Lady Mika--The Locs Start HERE. (lol) Leaving the interwebs for a while.

Hello everyone and I'm Lady Mika. You might remember me from such threads as Random Thoughts, Yarn Braids, and even the Vent Thread. (End Simpson's reference.)

Seriously though, I waited for the BNB thread to switch over so I can have a fresh start and share all of Gypsy's (my hair) trials, tribulations, and actin' out whenever she feels like it. She's only behaving now because she's SHORT. But when she gets BIGGER?? She'll have NO BEHAVIOR.

Brief rundown of Gypsy's history: She came into being in December of 2008, just before the New Year. She grew for a year, and put up with my fails of hair dyeing, flat ironing, yarn braids and getting the hang of handling her. Now that I have a better clue of how to take care of her, I gave her a Big Chop in February, and a shape up about two weeks ago. I'm going to let her do her own thing, and just do as she tells me. ...Because...well, SHE wears the pants in this relationship, and I NEED to remember to LISTEN.

Now, I'll be the one on the corner over there *points* by the train station with the black and silver guitar (that I've affectionately decided to name Sekhmet--an Egyptian fire deity.). I'll update as often as I can, maybe even throw in a video once I get the hang of this webcam thing. You know, I haven't had one of these since high school?? (Approximately TEN YEARS in June. ...DAMMIT I feel old. )

Anywho, I'll be on that there corner. I'll post about my regimen and products tomorrow.

Dueces.

yaaaaaaaaay!!! ur finally here

lol@ simpson reference; love that dmn show!! and i can so see u in the neighborhood wit the guitar at the train station **dropping folded dollar in cup**

Yay!!! Welcome to the Curl Street Journal!!! I cant wait to hear you play!!!!


Glad I didnt have to hunt you down!!

Lynnieluve wrote:Glad I didnt have to hunt you down!!

Wait, so that was YOU hiding in the bushes dressed like a ninja with the binoculars??? OMG! Good thing I showed up then!

WELCOME AND HAVE FUN HERE!!!

NubieNatty wrote:yaaaaaaaaay!!! ur finally here

lol@ simpson reference; love that dmn show!! and i can so see u in the neighborhood wit the guitar at the train station **dropping folded dollar in cup**

I got a dolla, I got a dolla! I got a dolla HEY HEY HEY HEY!!

LM welcome to curl street I love the Avatar and I can't wait to hear you play.

LOL, Lynn u hiding bushes now? LOL!

Yea, Sweet....that was me...I had a modified denman brush and a shower comb.

Hi Mika and all of you guys! You are just cracking me UP! lol I'd better go to bed!
No one told me curlynikki is that addictive! danm!

umm...GIGI...where is YOUR cj thread

yup, im snitchin...**callin dep lynnie n sweet**

lol It's underway no worries

Welcome LadyM...

You are going to enjoy it here. I'm sure you are enjoying this house warming party we go going on now!!!

Have a blessed day!!
KNH

Good Morning Mika,

Welcome to the CSJ ...

Lynnieluve wrote:Yea, Sweet....that was me...I had a modified denman brush and a shower comb.

Looks like we need it for GiGi *pointing*

Hey Lady M!!

Good morning everyone, on this dreary, damp Monday morning. (At least, it's dreary and damp in NYC. But compared to yesterday's FURNACE, I like it. )

Since I will be doing a lot of updating here, I've decided to delete my blog. I'll be posting the same thing there that I would be here, so I won't be keeping both. (Especially since many of the people are subscribed are denizens of these forums. ) I'll keep the blog for the rest of the day, and when I get home from work tonight, I'll take it down (and most likely use it for something else).

For today, I want to share with everyone my CURRENT product list and regimen. Some of you may have seen this on my blog. I've made the switch to organic products, because Gypsy decided that she no longer wants anything to do with "market" brand items (such as Suave, VO5, TRESemme, Garnier, etc). She only wants organic, natural products (Giovanni, Nature's Gate, Kinky Curly, etc. ...No, she has NO consideration for my wallet/bank account.) So everything I own right now, is pretty much natural to 100% organic (new items in italics, stapes have an **):

Organic Items:
**Unrefined Shea Butter x6
**Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar x1
**Raw Black Soap

Conditioners:
**Kinky Curly Knot Today x1 20%; x1 replacement (Mix this with some water and essential oil?? THE BEST LEAVE-IN EVER.)
Giovanni Direct Smooth As Silk Deeper Moisture Conditioner
Giovanni Direct 50:50 Balanced Hydrating-Calming Conditioner

Stylers:
Kinky Curly
Curling Custard (4oz) x1 90%
Afroveda PUR Whipped Gelly

Oils:
**Tea tree oil x1 90%
**Extra virgin coconut oil x1 (replacement) 80%
**Castor oil x1 40%
Aloe vera oil x1 40%
Jojoba oil x1 70%
Clary sage oil x1
Lavender oil x1 90%
Cinnamon oil x1 90%
Peppermint oil x1 20%
Alikay Naturals Essential 17 Hair Oil 40% (Not sure what to make of it. It does work, though I'm sure I can get similar results using a combo of Emu, Castor, and Jojoba oils with Rosemary, Lavender or Clary Sage essential oils.)

Once upon a time, this list was A LOT longer. Shamefully longer. So long, that I had to start giving stuff away to clear up the clutter. What you see is all that I have right now. I do buy my shea butter IN BULK because I can't always make the trip to Brooklyn to buy more. (That and I have an addiction to shea butter. Cuz it makes ma hair body feel sooooooo good. ) I'll also start buying my black soap in bulk, because I'm loving what's doing for my acne. (Don't let the avatar fool you--I do break out, especially when The Crimson Tide cometh. ) I do bathe with it, and my skin has never looked this good. EVER.

On to the regimen. (Long post is long. LOL) I've decided that I'm going to keep it as simple as possible. For now and while Gypsy is short (*insert short jokes HERE* ), I do have a daily regimen, though My weekly regimen hasn't changed too much IF at all.

Daily Regimen:
--Rinse with warm water.
--Co-wash with Giovanni Direct 50:50 conditioner (if I used the KCCC or PUR Whipped Gelly)
--Moisturize with leave-in mix (water, Knot Today, lavender essential oil)
--Seal with shea butter, castor oil on the edges.

Weekly Regimen:
--Cleanse with raw black soap (a thin film on your hands is MORE than enough for a good lather and cleanse.)
--Clarify (if necessary) with Apple Cider Vinegar (aka ACV rinse)
--Deep condition with Giovanni Direct Smooth As Silk conditioner (45 min-1 hour.)
--Moisturize with my leave-in mix.
--Seal with shea butter mix, castor oil on the edges.

This is probably the most CONSISTENT regimen I've had in a long time. I've been at it since February, and I CAN see a difference. I'm also glad I went and got a shape-up about a month or so after the cut in February; Gypsy is growing in nicely, and will look fabulous come Natural Afro Day in July.

And now that I've bored you all to death with this long update, I have to go get ready for work and have lunch! I will catch up with you all later.

Deuces.

That list of products isnt long at all....very simple.

I cant wait to see Gypsy in July.

Welcome!! Yeah I remember you from the Random and vent thread. I am laughing at Gypsy "wearing the pants in this relationship".

Lynnieluve wrote:That list of products isnt long at all....very simple.

I cant wait to see Gypsy in July.

You should've seen the list when I FIRST wrote it back in late January. I was pulling out stuff and going "I HAVE this??". It was pretty bad! Things are MUCH simpler now and I'm happy (so is my wallet!).

Gypsy's longest strands are 2.5 inches at the top, so we're makin' progress! And isn't the year just FLYING by? It's already MAY. July will be here before we know it.

SheeTacular_Napps wrote:Welcome!! Yeah I remember you from the Random and vent thread. I am laughing at Gypsy "wearing the pants in this relationship".

Yeah, Gypsy is the one in control here. I don't argue anymore, I just do what she wants.

sweetdrk1 wrote:

Lynnieluve wrote:Yea, Sweet....that was me...I had a modified denman brush and a shower comb.

Looks like we need it for GiGi *pointing*

Hey Lady M!!

Hey Sweet!

And yes, Miss GiGi, where is your CSJ?? Do we HAVE to come looking for you? lol

Good morning all.

Yes, Tuesday is my Wash Day. I have an odd work schedule: I work weekends, and my work week ENDS on Monday. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are my days off. (I get my 40 hours, don't worry.) So I do everything I need to do on Tuesday, from errands to cleansing my hair.

Today I did two things: first, I whipped up some more shea butter with Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, Aloe Vera Oil, Castor Oil, Honey, and Clary Sage essential oil. I had two pounds of yellow shea butter from my last run to Brooklyn, and since they'd been there for a while I wanted to use them before they went rancid. I have four more tubs of shea butter, but those are white. No difference between the two as far as properties are concerned, just that one is DYED yellow with root coloring. I have no problem/allergic reactions to it, but I prefer my butter dye-free.

I also took a chance and decided to mix my Giovanni S.A.S. conditioner with coconut oil and honey as a deep conditioner. I do like what it does on its own, but I just wanted to experiment and see what came of it. I'm wearing it as I type this, and I'll rinse in about an hour from now. As for the washing process, I do use my raw black soap. I wet my hands, work up a lather and massage my scalp. I had some product build up from yesterday, so it took two lathers to get my hair clean. I added the mix and now I'm "baking". (Plastic cap and a towel around my head.)

So for the next hour I'm going to have breakfast/lunch and feed my cat.

i didnt even notice the change in ur avi...maybe cuz its the EXACT same pose with the EXACT same mug !! ur skin is radiant tho'. i think i need to start buyin shea in bulk and i was introduced to black soap from BnB and i looooove it. i prefer to use both on me and mason, esp him cuz he has eczema breakouts every now n then!

sounds like u have a good reggie n simple products, i need to try that.

NubieNatty wrote:i didnt even notice the change in ur avi...maybe cuz its the EXACT same pose with the EXACT same mug !! ur skin is radiant tho'. i think i need to start buyin shea in bulk and i was introduced to black soap from BnB and i looooove it. i prefer to use both on me and mason, esp him cuz he has eczema breakouts every now n then!

sounds like u have a good reggie n simple products, i need to try that.

Unfortunately, the bathroom is the only room in my apartment with the best lighting. I blame my boyfriend for that. (When in doubt, BLAME THE BOYFRIEND!! )

Thank you for the skin compliment. Shea butter and raw black soap, is THE BUSINESS. Shea butter I've been using for a year. But the black soap had definitely cleared my skin up (and helped with my boyfriend's eczema!). My acne used to be out of hand until I started using it. Now it's calmed down A LOT and my skin is--for the first time--at a point where I DONT' have to wear powders or foundation or concealers. So yeah, buy that isht in BULK!

Hi LadyM

I'm using black soap as well, (on my face) but I find the shea butter to be a bit oily. Are you making you own shea butter mixture for your face, and do you experience oil build up through out the day? Just curious

Nice avatar!!

Have a great day..

KNH

Glad you finally joined us! You have lurked long enough!