My Girls!!!!

Just wanted to share, my oldest "graduated" from K4 yesterday so of course I took pics. Baby girl was not feeling her photo shoot but I did sneak in a few. Enjoy!!!! :)

This first pic is how she wore her hair. These are just simple two strand twist held in a mohawk style with a banana clip.

Here's my baby girl

And my big girl :)

She goes to a private christian school. I sure am going to miss all of the stuff she used to tell me she learned about Jesus and the bible. She will be in public school next year. So....no more devotion, praying, chapel, worship....just study and play.

Here's a video on how I've been decreasing tangles lately

Henna for the 2nd time....Different results

It's been a little over a week since the last time I did a Henna which was my second time. This time I did it a little different:
1. Instead of using a clarifiying shampoo, I used bentonite clay mixed with black tea
2. I mixed 100grams of Henna with black tea (enough to get a smooth consistency) and let it sit overnight
3. To rinse the henna out, I used my Inecto 100% Pure Coconut Oil condish (last little bit in the bottle) until the water ran clear.
4. Followed up the rinse with SheaMoisture Moisture Retention Shampoo
5. DC'ed with my new DC.....about 1oz of honey, 1oz of olive oil, and about 1tbsp of Tresemme Naturals Moisturizing Conditioner (warm up the mixture and apply to damp hair, then rinse with cool water)
6. Applied Garnier Fructis Sleek and Shine Leave-in
7.Sealed with my new sheabutter mixture (sheabutter, olive oil, jojoba oil, sweet almond oil, and vegetable glycerin)
8. Styled only adding additional leave-in and sealant, No styling product.

Results this go round:

Please excuse the covered face, I am currently having sinus drainage which makes a yella' girl pale.

Very smooth, moisturized, frizz-free, soft, bouncy, easy to detangle, easy to style hair. So what was the big difference this time around. 6 months ago, every step of the henna process for me included protein (Giovanni 50/50 shampoo, Coconut milk in the henna, coconut milk and oil DC, Giovanni Direct Leave-in, Coconut Oil to seal, and eco styler gel to style). Now, this combo worked sell, for me before using henna. But after using henna for the first time, this combo proved to be too much. It actually explains why the SheaMoisture products seemed to make my hair feel dry. They have a nice amount of protein. I experienced lots of breaking and an extreme amount of single strand knots that I am still recovering from.

The breakage and SSK's have decreased greatly since it first began. I assume if I want to keep up the treatments my regimen wil lhave to continue to use limited amount of protein if I want it to remain healthy.

Cheating....Unavoidable?!?!?!?.....Acceptable?!?!?!

I was having a conversation with some female family members today about infidelity. We all remember being told that the only thing that will make a man be faithful is God. Now, as a Christian, I do believe that God has the power to break ill-habits. I also believe that the reason men cheat has nothing to do with their wife or significant other. So, that being said, if God has to step in and stop a man from cheating, what about the men whose life is not totally devoted to God. Does it make them an acception to the rule? Are they allowed to cheat because God has not stopped them yet? Do they get a free pass until they give themselves back to Christ? Should we as women make an excuse for them? I can see it now......"Yeah he loves me even though he cheats on me. But that's ok because he's going to hell anyway"!!!! Just a thought.

Trying to get motivated :0(

So, like many, my new year's resolution was to get fit. Did it happen????? NOPE!!! So, another peek into the future, I am going to track my progress here. That's right, for everyone to see!!!!!! I need some real motivation right now. I am so tired lately and just want to sleep by the time I get home.

Small Changes:
Today, my mom is going to bring my girls home instead of me having to pick them up. So, I am going to stopy by the park on my way and walk as fast as I can for 45mins. I know once my body/brain gets used to it, workingout will be like second nature to me.


If anyone has tips, I would love to hear them
_______________________________________________________________________
Update:

So, I didn't go walking...I went shopping. But I decided to do the Biggest Loser Cardio Max DVD. And let me tell you, you don't have to be BIG to bust a sweat with it.

Hair Diary May 18 2011

Just a peek into the future for this blog. I plan to do weekly hair diaries to help track what combos give the best/worst results, what style last the longest/shortest, techniques and so forth.

Back in November 2010 I did my first Henna and mixed it with coconut milk.

Then I DC'ed with coconut milk, coconut oil and Inecto 100 % Pure Coconut Oil Conditioner

My results and first impression: Quoted from November 2010 "I didn't notice any extra clumping or loosening of the curls at all. My hair is pretty stong due to DCing with a light protein bi-monthly, So...I didn't notice my hair feel any stronger. After rinsing, my hair did feel very soft but a little stringy, probably due to clarifying before applying henna. After DCing my hair no longer felt string but was still very soft if not softer. As for the color, not really. I guess I can see a few brownish red highlights in the right lighting but that's about it. I didn't notice any extra shine or luster. Actually, someone told me about 3 days later that my hair looked dry. I didn't think it looked dry...Oh well. Will I try henna again....YES. Why???? It didn't take anything away from my hair. There was a slight difference in the look and feel of my hair overall. Plus...the effects are suppose to show overtime with multiple uses. I plan to henna every 3 months but for only about 4hrs. I will do this for a year then reassess the condition of my hair and see if it is worth it for me."

Shortly after doing this I decided to straighten my hair and to decrease damage I did an Aphogee 2 Step Protein Treatment after a week of being straightend. Can you say TOO MUCH PROTEIN!!!!!  My hair began to break off almost immediately. I believe it was a combination of the treatments and my light protein reggie.

Well, it's been 6months since then and after doing research I tried it again. This time I mixed it with black tea. After my "new" DC my hair was so soft, moisturize, fluffy and anything else desirable it was. I then applied Garnier Fructis Leave-in and sealed with my "new sheabutter mixture". So far I am on day 3 of a braid out and moisture has not been an issue. I will have to come back and add pics later.

Stay tuned for info on my "new" DC and my "new sheabutter mixture"
Until then,

Stay blessed!!!!

Who am I? What's my history?

Just as the title says, I am NhappyJackie. A natural wife and mother of two. Just a little history on me:
I've attempted to go natural twice in my life and was able to stick with it on the second go round. I BC'ed in November of 2009 after a 12 week transition.

Since my BC I have never looked back.

My oldest daughter (5) received a relaxer that same year in August just a week before my last relaxer. That was also her last relaxer. My youngest (almost 2) will never get a relaxer in the near future. As for both of my girls, I will continue to encourage their uniqueness and create their own style. 

My plans for this blog:

I want to discuss all things natural from hair care to skin care and all in between. I plan to share tips on how I care for girls hair as well as mine. The main plan is to track my progress in caring for me and my girls hair. Also to encourage women out there who are considering going natural. There will be post from other bloggers that I may find very informative and wish to share, or at least keep it in a place where I can easily find it. There may be product reviews, regimens, make-up,daily issues, idle chatter and anything else I think may fit in.  Feel free to follow and comment as you wish.

To see photos of my journey from transition up to now, please visit my Fotki at NhappyJackie Fotki

and for videos please visit Youtube

And always,

Be blessed!!!!