Banana Pudding...In My Hair?

Hello, lovelies! It's the last day of May and time keeps marching on. I hope you all remain fabulously blessed and happy!!!

I am officially moved back into my house in Atlanta. It is somewhat bittersweet, as the tenants that I had rented it out to completely disrespected it and didn't take care of it. The property manager I initially hired did absolutely nothing she said she would in the contract to ensure the house was maintained...so they all got the boot. Come on, you know I don't play =)
I'm so full of blessings, so I'm not complaining. It is giving me an opportunity to do some renovations and truly enjoy being a homeowner again.

So, you know when you move and realize every 5 minutes that you have to run to the store for something? Well that happened today AFTER I had started detangling my hair with water and aloe vera juice spritz in preparation for a co-wash (conditioner wash). Yeah...well, in the name of moving with less stuff, I apparently decided to leave all my hair care products in Dallas! No conditioner and dripping wet hair forced me to whip up some natural conditioner with what I had in the house.

In the past, I'd made homemade conditioner using avocados, mayonnaise, egg yolks, honey, and olive oil (not necessarily all together). Since I'm now vegan, I didn't want to use egg yolks, honey, or mayonnaise. My hair HATES honey anyway. Bananas, avocado oil, and almond milk jumped out at me. The fear of lumps of banana pieces hanging on to my strands made me decide to use the blender for this one.

I blended one medium sized banana, about 2-3 tablespoons of avocado oil (roughly; I didn't measure) and about 1/4 cup of almond milk for about 30-45 seconds. The consistency was conditioner-perfect! It also smelled ridiculously good.

Left over Banana Pudding Conditioner


My hair is extremely thick and curly when it is not flat-ironed and tends to get dry if I don't keep it moisturized. I applied this to my hair which I sectioned into 6-8 fat twists, and left on for about 30 minutes or so under a plastic cap. I didn't really know what to expect when I washed it out, since I wasn't convinced of the hydrating properties of bananas...but let me tell you I WAS BLOWN AWAY!!! My hair was soft and my curl pattern was definitely defined. It was also very shiny.
I have to say this is one of my more successful home made products. I have a bit left over, which I refrigerated, and will be using it again with my next wash. If you decide to try it, make sure you rinse thoroughly to ensure all the banana bits are gone =)

My natural hair journey is becoming such a self awareness journey! It's amazing to see what discipline, patience, and consistency can achieve. I used to think there was a limit to how long my hair could get because it kept breaking off once it reached my shoulders. I remember an elder telling me a long time ago when I was discouraged that 'no one will ever know your hair like you do.' Now I know what she meant by that. The best thing I did was to stop applying chemicals and just let it be. I still have a ways to go, but my hair is now at arm-pit length (APL) on the right, and slightly above APL on the left...don't ask; my hair has always grown faster on one side *shrugs*  You guys may know my growth goal is bra-strap length (BSL), but I'm not putting any limitations on my hair. If it wants to grow beyond that, then so be it.

It's not necessarily about long hair, it's about overall complete mental, physical, and spiritual well-being.

Now about that banana pudding conditioner...sounds like another possible business venture for me ; )

Till next time,

Love and Happiness

<3 Nikki

Bikini Time...Again?

Things are so hectic in my life right now (in a good way!), that I didn't realize until today that we are halfway through May! I mean, I knew the date and all...but in relation to summer? It's almost bathing suit time again!!! Yikes.

Hello my lovelies! I hope you all are well and life is fabulous for you in whatever way you would like it to be.

So after my move back to Atlanta is official by the end of this week, I will be turning up the workout regimen. Last year in Jamaica, I finally let go of my inhibitions and wore a (semi) bikini, and it felt beyond amazing to not be so critical of myself for once. Most of you know I practice yoga, and run as well. They both bring me a mental peace as well as make me feel physically strong. I'll also be doing Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred and her Banish Fat Boost Metabolism workout. That chick is INSANE, but her workouts kick ass. Literally.

My plan will go something like this:

Monday: Run (usually 6-7 miles. I need to break that barrier, though)
Tuesday: 30 Day Shred
Wednesday: Yoga/Run
Thursday: Banish Fat
Friday: Run
Saturday: Run
Sunday: Break

My eating plan will pretty much stay the same as I eat now. Since I don't usually eat breakfast, I'll have to add a post workout meal in such as Kashi cereal, or oatmeal and fruit. Lunch will be a huge salad with greens, lentils, veggies, or a soy smoothie. Dinner? Probably brown rice, stir fried veggies, a homemade veggie burger, or another salad. Since it will be hot as blazes while I'm out there running, I'll make sure I keep adequately hydrated. According to the "experts", you should drink about 1/2 your weight in ounces of water. For me that means about 62 oz/day (I know y'all are doing the math..smh), but I think I'll up it a bit to about 70 oz or so which is only about nine 8 oz glasses daily. Piece of cake!

 

My "bikini" last summer. $32 on sale, BabyPhat




My goal for this summer?


Dot-Print Ruffle Triangle Bikini Top, $15
Low rise bottom, $14 at Victoria's Secret
check out more styles here

Hey, I'm ambitious...but it could happen!

I've had both these DVD's for at least 2 years, so I can't remember how much I paid for them. It was a 3 DVD set. The 3rd one is No More Trouble Zones and it's great for toning. I checked Amazon.com and you can get them as low as $7 each, or $20 for the set.

30 Day Shred is convenient because it's only about 30 minutes or so. You'll need hand weights. There are 3 levels, but even level 1 will give you results I'm sure.

Banish Fat is NO JOKE! The combination of cardio, kickboxing, and pilates/yoga moves are sick. It runs about an hour.


Well, there it is. My plan of action for a beach body. I'm ready!!! Hey, my future hubby's waiting.

Until next time,

Love and Happiness!

Nikki