Yarn Braids.. Miss Tia Protective Styling!

Summer is here with a vengeance so it is time to find a fun, hip protective style for my teenage daughter. I suggested Senegalese Twists, Havana Twist or box braids but Miss Tia wanted something funky & colorful.....Yarn braids!

Yarn braids are fun and they give you the feel of having locs (hinse them also being known as genie-locs) ... This would be my second time doing yarn braids but the first time making them this length..she wanted waist length in the back.. We headed to Walmart to get the yarn and the 11 hour journey would begin.

The Process:

1. I purchased Red Heart brand yarn from Walmart 2 bundles ( dark brown & fuschia ) ..also I had some blue yarn at home.

2. I stretched the yarn to waist length, doubled it and then cut it.  I used that first one to measure each remaining piece. I didn't count them but I would be using 3 pieces per braid.

3. Washed, conditioned & detangled her hair.

4. Applied Cantu Shea butter leave in conditioner, Ampro Vitamin E oil & TGIN daily moisturizer

5. I used the same technique in the video below.....

The process took 3 days and about 11 hours.  My hands swell alot so I have to take multiple breaks but it was worth it.  Miss Tia was happy with the results so I took a couple of motrin and got it done.  Yarn braids are easy to style but they do seem a bit heavy at first.  She loves them and her natural hair

gets a much needed break. This will be her style for about 4-6 weeks.

Have you tried yarn braids? Let me know what you think! 

Remember let's stay social... Find me on Twitter, Instagram & Facebook!

Yes! Yes! TGINatural..Product Review

Hello All.....Here for another product review and this time its from a familiar brand.. TGIN (Thank God I'm Natural). I had the opportunity of trying their  new product line, the Moist Collection,  which  contained a Sulfate free shampoo, a triple moisture conditioner, a butter cream daily moisturizer, a honey hair mask and an added bonus the twist & define cream.

Up first was the shampoo and conditioner combination..I'm not big on shampoos because I usually just see them as functional, but this shampoo was really nice.  I had the type of lather I expect from a sulfate free shampoo but I was missing one thing...The striped feeling... YES! My scalp felt clean, the way I traditionally only get with ACV,  but it didn't feel stringy or waxy.  The conditioner was great, my hair seemed to drink in the moisture and instantly seemed soft with my kinky curls popping.... I still classify the conditioner as the Batman & the shampoo as the Robin because im bias in that way LOL. I would rate the combo an 8 out of 10 because they work amazing together with the conditioner being an 8.5 on its own.  I don't really use shampoo but this is a great one if you want to remove all the product build up from your hair while not taking the moisture away with it.

Next up was the Crown Jewel of the collection for me.. The Honey Hair Mask!...this was truly amazing... My hair is extremely curly and makes knots, after knots after knots...its one of the reasons I am a deep conditioning queen! Well..this product is a miracle when it comes to melting away your knots... Don't believe me? When I was trying the product...I was so excited that I got out of the shower to make a quick Instagram video to share..Check it out ...

As you may have guessed I would give the Honey Hair Mask a 9.5 it was the BEST! Lastly the Daily

Moisturizer and Twist & Define cream were left for me to try. I used the twist & define cream to do two strand twists and fluffed  my hair the next day with the daily moisturizer.  My hair looked great, it wasn't dry and the curls were soft and defined.  I would give them both an 8 but would probably only purchase the Define & twist cream because I had a lot of moisture without reapplying or adding anything.

You can give TGIN a try by purchasing the sample pack on sale now for $9.99 (click here) they also have a sale on the full size collection too!

Remember TGIN is all natural and this line contains great ingredients like shea butter, coconut oil & vitamin E. The smell of the entire line is divine and my favorite the Honey hair mask is so creamy you will love it!

For info on TGIN check out their website www.thankgodimnatural.com

Have you tried this line? Leave your comments & questions below! Thanks for reading :)

Remember let's stay social you can also keep in touch with me on Instagram, Twitter & facebook!

Yes! Yes! TGINatural..Product Review

Hello All.....Here for another product review and this time its from a familiar brand.. TGIN (Thank God I'm Natural). I had the opportunity of trying their  new product line, the Moist Collection,  which  contained a Sulfate free shampoo, a triple moisture conditioner, a butter cream daily moisturizer, a honey hair mask and an added bonus the twist & define cream.

Up first was the shampoo and conditioner combination..I'm not big on shampoos because I usually just see them as functional, but this shampoo was really nice.  I had the type of lather I expect from a sulfate free shampoo but I was missing one thing...The striped feeling... YES! My scalp felt clean, the way I traditionally only get with ACV,  but it didn't feel stringy or waxy.  The conditioner was great, my hair seemed to drink in the moisture and instantly seemed soft with my kinky curls popping.... I still classify the conditioner as the Batman & the shampoo as the Robin because im bias in that way LOL. I would rate the combo an 8 out of 10 because they work amazing together with the conditioner being an 8.5 on its own.  I don't really use shampoo but this is a great one if you want to remove all the product build up from your hair while not taking the moisture away with it.

Next up was the Crown Jewel of the collection for me.. The Honey Hair Mask!...this was truly amazing... My hair is extremely curly and makes knots, after knots after knots...its one of the reasons I am a deep conditioning queen! Well..this product is a miracle when it comes to melting away your knots... Don't believe me? When I was trying the product...I was so excited that I got out of the shower to make a quick Instagram video to share..Check it out ...

As you may have guessed I would give the Honey Hair Mask a 9.5 it was the BEST! Lastly the Daily

Moisturizer and Twist & Define cream were left for me to try. I used the twist & define cream to do two strand twists and fluffed  my hair the next day with the daily moisturizer.  My hair looked great, it wasn't dry and the curls were soft and defined.  I would give them both an 8 but would probably only purchase the Define & twist cream because I had a lot of moisture without reapplying or adding anything.

You can give TGIN a try by purchasing the sample pack on sale now for $9.99 (click here) they also have a sale on the full size collection too!

Remember TGIN is all natural and this line contains great ingredients like shea butter, coconut oil & vitamin E. The smell of the entire line is divine and my favorite the Honey hair mask is so creamy you will love it!

For info on TGIN check out their website www.thankgodimnatural.com

Have you tried this line? Leave your comments & questions below! Thanks for reading :)

Remember let's stay social you can also keep in touch with me on Instagram, Twitter & facebook!

Too Fat to be Skinny

Chris was the winner of my giveaway

June 27th was the Rocket City Bloggers 1st Meet & Greet, it was a beautiful event with many bloggers from the Tennessee Valley coming together at the Huntsville Madison County Visitors Bureau to network.  I had the pleasure of being introduced to Joe Martin, blogger & owner of the Huntsville Adventure Boot Camp, by fellow blogger Carol Marks ( www.girlabout.com ) and gifted two $75 gift cards to go workout with them. The next camp was beginning on Monday and I decided to jump on in and get this weight off.  I shared my concerns with Joe about my asthma, size and knee troubles and he assured me that I would be cared for.

The camp has two locations and two times; Huntsville & Madison, 5:30 AM & 5:30 PM .. I chose the Madison location at Horizon Elementary just about across the street from where I live at 5:30 AM... I was excited, sleepy, nervous and scared all at the same time.  My plan was to get up at 5am get dressed, eat a light breakfast, have my husband drop me off and I would walk home with my son.  I packed my reusable Walmart pack with a mat (borrowed from my daughter), wrist weights, towel and a water bottle.  I layed out my workout cloths &  forced myself to go to bed at 11pm (the process began at 10).

I was ready to workout, my son had an overnight guest so I would be walking back alone but I was pumped.  The ladies were laying their mats down in the parking lot and our instructor Katie greeted me with a smile and said, "You must be Lawanda, I am going to take good care of you".. Wow I felt safe and ready to go.... there were women of different sizes and abilities so although I was the largest one there I didn't feel intimidated at all... well not yet

We began with a warm up and I was huffing away when Oh crap my feet began to feel like I was walking on a mat of nails... I tried to push through the pain but I couldn't take it anymore.  I asked Katie to come over,  explained to her what happened and she showed me how to relieve the pain.  I needed to sit on my knees stretching my feet by flexing them behind me.  She suggested I take off my shoes and try to continue the workout in my socks.  That was perfect, I had on two pair of socks and I didn't feel any pain. We did a fitness test, some other exercises and a cool down.  Katie showed a modified version for every exercise and except for about two moves  I was able to complete them all.

Everything seemed to be on the right track so why did I title this Too Fat to be Skinny? Well my evening took a turn for the worst. I was in a lot of pain but I expected that however the pain lead to severe swelling in my knees and ankles and a trip to the hospital.  I was advised that I needed to let my body heal (at least a week) and to lose at minimum 50 pounds before I considered exercising again.

Depression was upon me... I had a pity party, cried a bit and even found comfort in a pint of Haagen Daz Vanilla Bean ice cream.  I felt like my world was crumbling, but I still needed to tell Joe that I was sorry but I wouldn't be able to take advantage of the wonderful gift he had given me.  I messaged him on facebook sharing my tale of knee drainage and despair ... I was hoping he didn't think I was ungrateful or simply a hopeless cause... He didn't, he did something I could have never imagined... He vowed to be there for me! He said Katie & himself would be there to help me get this weight off no matter what! I was so happy! I felt encouraged and the future seemed to be offering a ray of sunshine.....

Well I'm going to begin journaling my food intake (follow me on my fitness pal) and dieting to hopefully lose 50 pounds and then be ready to take this bootcamp by storm.

Feel free to send me a friend request on My Fitness Pal and help cheer me on to my goal! I will make sure to follow you back!

****** Special thanks to Nothing bundt Cakes - Huntsville on Carl T. Jones for sponsoring my giveaway with a beautiful 8 inch cake.... If you want an amazing, moist and beautfully decorated cake you need to make your way to their store.  They always have great samples and the mini bundts are the best guilty treat!******