It's that time of year again! My daughter's dance recital!

I am not worried about what she is going to wear and how her hair will be done.  Her dance school almost literally wrote the rules in stone on how they should look and how the hair should be styled.  MadiMel will be in 3 different dance scenes, Ballet, Contemporary and Hip-Hop.  This has been her third year of dance at the same dance school. Third recital she has been a part of and my third time, for a recital, trying to figure out what to wear! 

It is hot in Metro Atlanta, yes the recital is indoors, but again...it is hot, humid and sticky. We are also talking about taking pictures with friends...outside, chatting with other parents...outside, running around to get ourselves ready for and after the show.  The first year, I wore a maxi dress with heeled sandals. The second year, leggings, camisole, a sleeveless belted sweater...and of course, heels! 

My attendance at this year's recital, I decided to not wear heels.  It saddens me because I love wearing heels (laughs)! Seriously, I love them.  At times, when I come back home with a pair of shoes, without looking, my husband will say, "I hope you bought a pair of flat shoes."  And of course I laugh because I obviously did not.
So now, I decided not to wear heels this time around and wear flat sandals instead.  I just need to figure out what to wear though.  I am planning on digging through my closet and figuring it out.  I may have another maxi dress in there somewhere that I can wear.  Accessorizing to compliment the dress and adding a sweater to give it a different classy look.

Now my problem is my HAIR!!!!  I am tired of buns at this moment...I know it is a great go-to hair style that you can jazz up with hair candy (ex. flowers).  Maybe I will do that and do something with the front.  Besides, it is a protective style and does not require much heat. I usually airdry before I style my hair like this, using a leave in to moisturize and a light gel.

Then I thought of setting my hair in a flexi rod set.  The great thing about this style; if it does not look good while it is out, you can simply pin it up in some way to make look creative and beautiful.  Braid-outs...for me, can be a hit or miss...but it is an option too. Both styles do not require much heat once you give yourself ample time to let it set.  I would put the rods in while my hair is partially damp with an oil and light gel.

The french braid is my ulimate favorite, but I am tired of that style too sometimes.  This also does not require heat.  I tie my hair down in the front and let the hair air dry.  Moisturize the hair and then braid it.

I know I'm making this more challenging than it should be.  But that is okay :-)  I'll figure it out before Sunday this week.  And I will keep you posted!

Healthy Hair Journey...on a Mental Note

We sometimes fail to realize that a lot of the women and men who have been and are on a healthy hair journey had put in time and work to make it a successful one. Many did their research, saw what worked for them, experimented, had patience and set realistic goals. Also, there are many who want that “ideal hair” instantly without giving any thought of the effort that should be brought forth. A hair journey is not just about buying hair products and using them. A healthy hair journey is ultimately about you being prepared and staying optimistic throughout, no matter what happens during.

* Embrace what you have and work with it – your hair that is. Hoping for your hair to look a certain way because you are using the same products someone is using may not give you the same results. Your hair may be different and the products may not work well for you. I have noticed individuals who expressed their disappointments on some hair boards, not letting go of the fact that their hair is not what they dreamed it would be. Remember that all hair is beautiful as long as you embrace it, take care of it and feel confident with it…it is yours. There is beauty in everything; it just needs to be enhanced to stand out more.


* Set short and long term hair goals for your hair journey. Be realistic. If your goal is to have waist length (WL) hair in 2 years, than that is a long term goal. Within that long term goal, there should be short term goals implemented. Those goals may be: improving the health of your hair, having staple products that compliment your hair and reaching certain hair lengths a step at a time, APL, BSL, MBL, WL. Follow those who are on a hair journey within the scope of your short term goal. Example, if you have a short term goal set for yourself to be arm pit length (APL) in 4 months and you are currently shoulder length (SL), follow those who are close to being APL or reached APL. That part of their hair journey is recent and you have the ability to access the information close to your own goal.


* Help yourself first and do your own research. Questions about a product to someone whose hair journey you are following can be easily looked up with the time you sent the message. Remember this, not everything works for everyone. It is easier to start your research on products first before asking someone about it. That way, you are already armed with the info you have to see how it corresponds to the response you get. This in turn may help you do something differently to make it work for you or dismiss it altogether.


* Use your regimen as a guide, don't let it guide you. Your regimen will change over time. You may have to tweak it for it to become effective for you as you progress along. At times, a product can be added, remove and replace products. A weekly schedule is great to guide you during your journey. If you are beating yourself up because you did not wash your hair during your wash day, missed one day of moisturizing out the seven days you usually do.


* Be patient during your hair journey. We know that 99% of things do not happen overnight. You may have set goals for your hair as far as what length you want to reach or how you want your hair to look. How about making your hair look its best as you go along your hair journey? As time goes by, you can handle your hair for that moment, not what you are hoping for it to be when you reach the desired goal. You’ll be surprised with what you come up with as your creativity comes into play.


* A hair journey is what it is, it may not be perfect but learn from it. If someone had a perfect hair journey, they are the few lucky individuals. Life itself is a journey because you learn as you grow. You make mistakes, come face to face with dilemmas and have to make some changes. During your hair journey, you may reach the time where you experience a setback(s); which to some may be “depressing”. Take notes, learn and move on to the next step.


* Worry about the health of your hair and the rest will follow. A healthy head of hair will always turn heads at any length. When you see a beautiful and healthy head of hair at any length, it causes you to stop in your tracks. When the hair is healthy, it makes it easier to go through the hair journey as you are patiently waiting to reach your ultimate goal.


* Take care of your insides for it to reflect on the outside. Proper diets, vitamins and exercise are also important when it comes to your body’s health. Exercising promotes blood circulation and eating the right types of food provide your body the nutrients and vitamins it needs. Taking vitamin supplements brings it to the right amounts your body needs. Drink water, water, water! Water is important because not only does it help quench thirst, it also “cleans” your insides. Before exercising or starting a diet, please consult with your health care provider.


So now, are you ready to learn or ready to be disappointed during your healthy hair journey?

Allow me to introduce myself...

Hello everyone! 

Allow me to introduce myself!  I am a mother to two children and a wife.  I have been blessed throughout the years with the things God has given me and the things I have experienced to make me laugh, cry, think and learn.  I enjoy sewing, crocheting, cooking, singing and other things which you may learn as I blog.
Some of you may know me from several hair sites and Youtube.  I consider myself a newbie on Youtube because I'm just getting my feet wet with videos.  And now I am new to blogging!  Pretty excited about that :-).

About my hair journey:  I started my hair journey a little over 4 years ago and documented it using a photo sharing site called Fotki.  My sister-in-law introduced me to the world of hair care which I am grateful for.  Although I do have relaxed hair, I do work on natural hair too.  My daughter has natural hair and throughout the years I have learned about her hair's needs.
 
Through my hair journey, I have had experienced setbacks, minor and major.  Did that discourage me? No.  Maybe it saddened me at times, but what did I do?  Learned from it and moved on.  That is why it is called a journey...you go down a road, hit road blocks, have to take detours, look at a map, continue and hope you are led into the direction you originally intended to get to.

Most of all, I understand that it is just hair.  Yes, we all want beautiful and healthy hair.  That can be attained with due diligence, research, knowledge and patience.  Some want long hair no matter at what cost.  But this is what I tell others...Healthy hair will always turn heads even at ear length.
I will share some tips, my hair journey, my daughter's, tips and other random things that may be of interest to some.

I want to thank you for reading and God bless you all!  Stay tuned for more posts from me!  Just started my blog up and will have my page completely set up with more!

God bless!
-Sdestra

www.Youtube.com/user/Sdestra