12 inches in 12 months - 2014

[fancypants007]

Re: 12 inches in 12 months - 2013

Yes I have been moisturizing every night, sometimes 2x a day and I still haven't gotten the hang of it. In the past I have used curl activator but I can only use it once before my hair gets sticky. Now that my hair is behaving I may try it again. Nothing worked in the past, so now with my hair improvements I am starting from scratch and trying everything again.

I have theories but I have to try them out. My hair isn't reacting to things as expected.

That is so true and that's where my frustration comes in because my hair is not reacting as I expect. Some weeks ago my hair was in a funk and I think that has improved, but it's still looks weird looking. I don't know if it's the new growth causing my hair to look like this or not.

Curl Activator works for me. I'm relaxed and it keeps my hair well moisturized. Curl Free Curl was the bomb, but I think it has protein in it and I don't want protein overload. I use just a little and then seal with oil and/or another moisturizer. I'm paying close attention to see how my hair responds.

 

[fancypants007]

Re: 12 inches in 12 months - 2013

Wednesday
...Vitamins...check
...Water...check
...Scalp treatment....check
...Brought my lunch...check
...Tea spritz...check
...Scalp Massage...skipped
...Smoothie...check
...Exercise...skipped
...Visualization...check, finally

Thanks for checking in. You still are doing well. I have fallen, fallen, fallen. But I will report all of it come Monday.

 

[fancypants007]

Re: 12 inches in 12 months - 2013

I was about to ask about the amount of vinegar. That is too much. Mayonnaise already has vinegar in it already.

I can't see any mentions on my IPhone. PM me if it is a must see. Allons y

The recipe called for it, but I don't think you use all of it at one time. You take about 1/3, or 1/2 cup of tonic and apply all over hair.

 

[faithVA]

Re: 12 inches in 12 months - 2013

That is so true and that's where my frustration comes in because my hair is not reacting as I expect. Some weeks ago my hair was in a funk and I think that has improved, but it's still looks weird looking. I don't know if it's the new growth causing my hair to look like this or not.

Curl Activator works for me. I'm relaxed and it keeps my hair well moisturized. Curl Free Curl was the bomb, but I think it has protein in it and I don't want protein overload. I use just a little and then seal with oil and/or another moisturizer. I'm paying close attention to see how my hair responds.

I have some S-Curl. Maybe I will try that this week and just cowash when it gets sticky. I can't stand sticky And almost any amount of glycerin used more than once causes it to be sticky. Maybe I will just cowash until I figure out how to moisturize my hair. That's an idea. I just need to figure out what I want to do I also need to figure out a simple style to wear for my weekend bike rides.

 

[fancypants007]

Re: 12 inches in 12 months - 2013

Yeah, that recipe sounds a little scary to me 1/2 tsp of vinegar in 8 oz of water is going to dry that ph real low. I can't even imagine what's going on with a cup of vinegar.

I do agree using ACV to cleanse can be nice. I would feel better with a more balanced recipe. And if your scalp doesn't product a lot of oil, like my scalp then I would only use it once or twice a month, unless there are oils added to it.

I do understand that you thought it was scary, but personally, I didn't think so. The recipe called for these ingredients and I'm assuming, the proportions were calculated based on something scientific. What I don't know. I have used 1 cup of acv in a gallon of water as a final rinse, but I didn't use the whole gallon of water/acv mix.

I don't think you use the whole tonic at one time. Perhaps taking 1/2 or 1/3 cup and applying all over hair because it said it could be refrigerated. I applied this tonic to my hair after washing on Tuesday and I had no problem and still do not see any problem with my hair. If anything my hair seems to look better because a few weeks ago my hair seemed to be in this funk. I have to admit, I was planning on doing this tonic every week but I've changed my mind because the acv/mayo smell lingered in my hair and I didn't like that.

 

[fancypants007]

Re: 12 inches in 12 months - 2013

Lol! We must've ate the same 'screw it' breakfast! I didn't do jack except take my vitamins....oh well, it's one day, we'll be on it tomorrow. I'll take this as my rest day (for everything )

Don't fret, remember this challenge is fun. I have to report when I check in on Monday my episodes because I have fallen, fallen. We will just pick ourselves up and get back on track. No pressure, no worries.

 

[caliscurls]

faithVA so I've had my FitBit Flex for a week and I love it! Prior to now I would have looked at you crazy if you asked me to keep track of my food but the dashboard is so useful I find myself entering in my intake without hesitation.

The pros
- dashboard online that shows you all your stats with charts. Sleeping habits, calories in vs. calories out (so how much you still need to eat or if you're over), active minutes, steps, calories burned, distance traveled, weight, water intake, BMI (if you decide to track that one)
- sends you a summary of your progress every week
- gives you badges for milestones...like the first time you hit 10,000 steps in a day
- Flex has a silent alarm that vibrates
- Flex has progress lights on the face to let you know how close you are to your goal for the day (you chose which goal)
- water resistant so you can wear it in the shower
- sturdy
- charge lasts 4-5 days
- you can set goals for yourself

The cons
- the flex is hard to put on at first but after a few times its easier
- wish I could see the information not just dots on the Flex. That's what the force did but it was recalled. I have the app on my phone though so it's not a big deal, it synchs via Bluetooth
- may clash with some attire BUT you can take the actual tracker out of the band and put it in your bra (got that from a blogger). Tory Burch is also in the process of making jewelry that allows you to insert the tracker inside
- wish the food database was larger

Overall the FitBit keeps me really motivated. Yesterday I jogged in place while warming up a snack in the microwave because I wanted to get closer to my daily step goal! It was well worth the purchase and I bought it on amazon for $82 instead of the usual $99. I'll probably get a couple of bands in different colors soon.

 

[caliscurls]

Don't fret, remember this challenge is fun. I have to report when I check in on Monday my episodes because I have fallen, fallen. We will just pick ourselves up and get back on track. No pressure, no worries.

I'm blaming it on daylight savings since several of us slowed down this week but like you said - no pressure, no worries (I like that!)

 

[faithVA]

Re: 12 inches in 12 months - 2013

I do understand that you thought it was scary, but personally, I didn't think so. The recipe called for these ingredients and I'm assuming, the proportions were calculated based on something scientific. What I don't know. I have used 1 cup of acv in a gallon of water as a final rinse, but I didn't use the whole gallon of water/acv mix.

I don't think you use the whole tonic at one time. Perhaps taking 1/2 or 1/3 cup and applying all over hair because it said it could be refrigerated. I applied this tonic to my hair after washing on Tuesday and I had no problem and still do not see any problem with my hair. If anything my hair seems to look better because a few weeks ago my hair seemed to be in this funk. I have to admit, I was planning on doing this tonic every week but I've changed my mind because the acv/mayo smell lingered in my hair and I didn't like that.

I guess it depends on where you got the recipe from. Typically online recipes aren't really from any place scientific. They are usually created in someone's kitchen.

I think once you get the ph strips you will understand what I am saying. Every tbsp of acv drops the ph of water by at least 1 point. So if water starts at 7, it only takes 4 tbsp of acv to drop a whole sink full of water to a ph of 3 which is very low. So why you would need a whole cup doesn't compute. It doesn't matter whether you use the whole gallon or not. Every drop of the water now has a low ph.

Typically you put a cup of vinegar in a laundry load but you have gallons and gallons of water to flush that vinegar out.

The drying affects of anything with a high or low ph aren't seen immediately, they do progress over time.

I'm not saying that you shouldn't do it. I'm just saying based on what I know about vinegar and ph that 1 cup is way too much. Even 1/4 of a cup is a lot of vinegar.

I'm just sharing what I know. I'm certainly not trying to tell you what to do.

 

[faithVA]

Re: 12 inches in 12 months - 2013

faithVA so I've had my FitBit Flex for a week and I love it! Prior to now I would have looked at you crazy if you asked me to keep track of my food but the dashboard is so useful I find myself entering in my intake without hesitation.



- wish I could see the information not just dots on the Flex. That's what the force did but it was recalled. I have the app on my phone though so it's not a big deal, it synchs via Bluetooth

Thank you for the update.

What do you mean by dots? I have never actually looked at the fit bit?

Can it differentiate between walking and climbing stairs and walking in place? Based on your last post I am assuming so.

 

[caliscurls]

There are three different ones - the flex (you wear like a watch), the One (clips on and shows numbers the face), and the Zip (smaller clip on with numbers on the face)

The One tracks stairs as wells steps.
The Flex has a a strip of LED lights instead of digital numbers. There are 5 and it lights them up according to your progress. I have only one light right now when I tap it for example because I've only been up a couple of hours and haven't walked much (west coast here)

I got the Flex because if I have to remember to put it on daily (like the One and Zip) it won't get used.

This will give you more info
Www.fitbit.com/comparison/trackers

 

[caliscurls]

Snapshot of my FitBit dashboard this morning (on tablet)

 

[HanaKuroi]

There are three different ones - the flex (you wear like a watch), the One (clips on and shows numbers the face), and the Zip (smaller clip on with numbers on the face)

The One tracks stairs as wells steps.
The Flex has a a strip of LED lights instead of digital numbers. There are 5 and it lights them up according to your progress. I have only one light right now when I tap it for example because I've only been up a couple of hours and haven't walked much (west coast here)

I got the Flex because if I have to remember to put it on daily (like the One and Zip) it won't get used.

This will give you more info
Www.fitbit.com/comparison/trackers

I was about to buy DH the Fitbit Force when it was recalled. I am sort of thinking about the flex but, I had chosen the force over the flex. Now I am unsure.

I can't see any mentions on my IPhone. PM me if it is a must see. Allons y

 

[caliscurls]

I was about to buy DH the Fitbit Force when it was recalled. I am sort of thinking about the flex but, I had chosen the force over the flex. Now I am unsure.

I can't see any mentions on my IPhone. PM me if it is a must see. Allons y

HanaKuroi yeah I actually wanted the Force but couldn't buy it because of the recall. Based on all the research I did, the FitBit brand still came out on top for my needs. With the Flex the perk is that I'll be able to wear it in a fashionable bracelet or neckless once Tory Burch's stuff comes out. I DO however see myself getting a Force once they release again.

 

[Gr8ness83]

Re: 12 inches in 12 months - 2013

I just finished my second round of 7 day inversion. I finished the inversion on 14 Feb and the pics I posted were from 20 Feb and 27 Feb which showed an inch of growth. I will take pics of the same area on 20 March and 27 March to have an accurate comparison.....

 

[faithVA]

Re: 12 inches in 12 months - 2013

There are three different ones - the flex (you wear like a watch), the One (clips on and shows numbers the face), and the Zip (smaller clip on with numbers on the face)

The One tracks stairs as wells steps.
The Flex has a a strip of LED lights instead of digital numbers. There are 5 and it lights them up according to your progress. I have only one light right now when I tap it for example because I've only been up a couple of hours and haven't walked much (west coast here)

I got the Flex because if I have to remember to put it on daily (like the One and Zip) it won't get used.

This will give you more info
Www.fitbit.com/comparison/trackers

fabulous info. thanks. i wii stick with the flex. i washed my last pedometer because it ended up in my pocket.

 

[fancypants007]

Re: 12 inches in 12 months - 2013

I'm blaming it on daylight savings since several of us slowed down this week but like you said - no pressure, no worries (I like that!)

You just continue to do you and we will all get there. Sometimes we have those moments, just go with the flow and all of it will work out nicely. We're just hoping that we will get those increased inches inspite of it. Stay positive and encouraged!

 

[fancypants007]

Re: 12 inches in 12 months - 2013

I guess it depends on where you got the recipe from. Typically online recipes aren't really from any place scientific. They are usually created in someone's kitchen.

I think once you get the ph strips you will understand what I am saying. Every tbsp of acv drops the ph of water by at least 1 point. So if water starts at 7, it only takes 4 tbsp of acv to drop a whole sink full of water to a ph of 3 which is very low. So why you would need a whole cup doesn't compute. It doesn't matter whether you use the whole gallon or not. Every drop of the water now has a low ph.

Typically you put a cup of vinegar in a laundry load but you have gallons and gallons of water to flush that vinegar out.

The drying affects of anything with a high or low ph aren't seen immediately, they do progress over time.

I'm not saying that you shouldn't do it. I'm just saying based on what I know about vinegar and ph that 1 cup is way too much. Even 1/4 of a cup is a lot of vinegar.

I'm just sharing what I know. I'm certainly not trying to tell you what to do.

Thanks for thorough explanation. I'm know about ph strips, use to use them back in the day. There were so many products that when tested, turned blue. Blue of course means, no good!

I understand what you're saying about acv, and like I said I've used it before with 1 cup in gallon of water for many years with no problem. My hair is dry, but I wouldn't say it's dry, brittle, damage hair, it's just dry. I remember this book I read many years ago talked about the importance of using acv on your hair because it produces what is called an acid mantle which protects your hair from breakage, environmental damage etc.

But I understand what you're saying, you don't want to overkill with it! I rarely use acv treatment and hopefully this treatment I did Tuesday will not dry out my hair even more. I will make this part of my check in on Mondays of how my hair is responding to this acv treatment because I certainly don't want my hair to dry out more than what it is. My hair the next day after treatment was so soft, but like you said the effects may be progressive, so I will definitely be paying attention.

I have to admit you have enlighten me about recipes found online being created from someone's kitchen. That's an eye opener, would have never thought that. When I posted the recipe I was just sharing too, because each person makes the choice what they choose to do or not to do in this case for your hair. But I appreciate your knowledge and sharing.

 

[fancypants007]

Re: 12 inches in 12 months - 2013

I just finished my second round of 7 day inversion. I finished the inversion on 14 Feb and the pics I posted were from 20 Feb and 27 Feb which showed an inch of growth. I will take pics of the same area on 20 March and 27 March to have an accurate comparison.....

Waiting for those updates. It seems like this is working very well for you.

 

[caliscurls]

I have been watching 101LadyT's YouTube videos and have decided to cut my hair from scrapping MBL back to BSB or BSL next week .....(runs out of thread)


http://m.youtube.com/user/101LadyT

 

[faithVA]

Re: 12 inches in 12 months - 2013

Thanks for thorough explanation. I'm know about ph strips, use to use them back in the day. There were so many products that when tested, turned blue. Blue of course means, no good!

I understand what you're saying about acv, and like I said I've used it before with 1 cup in gallon of water for many years with no problem. My hair is dry, but I wouldn't say it's dry, brittle, damage hair, it's just dry. I remember this book I read many years ago talked about the importance of using acv on your hair because it produces what is called an acid mantle which protects your hair from breakage, environmental damage etc.

But I understand what you're saying, you don't want to overkill with it! I rarely use acv treatment and hopefully this treatment I did Tuesday will not dry out my hair even more. I will make this part of my check in on Mondays of how my hair is responding to this acv treatment because I certainly don't want my hair to dry out more than what it is. My hair the next day after treatment was so soft, but like you said the effects may be progressive, so I will definitely be paying attention.

I have to admit you have enlighten me about recipes found online being created from someone's kitchen. That's an eye opener, would have never thought that. When I posted the recipe I was just sharing too, because each person makes the choice what they choose to do or not to do in this case for your hair. But I appreciate your knowledge and sharing.

I'm beating a dead horse so bear with me

I'm not anti acv. The natural oasis cleansing product I am using now is acv.

I just had to say that cuz I wanted the last word

That is interesting what you mentioned about the acid mantle. I will look that up.

Yes, please keep us updated on how it is working for you.

 

[faithVA]

Re: 12 inches in 12 months - 2013

I have been watching 101LadyT's YouTube videos and have decided to cut my hair from scrapping MBL back to BSB or BSL next week .....(runs out of thread)


http://m.youtube.com/user/101LadyT

Yeah, you better run

 

[caliscurls]

faithVA lol, I'm staging my own intervention and will dust instead... I hope. My hair is literally half relaxed and half natural and I am sooooo ready to be done with this transition. It ebbs and flows though, just have to tough it out. I noticed if I wash and DC the urge passes...so that's the plan for tonight. Usually I wash every 2 weeks, I may have to change it to once a week to survive until my planned trim in June.

 

[Mskraizy]

Re: 12 inches in 12 months - 2013

That's interesting you say you want to do acv rinses instead of shampooing. I found a recipe some months ago and I used it before, but it's been awhile since I used it again. Well I decided to give it a try on Tuesday which is cowash day for me, but instead I used this conconction as my conditioner, but they say you can also use it to wash your hair. I applied my moisturisers and oils afterwards and the next day in the evening when taking down my plaits to remoisturise, my hair was so soft. Here is the recipe if you're interested.

Coffee Hair Tonic
1) Cold brew the coffee by placing 3 tablespoons of coffee in 1 cup of water. Cover and let sit overnight.
2) Strain coffee into a bowl and mix in 1 cup vinegar and 1/2 cup mayonnaise. Blend well, and place in a jar or container with a lid. Refrigerate until ready to use.
3) After shampooing, pour a generous amount into your hair and massage.
4) Then, wrap your hair with a towel and let the coffee hair care treatment sit for 15 minutes to 2 hours.
5) Rinse and towel dry.

Coffee will stimulate the hair follicles, while giving it shine. This is also what the vinegar does. Apply this hair care treatment after every wash, or even instead of shampooing, since the vinegar will break down oily residues. This restoration is so necessary because it is very easy to damage hair.

Just wanted to share.

I read the first step and when it said "let sit overnight..." I said

"too much work"

JK! Is this a protein treatment, cause that's kinda what it sounds like. I've never ever thought about using coffee in the hair. What if I made a coffee spray since it stimulates? Then I can walk around smellin like a fresh cup a joe!

My hair could probably use all that caffeine anyway...

 

[Mskraizy]

Re: 12 inches in 12 months - 2013

Snapshot of my FitBit dashboard this morning (on tablet)

I soooo need this in my life. I haven't really been keeping up with my health priorities either. Trying to get back on the good foot though! But I'm liking the looks of this thing already!

 

[Mskraizy]

Re: 12 inches in 12 months - 2013

I have been watching 101LadyT's YouTube videos and have decided to cut my hair from scrapping MBL back to BSB or BSL next week .....(runs out of thread)


http://m.youtube.com/user/101LadyT

I'm gonna trim my hair in about 4 days (19 or 20) for the Spring Equinox. Well, slightly dust it anyway. I'm just paranoid because before I got back into this major ps-ing phase I wore my hair out quite a bit and I'm just paranoid that I may be protective styling with fairly bad ends. They're actually NOT problematic at all but for some reason it's just KILLING me to not snip off even 1/8 of an inch. So I'm going to trim on the Spring Equinox and experiment with this "lunar cycle//moon phase" trimming thing and see if it will help increase some growth.

And I LOVE 101LadyT's hair. She's one of the reasons why I got my trimming game right in the first place!!

 

[faithVA]

Re: 12 inches in 12 months - 2013

I read the first step and when it said "let sit overnight..." I said

"too much work"

JK! Is this a protein treatment, cause that's kinda what it sounds like. I've never ever thought about using coffee in the hair. What if I made a coffee spray since it stimulates? Then I can walk around smellin like a fresh cup a joe!

My hair could probably use all that caffeine anyway...

There is a whole thread for coffee, acv, and tea rinses. Lot's of ladies do a coffee rinse ever week.

 

[caliscurls]

I soooo need this in my life. I haven't really been keeping up with my health priorities either. Trying to get back on the good foot though! But I'm liking the looks of this thing already!

I'm so glad I got one Mskraizy I'm trying to make the changes I've made in my fitness routine and diet a lifestyle instead of a cycle and I think this will help keep me going.

 

[caliscurls]

I'm gonna trim my hair in about 4 days (19 or 20) for the Spring Equinox. Well, slightly dust it anyway. I'm just paranoid because before I got back into this major ps-ing phase I wore my hair out quite a bit and I'm just paranoid that I may be protective styling with fairly bad ends. They're actually NOT problematic at all but for some reason it's just KILLING me to not snip off even 1/8 of an inch. So I'm going to trim on the Spring Equinox and experiment with this "lunar cycle//moon phase" trimming thing and see if it will help increase some growth.

And I LOVE 101LadyT's hair. She's one of the reasons why I got my trimming game right in the first place!!

Yeah the blunt thickness of her hair is just beautiful. I ended up trimming about 3/4 to 1/2 inch off the longest layer only (it grows in an extremes V) and I feel better now and I'm still MBL. Those lead hairs just looked too scraggly. It looks really nice. Today I wore a low ponytail and DH was like "wow, your hair looks good"...so I'm doing something right! Tomorrow it's back in a bun.

If you think your ends are bad definitely dust. They are just going to get worse...that was my lesson learned last year - dust or forget about retention. Let us know how dusting with the lunar cycle goes.

 

[Mskraizy]

Re: 12 inches in 12 months - 2013

Yeah the blunt thickness of her hair is just beautiful. I ended up trimming about 3/4 to 1/2 inch off the longest layer only (it grows in an extremes V) and I feel better now and I'm still MBL. Those lead hairs just looked too scraggly. It looks really nice. Today I wore a low ponytail and DH was like "wow, your hair looks good"...so I'm doing something right! Tomorrow it's back in a bun.

If you think your ends are bad definitely dust. They are just going to get worse...that was my lesson learned last year - dust or forget about retention. Let us know how dusting with the lunar cycle goes.

But they're not bad though, that's the problem. It's because I'm in love with the cosmetic look of trimming the hair and I think my hair grows with lead hairs too and that just BOTHERS me. lol I have trimmed off too much hair just because of the look and not generally the health. But I am gonna get this slight dusting over with and hide my hair (and the scissors!) before I get illegal on my hair.

And I sure will. I'm gonna make sure I don't chop off all the progress either.