My Vegetarian Diet

A while back I stated my thoughts about being vegetarian, but now that it has been a few weeks I can talk about how I feel. Honestly I feel so much lighter mentally and physically. I'm also more energetic and less sluggish and lazy. Coming from a meat lover, I was shocked that I was able to easily and quickly give up meat. I didn't take little baby steps, I just instantly stopped. I don't even crave it from time to time. I mean I was one of those people who felt like a meal wasn't complete unless some kind of meat was included. So I'm pretty amazed at myself. But I do believe I am experiencing some side effects from this sudden change. I've been having small boils, bumps, welts pop up every now and again and then disappear. I believe my body is having a withdrawal because I've never had anything like this going on until now. But other than that I'm doing fine. All I've been really eating is vegetables, fruit, rice, and beans. In between that I'll have a snack which probably isn't so healthy, but my main focus was to stop eating meat. I do want to get to a point where everything I put in and on my body is 100% natural and organic, and I will. Sweets and junk food is my bigger problem but I can see myself not eating anymore of it in about a month because I barely eat it now compared to how I used to.  So now a typical day for me is oatmeal  with fruit in the morning, steamed vegetables for lunch, and probably more vegetables and rice for dinner. I drink more water than I used to, and just more conscious of what I put in my body now. Like I said I'm still not where I want to be, but I'm not going to be too hard on myself because its a working progress. I'm going to start juicing as well as soon as I get my hands on a juicer, and a blender because I want to make smoothies too. All in all I'm really happy, I wake up happy for no reason and I know the best is yet to come.

New Products & Starter Loc Update

Keepin' It Old School.

I know I said I'd never be without

my Dudu Osum shampoo and conditioner

but my scalp has been so dry and a little

flaky. Maybe because its been really cold where I live, but all I know is I kinda panicked because with me starting locs the last thing I want is a bunch of dandruff in my scalp. So I went back to using what I used when I was relaxed which is the good oldie sulfur 8. 

When using these products I never see a single flake. Of course it's not all natural like I wish, but it'll have to do for now. In the future I'll try making my own shampoo with tea tree and peppermint oil in it for the dandruff but for now I'm going to use something that I know will work for sure. 

I re-did my starter locs last Sunday which was 3-10-13. I know locs thicken over time so I made my parts just a little bigger and I want thick locs, not too thick though, so I'm more content with them now. This is me on Sunday that just passed (3-17-13) coming in from the store. While in line at the store the cashier asked "are you growing locs?" I said yeah. Then she goes "I want locs so bad but I'm scared" and I chuckled. I was going to ask her why, but there was people in back of me waiting so I just left because I didn't want to hold up the line. If I see her again I'll ask because I'm curious to know her response. But anyway I was flattered that she thought I was locking, because these were only 1 week old twists. 

Now this is me the Now this is me the same day just before I washed my twists. Everyday last week I spritzed my hair with my homemade water/oil concoction because of what I explained in one of my older posts. I knew by me doing that my hair would have a nice hold while I was washing it.same day just before I washed my twists. Everyday last week I spritzed my hair with my homemade water/oil concoction because of what I explained in one of my older posts. I knew by me doing that my hair would have a nice hold while I was washing it.

And I was right. None of the twists unraveled as I washed them in the shower, although I'm sure my hair texture played a part as well. I washed my hair as it wasn't even twisted. I mean I was gentle, but not all that gentle because I wanted to make sure my scalp was free of any dandruff. I was so relieved to not have to re-twist any of them.

This is me yesterday (3-19-13). I re-twisted my hair the same day I washed it with the sulfur 8 gel in the above picture. Then I sat underneath a hooded dryer for exactly 30 minutes. The 2 strand twist pattern is still visible in my hair, but that's to be expected anyway its only been a week and some change. I just can't wait until it disappears. As far as the gel goes, I like it. It has a very nice hold with no flaking or residue and the scent is light. The consistency of it is kinda watery and thought it wouldn't hold my hair good enough but I was wrong. I just twisted the roots around my finger, I didn't palm roll my twists because I couldn't care less about frizz. Plus I didn't want my hair looking thin. 

One mistake I did make though is after I washed my hair with the shampoo I didn't do a hot oil treatment to put some moisturize back into my hair. Since I'm just starting my locs I don't want to use conditioners because their purpose is usually to soften and detangle which defeats the purpose of what I'm trying to do. But I should have washed, then did a hot oil treatment, rinsed, and then re-twisted. My hair was so dry, not hard or brittle, but dry. I was just so anxious to re-twist my hair I forgot all about it. So I just sprayed my hair with the sulfur 8 braid spray above and my hair felt better. Then I rubbed some tea tree oil on my scalp. I'll probably wash and re-twist every two weeks unless I come up with another time frame. Only until my hair is officially locked, then I'll re-twist whenever I feel the need to. For the next two weeks I will be oiling my scalp and hair with Jamaican black castor oil along with other essential oils. I'll be doing hair updates with pictures monthly not weekly. I figure week by week won't make much difference. 

Lastly, happy growing and shout outs to all the loc heads out there!

My Thoughts Since I Became A Vegetarian 2 Days Ago

Since my decision I have been nothing but happy, and all the new recipes and ideas I've been having just overwhelms me with joy. This afternoon for lunch I steamed broccoli, red cabbage, lettuce, corn, onion, and carrots with a little basic seasoning and white rice. I'm sure brown rice or any other is healthier but its all I had, I'll be sure to purchase some in the near future. But it was pretty tasty overall. This new change brings so much excitement to my soul and the best part about it is...it was my own choice. A lot of things were forced upon me in my life such as religion, so for me nowadays making decisions regarding my own life feels stupendous. Being a vegetarian opens up so many doors, possibilities, and a chance to be creative. Its funny how typically in America eating a dog, cat, or any other kind of animal that's thought of to be a pet, is frowned upon. But why? because cats and dogs are not for eating, they are to befriend, to be loved, taken care of, to be apart of the family. In my opinion we should look at all animals in this manner. How is okay to eat a cow or a turkey but not a puppy? 
That doesn't make sense to me that's why I had to become vegetarian and I feel so much more at ease. I'm finding out about fruits and vegetables that I never new existed, so many new flavors, so much variety. Life is so wonderful.

Flax Seed Gel

For the most part I'm a DIY kind of person, I like to make things myself. Sometimes because I feel its necessary, sometimes just for fun. Before I bought the gel I have now, I was actually going to make my own gel from flax seeds or aloe vera. Simply by stirring some flax seeds in a pot of boiling water until the water becomes a jelly or slimy-like consistency, and pour the mixture into a strainer (if you don't want seeds floating in it) on top of a bowl/cup/jar, you can have your very own homemade hair gel. You can add any essential oils to it of your choice or if you'd like and be sure to refrigerate. Its a really good way to save a few bucks, not to mention the healthier alternative. 
I bought name brand gel because I was thinking natural gel wouldn't have a strong hold, before even giving it a chance. But since I did buy it I'll use it but when its gone I'll try making my own. Depending on your hair type you may not even need gel/wax when re-twisting. I've heard people say all they needed was water and oil. So it all just comes down to what works for you. 

Going Vegetarian

About 2 months ago I made the intention to become a vegan. Since then I've eaten poultry and seafood, no red meat though. But what I have realized is that when I eat meat now, it doesn't feel right, physically or mentally. I don't even know why I'm still consuming it. I guess I wanted to get it all out of my system before I make it official. Well its official! Starting today I will no longer eat the flesh of any animal, I just can't do it anymore. A lot of us wouldn't want to watch the process of an animal getting slaughtered, but we will go to the supermarket and purchase the meat, after its been nicely packaged. I believe that when people eat meat, they are taking in the animal's spirit and emotions which is fear, anger, depression, etc. I also think there would be a lot less violence in the world if people didn't eat meat. You know when people are "acting like animals"? 
Well maybe its because they're eating them....just a thought. If you are a person who is against animal cruelty, then you shouldn't want to eat them because to me you're supporting their torture and murdering. 
Like I said, I'm done. I can't eat another peace of chicken, fish, beef, whatever. Anything that has a heartbeat will not enter my mouth. I'm on a spiritual journey, and I know I can't raise my vibration if I'm still consuming flesh. So, I will no longer use my body as a burial site for dead meat. Today is the start of something new, a new life that is.

Washing Starter Locs

A lot of new lockers sometimes are afraid of washing their 
starter locs. This is obviously due to the possibility of them unraveling. Depending upon the way you started your locs and your washing method, and the length of your hair, determines the chance of them coming apart during a wash. From my understanding starting locs with braids or plaits has the lowest to no chance of unraveling, next comes twists, then finger/comb coils. I'm not too familiar with loc extensions as of right now so I don't know how that process works. I just recently found out about the stocking cap method where you on a stocking cap (you can make one with stockings for a custom fit or buy one) and apply whatever shampoo you use to the scalp while wearing the cap and when its time to rinse you remove it. Or there is the dry wash method where you apply shampoo to a wash rag or cloth and just massage directly on the scalp. For me though, I don't need either. 

Because I would wear two strand twists about 85% of the time, I was able to come to a conclusion as far as the chance of them unraveling now that I am locking them. Before the installation of twists I have now, as mentioned before, my hair was in twists. When I took them down to wash my hair I forgot some, so as I was washing I could feel a bunch of twists in my head.....still perfectly in tacked. By me thinking all the twists were out, I wasn't washing as if I was trying to prevent them from coming apart and being really gentle. So I know for a fact my hair won't unravel when its time to wash the ones I have in now.

This could be the reason why. When my last set of twists were in, over the course of those 3 weeks I was constantly spritzing my hair. Most moisturizers have water in them which means I was basically applying water to my hair on a semi daily basis. Water is the essential tool for locking the hair so for the new lockers out there, don't listen to people who say don't wash your hair unless YOU don't feel the need to wash it. I was using the Taliah Waajid's protective mist bodifier as a daily leave in and moisturizer. I also was using my own that I made which consisted of water and sunflower oil.

I realize, from the constant wetting and drying, my hair was slowly starting to mat together. Not to mention my hair has some length to it which also could have contributed to them not unraveling. Don't forget it all boils down to your hair type as well. So, I'll probably do the same thing this time around. 

Starter Locs, I'm So Excited

 This was me today, but I installed these twists yesterday. I'm so happy to be starting this journey and sharing it with the world. I wasn't too concerned with the parts I tried to make them as neat as I could. I'm not really a fan of perfectly neat parts anyway I like natural looking parts. Plus I don't even like locks when they are freshly twisted/tightened I like a little fuzziness in the roots.









I feel really satisfied about the way my hair looks I just can't wait until I can actually call them locs and not twists or starter locs. But patience is a virtue so all I can do is wait. Over these next 3 weeks I'll be reading a whole lot of information about locs, as much as I can. Things to keep them strong, healthy, and growing.

I'm documenting this hair journey from the very beginning as you can see I don't want to leave anything out! when I washed my hair I added some of the Jamaican black castor oil and jojoba oil to the conditioner for some extra strenght. I'll probably wash and retwist in about 3 weeks from now. I tried counting my twists this morning to see how many locs I'll have but I kept losing count. I would count ten twists then clip them, and start another section. But I kept forgetting smh once I got to 53 I kept forgetting what number I was on lol 

It took me about 4-5 hours to do my whole head. But I stopped a couple of times, my arms were hurting. The night before last my hair was twisted, but I took them down because they were too big so I did them over. My hair kinda has a mushroom shape (which I like) but when I retwist I'm going to retwist my hair to the back.




So, here it is, my journey begins! I hope that you all follow me on my exciting journey (:  In the meantime I'll be posting all sorts of things, whatever comes to mind. And if anyone has tips for me, please feel free to drop me a comment. peace and love.




                              

The Last Of My Fro

I washed my hair with the products mentioned before, and my hair was sooo soft! I was touching my hair saying: "Goodbye loose hair, its been real" lol I've been natural for a year and some change. I big chopped last year (feb 20th 2012) So I had a some time with my loose hair and I did many styles. But now I'm ready to lock it up. Not only because I think locs are just gorgeous, but locking my hair symbolizes my lifestyle change. As of right now I'm trasitioning into becoming a vegan, I stopped eating red meats and drinking milk from animals. Its a process but I'm well on my way. Also my new found spirituality, I've become so in tune with nature. I also stopped associating with certain individuals. So locking my hair is a reflection of all that.

Temporary Twistout

This was my hair two days ago after I unraveled my two strand twists that I had in for 3 weeks. I liked it a lot but by my hair needed to be washed so I just took a pic before I washed it. If you are familiar with the hair typing system I have 4b type hair with a little bit of 4c but mostly 4b. When I wore twists outs the only thing I would twist my hair with after washing was the natures blessings hair pomade. It says pomade but its basically a grease. I know hair grease is a no no in the online natural hair community, but I like grease and will continue to use it. Whatever floats your boat is what I say.

Products For My Future Locs

These are the things I use and will be using on my future locs. I bought these from my local beauty supply store: Murray’s gel Loc-Lock for my retwists, argan, jojoba, and jamaican black castor oil mixture for oiling my hair. I’ll probably make a water/oil concoction with other essential oils such as rosemary, lemongrass, and sweet almond. That’ll probably be it for now as far as moisturizers go, I want to keep things pretty simple in the beginning. I read and watched reviews on the Murray’s lock gel and nothing but good was said about it as far as I know so I will do a review on it after my first retwist in 3-4 weeks. It smells good though, kinda fruity. Jamaican black castor oil is a well known product in the natural community and a lot of people swear by it. I bought it because the sides of my hair have always been a little thinner than the rest of my hair and I read it helps by thickening the hair so we’ll see.

Staple Shampoo & Conditioner

This is the Dudu Osum shampoo and conditioner I use for my hair and I must say this is by far the best shampoo and conditioner I’ve ever used. Its definitely a staple and I’ll be buying more before I run out. They just have such a natural earthy smell to them which I think is great. The shampoo gets my hair SUPER clean without stripping it or making it brittle and the conditioner actually detangles my hair pretty well leaving it soft, shiny, and moisturized. I’m not sure where these products can be purchased, I bought them from someone who sells hair products but I’m sure they can be ordered online. I’m not using any other shampoo and conditioner but these. If I’m not mistaken these products are imported from Nigeria. When I say scalp is clean after using it I mean clean. I always had a problem with dry and itchy scalp and these products relieve it. I like to deep condition my hair with the conditioner for extra softness. I’ll never be without, unless I find something better. But then again, why buy more products if these work? yeah, I’ll never be without.

Be Sure, Be Ready

Although my hair isn’t locked yet, I know a lot about locs from researching and reading. I had to ask myself a few questions. Do I really want locs? How will I start them? Will I start them myself or a go to a professional loctician? Do I or will I have the patience to care for my locs while they’re growing? Will I be able to handle all the stages locs go through? etc. It took me about 4 days to finalize my decision. I’m prepared for it all. I even went out and purchased some products. I haven’t read or heard anything but good about the Murray’s Loc-Lock gel so I bought it and will be sharing my opinion on the product after my first re-twist in about 3 weeks. I also bought Jamaican black castor oil, jojoba, and argan oil along with some holding clips. For the new lockers like me don’t be afraid to try different products and methods until you get the hang of things. Be prepared for the ups and downs, the good and bad hair days, and so on. It’s all apart of the process. Just make the best out of all of it. Do your research and educate yourself as MUCH as you can before locking. Don’t believe a certain product/method will work for you because it did for someone else even if you have the same hair texture as them. That doesn't determine anything. I know I will have my struggles but I’m ready and will hang in there because it’ll be worth it in the end. So be sure, be ready, and be happy. Love and nurture your hair and it will show its appreciation (:

The Beginning

Greetings of Peace to you, Since this is my first blog post I would like to welcome everyone who visits my blog. I truly appreciate all support as well as criticism because both can be beneficial. This blog will be about my journey to locking my hair, and other things I have on my mind. I am going to be documenting the progress of my hair, as I would like to capture these special moments as well as be an inspiration to others. I’m also in the progress of becoming a vegetarian, so I will be discussing and posting vegetarian dishes and recipes. What you can expect from this blog is honesty, because I feel we need as much as we can get in this world. Expect to read about all sorts of things, as I am an observer and like to speak on anything that gives people something to think about. I hope everyone who visits this blog will learn something new about themselves and others, and view life like they never have. PEACE.