Hey Coily Girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hope you're enjoying the holiday season. I'm slowly coming into the realization that my vacation is coming to an end. :( Where does the time go? I plan to enjoy every second of what's left of my time off being a lazy bum,. (I've become very good at that this week!) Now if I could only break myself out of the habit of waking up at 7:00 every morning! I hate that my body won't let me sleep late!

When we were little,nobody in my house slept late, especially on weekends! Saturday morning was for chores or dancing school.We weren't allowed to lay around leisurely! LOL

So, how's YOUR hair this winter? I'm not feeling mine right about now. I have a hair appointment on January 4th, and best believe I'm bringing my color down a few levels. The dryness is unbearable.

I've been so lazy about picture taking this school year, but a big part of that is that I'm really hating my hair. I've had quite a few bad hair days, and I haven't been feeling photogenic lately! One of my resolutions is to go back to taking good care of my hair. I've been more focused on other aspects of my life, and my hair has taken a backseat.

I'm thinking of taking biotin. Have any of you tried it? If so, what were your results? I'm also going to grow out these layers some.I'm ready to start seeing my length. Maybe then I'll feel some motivation. LOL

Pics are coming soon. I promise! You would think I would have a ton of pics since my bf is into photography, but no.... LOL I only have a few to post... what a difference from last year this time.

Hope you have a fun and safe New Year's Eve!!!!

The Indomitable Blackness of Teena Marie - Ta-Nehisi Coates - Culture - The Atlantic

The Indomitable Blackness of Teena Marie - Ta-Nehisi Coates - Culture - The Atlantic\\** This has to be the best article I've read about Teena Marie....

Hey Coily Girls!!!!!!  Just wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas and leave you with this video from Andy Allo.  LOOOOOOOOOOOVE  her hair! You will too, if you haven't already seen it.

 Have you seen this yet? This is the new Janet Jackson Barbie doll!!!!!  Isn't she GORGEOUS?? It would seem like somebody would have thought of this before now, but nevertheless.... she's SUPER CUTE!!!

I know this is a WIG that Nicki's rockin, but wouldn't this make a cute haircut?? Lately, I've been on this "bangs" kick, courtesy of Nikstar!! (Another natural hair blogger.)  Ironically, she's ready to grow hers out!  

Corinne Bailey Rae

Is this NOT the perfect twistout? This is obviously blowdried. I can achieve this length or longer when I blowdry too.  I get it blowdried every time I get a trim.

DOWNLOAD THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is a nice mix... it includes a nice remake of Aaliyah's "It's Whatever."  Enjoy!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING COILY GIRLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Be safe!

New from my girl Carmen Rodgers!!! How fly is that haircut????

TV Reporter Shares Her Natural Journey..... I love this!!!!!!!!!!!

My hair salon is in this video! Au Naturale! My stylist is Anita, the one with the locs, getting her hair twisted!!

Okay, so I have a hair appointment coming up and I need a trim. I always dread getting my hair trimmed because it always feels so short afterwards. I've been on the fence about my hair color. This week, I kind of feel like I want to keep it light! LOL I guess I won't know for sure until I'm in the stylist's chair!


Here are some of the hair cuts I LOVE!!!!!!!!! Also, I am definitely considering some bangs....



I mean, I have bangs, but they're long and slanted... I love how these cuts frame their faces. (Note: these pics were on www.socialitedreams.com, www.naturallycurly.com and www.forum.blackmedia.com.)


It's becoming abundantly clear to me that I have the kind of hair that grows OUT faster than DOWN. LOL The only way I see my length is when I stretch a curl, otherwise I would swear my hair is not growing at all.


This is pretty much the cut I have now....









I guess I better not cut too many layers in if my ultimate goal is THIS:
I'm guessing that must be about 7-10 years of being natural.

How to Do a Thyroid Check | eHow.com

How to Do a Thyroid Check | eHow.com

FYI....

Thyroid disease can have numerous symptoms, including unexplained weight fluctuations, dry eyes, anxiety, depression, infertility, menstrual problems, and fatigue. The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists has published information on how to do a thyroid check. This article passes along this important thyroid screening information. You will find that it is fast and easy to do a thyroid check, so check your thyroid now. A home thyroid check is not replacement for medical care; think of this thyroid check as your first step in screening for thyroid disease.

1. 1

   The first step in this thyroid screening is to have everything you need for it close by. You'll want to have a handheld mirror and glass of water within reach so that you can easily grab them when the time comes to check your thyroid.

2. 2

   To begin the thyroid check, hold the mirror in your hand. Place the mirror so that it shows the reflection of your neck. You want to be able to see the area between your Adam's apple and your collarbone.

3. 3

   The next step in how to do a thyroid check is to slightly tip your head back while still holding the mirror in position.

4. 4

   Now take a drink of water. As you swallow, look in the mirror at your neck. Check for any bulges or knots in your neck between the Adam's apple and the collarbone.

5. 5

   Repeat step 4 to double-check that there aren't any bulges or knots in your neck as you swallow the water.

6. 6

   The final step in doing a thyroid check is to feel for unusual lumps in the neck. Place one hand on the back of the neck, with the fingers holding the base of your head where the top of the spine is. Smooth your fingers along the back of the neck to the front center on one side, checking for lumps. Then do a check for lumps on the other side of the neck.
   
   If, during this thyroid check, you see bulges or knots or feel lumps on the neck, make an appointment with your doctor for further thyroid screening. Early detection of thyroid disease can make a big difference in the quality of your life!

Hey everybody!!! I haven't been on in a while because I had a bit of a health scare. I recently found out that I have an enlarged thyroid. Had to through a series of ultrasounds, blood tests, and a biopsy. Pretty scary!!! Anyway, all of the results came back negative for cancer and my thyroid is fine. (Thank GOD!!)I felt like my life had been on hold waiting for these results.

This year, I also found out that I am anemic and have asthma! My whole life, I've been pretty healthy, so this was a lot to take in at one time!So, now I'm taking iron supplements, vitamin d, vitamin c and a multi-vitamin. I'm not sure why I was so vitamin deficient all of a sudden. The only thing I can think of was that my bf and I had been trying to be vegetarians, and cut way down on meat. Maybe we had not been doing such a great job of supplementing it. So... this has all been a wakeup call for me.

In other news.... I'm definitely going to go darker with my hair. I think I have an appointment this week. I'm ready to look like myself again!! LOL By spring, I'll probably miss my light hair, but for now, my mind is made up. I'll post pics! Here was my hair last week:

HELLO COILY GIRLS!!!!!


I've been away forever, so I must FIRST apologize! My job has me bombarded with more work than I expected.  I have a TON of work today as well, but I had to make some time for an update!!


Here's what's new with me!  I'm in a TOTAL hair rut!!!  I'm bored of my color and have decided I am DEFINITELY going back to my dark hair in November. I'm just getting tired of the upkeep. I will probably go light again in the summer, but for now, I'm going to the darkest brown I can find.


Another new happening is I've decided it's time to leave my natural hair salon and go to a salon that specializes in coily/kinky hair. There IS a difference. My stylist can give a pretty good HAIRCUT, but she seems to only STYLE hair in locs or twists of some kind. I've been going to her for years and just getting color and then leaving with my hair in a wet puff. I need to find a place that can actually style my coily hair when it's wet, and uses products that are good for my hair.


I've done some research and found that there is a place called James Brown in Philly that can give good coily cuts and color too. The only qualms I have about this place is that they also do relaxers. I'm not sure how I feel about that. It would seem that a place that says they do coily hair wouldn't do relaxers as well. What do you think about that? I'll be calling them today to find out about the products they use. If all goes well, I'll make an appointment next week.


Well, I just wanted to check in and tell you I haven't forgotten about you!!! Hopefully, I'll get back to regular updates! I hope all is well with you! :)

Hey Coily Girls!!!! sorry I've been gone a minute, but as you know, end of summer means back to work for me! :( After this post, I may be on another hiatus while I get acclimated to the new school year.

I got a trim a few weeks ago, and strangely enough, my hair is looking the BEST I've ever seen it! at first, it seemed like it was too short, but once my curls stretched out, I realized it was still shoulder length (curly), and my curls were more defined! I can't stress enough the importance of a good trim! I know we hate to lose our length, but it makes curly hair soooo much more manageable!

Unfortunately, I didn't take any pics, but now that I'm back to work, I'll go back to my at-my-desk- photography!! LOL In the meantime, here's some coily inspiration......

VINTAGE VIDEOS!!!!

So... I contemplated doing the You-tube video thing, but decided I was much too lazy to keep that up!LOL Here are some of the videos I made which I never ended up using! Not very informative, but ok shots of my hair on what I think are pretty good days! lol

I was supposed to show the completed twists when I was all done, and I forgot! LOL Clearly, I am not cut out for You-Tube!

COILY GIRL! COILY GIRL! COILY GIRL! COILY GIRL! COILY GIRL! COILY GIRL!

Meet Coily Girl Jacqueline! She sent in some pics of her natural hair journey! Check 'em out....

Relaxed hair

Right after her BC

Twist-out done on hair stretched in previous twist-out and pinned into side bun

Flat twist-out unraveled damp for more volume

Strand twists (mini-twists that she wears) pinned into bob, with loose flat twists in front

Wash and go Bun

Strand twists put into updo with goddess headband

************************************************************************************

Thanks Jacqueline!!! I've got to find one of those goddess headbands!!!!! :) Best of luck to you in law school!

Check out this video from one of my favorite singers, Cherokee!!!! She hasn' t had an album out in years, but I always liked her vibe. She's also one of my very first hair idols!!! I loved her hair when I had a relaxer and even MORE now that I'm natural!

Chippy D has NATURAL HAIR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Wow! Would you look at that? For those who don't know, this is Larry Fishburne's daughter Montana who has just became the latest PORN sensation!!!! Such a shame, she's a really cute girl. Hopefully, she comes to her senses.


I love her hair, though.

Pic of my just-washed hair which has not been stretched down to its actual length yet!!I HATE my hair the day after I wash it!! The difference between day one and day two/three is like night and day lengthwise!!

This is Day 2. you can see it's stretching downward a little and starting to touch my shoulder, but I'm still not feelin it yet.....

I still have a lot of frizz going on, but that could be weather related!! Ugh... hated my hair today, so I ended up doing THIS.....

Coily Girl Marsha Ambrosius looks FANTASTIC!!!! Loving her hair in this pic, and looking forward to the new album!!

COILY GIRL!!! COILY GIRL!!! COILY GIRL!!! COILY GIRL!!! COILY GIRL!COILY GIRL!!!

MEET COILY GIRL LAKESHI DURR!!!!!!

Keshia is actually one of my little sister's best friends!!! I was so excited for her when she finally did her BC!!! I had the feeling she was going to go natural, because she was showing an interest in it after I did MY BC!!!! When somebody close to you BC's, it DOES make it a little easier to go through with it!! LOL Now I hope Keshia can influence my sister!!

Anyway, read on to find out how she cares for her coils..........

1. Your current products/routine:

In the morning I use a water bottle, and I spray my hair and then I use Miss Jessie's Baby Butter Cream. It's my daily moisturizer. Then I either use World of Curls Curl Activator or Miss Jessie Quick Curl. Sometimes I don't use those two things and just use the Miss Jessie's Baby Butter Cream.
I wash my hair two times a week. I use Baking soda and water and then Apple Cider Vinegar and water. Followed by Trader Joe's Nourish Spa conditioner. When I want to deep condition my hair, I use Shea butter, Oliver Oil, Coconut Oil and set under the hair dryer for 10 minutes, which I do once a month.


2. Do you/ or will you straighten your hair? What precautions do you/ or will you take?

I'll probably straighten my hair for my girlfriend's wedding which I'm in in November. I really didn't want to straighten it until I'm at one year natural on 22nd of January. I don't think I would straighten it often because I don't want it to mess up and not be able to convert back to its natural state.


3. Your hair length goal:

I want to grow my hair down my back like it used to be, but all natural.


4. Why did you decide to go natural?
The are so many reasons why I decided to go natural. One of the main reasons was that I wanted to change something about me since I was turning 30. I decided that it was going to be my hair. I got tired of going to get my hair done every other week and sitting in the shop for hours at a time. I wanted to get a new look that really defines who I am as a person. So... April 2009 was the beginning of the transition phase. Once I was able to get kinky twists, I started!! I would cut out the relaxed hair in between each set of kinky twists. So January 22nd, 2010 was the day I became free!!


5. Reaction of friends/family when you first bc'ed.

My family was so shocked that I cut all my long hair off. My mom didn't like it at all. She would call me "my bald headed baby" and smile, but now she is getting used too it. I got a lot of mixed reactions with my friends, but now it seems everyone likes it and has gotten used to it. I even get a lot of good comments on the street too. I'm so glad that I made this decision to go natural.


6. Your hair type:

I think I'm a 3B... I'm not sure. I know that my hair is very curly even if you don't add anything but water.


Thank you, Keshia!!!!!!!!! Continued success on your natural journey!! :)

Hey Coily Girls!!!! Here are some pics of my hair the FEW times I actually did it this summer. I'm telling you, I was extremely lazy with it this summer. Including with deep conditoning, so I had a dry spell too. I'm just recovering from that now. Here are some pics from my bf's nephew's wedding. It was a pretty good hair day, in spite of the humidity.

Me and my BF

OK... let me explain these next few. I was helping my bf do an assignment for school. He needed to make a commercial for a rose. So, he took about a million pics and video of me....

Here is the finished product: