaxing, plus its easier to get a timeline of my hair growth. Here's to many more years with afro hair; i'm enjoying my curls and exploring hairstyles and loving the fact that i can fully love a natural me.

On the evening of my big chop

a picture from a couple of weeks ago!

 And here's a picture just after a co-wash. As though my hair hasn't grown at all! Shrinkage is a crazy thing. Hope you've enjoyed my post x

Check out my youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HVSmf31GoI&list=UUqgnowVoqr3ujV7an7Lug0w