My Play-doh Creation

During one of our meetings at work, it was said that using your hands helps to activate creativity... Sooo we were given Play-doh! Here's what I came up with...
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Happy Halloween!

My "break" isn't quite over yet but I miss you guys! My job had a Halloween party today and I'm in the spirit so...

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Break Time...

Honeys, I'm not gonna lie- I've grown slightly bored with this blog (aka my baby). These past 2 weeks have been a struggle for me and I haven't been inspired, it shows. My job keeps me pretty occupied (I don't usually get home till 9) and by the time I get settled in, it's almost 11. At that hour I don't want to do anything but CHILL out for a few minutes before heading to bed.

Now I'm not ready to give up HBS by any means! However, I think I'm going to need some time to re-think things and "freshen up". Sugar will make 2 years in February and since day 1, I've been consistently posting- rarely (if ever) missing a weekday.

With that said, I'll be back on Monday, November 9.

*As always* If you've got any ideas to share, stories to submit, etc., please feel free to drop me a line at hbsbabe@ymail.com.

See ya in 2 weeks!

Quick Question of the day: Transitioning & Braids

No "troubles" today, so I'll pose the following question instead...

While transitioning to natural hair, do you think it's a good idea to wear braided extensions (rather than BC'ing)? Why or why not?

Natural Hair... Mainstream?

I just received the newest copy of Essence in my mailbox last Friday. I hardly ever read magazines anymore but as I thumbed through it, I couldn't help but notice the section dedicated to natural hair and a guide towards going "natural".

What I noticed:

• MOST of the African-American models throughout the magazine (adult women and children) had curly hair of some sort (including weaves)
• pg. 42 includes their "Go-Natural Cheat Sheet", products recommended include Hair Rules Daily Cleansing Cream, Jane Carter Nourishing Cream, Carita Revitalising Scrub and Miss Jessie's Rapid Recovery Treatment. They also list the top 10 brands for natural hair.
• pg. 45 lists the "5 Commandments for Going Natural"

My question to you is, do you feel like they (mainstream mass) are "tardy for the party"? Where were they 5 years ago when I couldn't find ANY information on going natural?

However, this blog and the many other great ones like it probably wouldn't be around if there hadn't been that strong need...

Thoughts?

Feeling it or OVER it? Rihanna

Rih-rih is back with an "update" to her current look... Are you feeling it or are you OVER it?

Friday's Dessert 10/16/09

Better late than never, right? I know I'm late posting my weekly inspirational/motivational quote so here it goes...

"If we say it long enough eventually we're going to reap a harvest. We're going to get exactly what we're saying." -Joel Osteen

Have a great weekend! Hopefully it'll get warmer in NYC!

Re-Post: The Finished Product

Check the video to see what happens once the hair is completely dry...

Few things to note:

* I usually have a frizzy patch at the back, once the hair is dried I'll take a little conditioner and apply to the frizzed strands only.

*At night I pile my hair up high on my head in a very loose ponytail. In the morning I pretty much do the same flip and fluff routine.

*My wash & go routine is the same one Teri does (tightlycurly.com), this process works extremely well in humid weather.

*When hair is still wet: If you're worried about the little globs of conditioner on your strands, simply wet your hands and scrunch. The conditioner will squeeze itself off onto your fingers. However, once your hair dries you won't be able to see those globs anyways.

Re-Post: HBS "Wash & Go" Vid

For those who may have missed it the first time... Enjoy!

HBS: Congratulations on the completion of your first "how-to" video! So tell us, how'd you do it?

Wes: Well, it wasn't hard at all. After much prodding by my wonderful/incredible readers I decided to give the people what they want; a quick tutorial on my usual "Wash & Go" routine. I've come to understand that no matter how many times I describe something, there's nothing like having a good ol' visual.

**Ok yeah, that was a brief interview with mySELF. Anyways, without any further ado below is the first HBS video EVER! (It's amazing what a little unemployment can do for a girl ;-)

Was this helpful? Do you think I should do more? Tell me!

My Hair Now: Current Mainstays

I realized I haven't spoken on products in quite some time. If you've been following this blog, then you're familiar with me and my ever-changing ways. Now that summer has passed and winter is pretty much staring us in the face here in the Big Apple, I've changed up my hair routine. I've recently been doing the following:

1. Wash & Go! (well not really, I dry my hair for about 30 minutes underneath my bonnet dryer before "going")

• I wash my hair about every 4 days now (during the summertime, I noticed I shampoo'd my hair MUCH more often, too often) using a gentle sulfate-free shampoo (I like Carol's Daughter Black Vanilla Herbal Shampoo). I clarify about once per month using Neutrogena's anti-residue formula.
• I condition using Aussie's Moist Conditioner OR Aussie's 3-Minute Deep Treatment.
• I still style the same way as demonstrated in my video- However, I went back to using Garnier Fructis' Leave-in Treatment Cream.
  
• After hair is dry, I usually apply shea butter or Miss Jessie's Buttercreme for shine.

BUT...

I recently started using Mixed Chicks Hair Silk as a finisher. It's a light serum that provides incredible LIGHTWEIGHT and LASTING shine. One of my coworkers let me to borrow her bottle and do you know I ended up going out and purchasing my own?
Oh! I can't forget to tell you guys about my new night-time procedure: I've been sleeping with my hair totally out- no ponytail, no clips, no satin bonnet, not even a satin pillowcase. I recently met a woman who had the most PERFECT head of natural pencil-width coils. I asked her about her nightly routine, she said she didn't do anything but go to sleep at night and refresh crushed curls with a light moisturizer in the am. I first tried this last week and was able to get 5 days out of my wash & go, which in my book is a record.

Maybe we fuss too much with our hair... What do you think: Have you found that less is best?

Tuesday's Trouble: Bad Hair Habits

I have a bad habit of twirling my curls in my fingers through out the day! I have my hands in my hair (at the very least) 10 times an hour. It's a really bad habit, because I like finding and pulling out the hairs that have shed.

Another bad hair habit I have is that I'm a little heavy handed when it comes to detangling. I have to remind myself to be GENTLE when I'm running the Denman through my locks.

Today though, I'm going to focus on keeping my hands out of my hair!

Do you have a bad hair habit?