So this week I did a bantu knot out. It takkes less time and patience to do bantu knots and it's less manipulation than a big fro. I tried 2 new products (which I will review once I give them another try separately). Let's just say the preliminary results are pretty darn good. My curls were simply popping...and shiny. I wore the knots for about 2 days and then took them out because I had some {goodbye} events to go to. The first 2 on the bottom are day 1, the middle is day 2 and the last one is yesterday so...day 4ish. I retwisted a few in the front but the curls have actually been really nice and don't need to be revived.

More to come!

Genevive is a snob. Yes. I said it. She is very uppity and selective about what she wants.
Well. More of a reverse snob. If snobs want the most expensive and popular items, then my hair is the opposite of that. I've noticed in my long journey of approximately 8 months  that some people are hair snobs. There are people lurking in the the natural cyber world that only seem to use the most expensive products. Like, their "Holy Grail" products are only the most expensive and main stream products. They seem to be spokespeople for Carol's Daughter, KinkyCurly,  Miss Jessies, and other products I can't afford. I can afford them but I can't justify the purchase if it doesn't work. And if it works then that means I have to spend $20 a month on a specialty product. (Specialty product=single task, only good for twists)

I am a proud frugalista. I'm a bit of a minimalist. After all, I am a college student. So it goes without saying that I've never tried most products that I would have to pay over $10 for. And if it's over that it will definitely have to last for atleast 6 months. So is my hair trained to be a reverse snob then?

First of all, I have tried a few Carol's Daughter products. My aunt gave me some and while they smell delicious, Genevive can't really tolerate them. Maybe it was the specific items but my hair really didn't last longer than a day. And those other products are too expensive to even justify buying. Maybe I should try some different ones and then make judgment. But I've seen some pictures of absolutely fabulous hair and it's almost half and half of those who buy expensive products and those who don't. I think it's more about taking care of your hair and knowing what ingredients work for you. Moving on to the next point...

Second of all, Genevive likes the edibles. Even when I've tried packaged DCs and other products, she still didn't know how to act. Now mix and avacado and some oils and slap that on her and she will be so soft and well behaved. Again, maybe I haven't tried to find a good (expensive) DC but I like being a kitchen-tician. I know that I can always afford mayonnaise, honey, avacado ACV, evoo, other oils, yogurt, etc. Even if I'm broke and on foodstamps one day, my hair will still look fresh everyday.

I think I'm just trying to learn about my hair still. I don't want to invest in products and then think that they'll perform some sort of magic trick. I don't think there are any products that will make my hair super..anything. I don't think there's a miracle product and I want to become a little more familiar with Genevive and her tendencies before I start promoting miracle products.

After all, it's all the same ingredient base right?                                             

Ok. So with less three weeks left here in Peru, I've decided to get a list together to start reigning in my PJism.  SN: Can I just say that time has gone by soooo quickly?!

I know that when I get home I'm going to go crazy with trying new products even though I've been fine being a minimalist the last 6 months. But  I also know there are alot of products that I really want to try so I might as well try to control it...especially since I don't really have much spending money.

Products that I KNOW I'm buying:

• Coconut oil -tried it the first few months and I think I used too much so I wrote it off too soon
• HENNA- very curious. And I think it's rather inexpensive.
• Shea butter- heard nothing but good things. And I want to make butters and what not.
• Avacado oil- Genevive loves it. I just didn't have time to buy anymore before I left.
• Castor oil- again I've heard alot about this from people with hair similar to mine.
• essential oils- lavendar, orange, lemongrass, etc. I need some hair perfume! 

Products that I'd like to buy/try:

• Different conditioners for co-washing. I want to revisit Herbal Essences and try Aussie Moist...and maybe one more. I think I'll be buying travel sizes.
• Sulfate free shampoo. I mostly use ACV but sometimes I like to shampoo and I'm not taking back the 2 tablespoons of Carol's Daughter that I have left. Plus it's not sulfate free.
• Oyin Handmade, Aubrey Organics, Shea Moisture etc. 

That's all for now but I'll definitely be adding to the list. I also kind of want to actually try poducts like Oyin, Aubrey Organics and other lines that people are raving about...but I don't know if my (non existant) income can support that right now.

Not that I have any readers but I will return soon!!!

I'm more than swamped and buried with work right now!

I'm currently wearing twists for the week and am itching like crazy. My hair likes the twists but my scalp not so much...I just don't get it.

TTYS!

No es un tradución exacto pero es un frase que solo es usado en inglés. Entonces...

Hace dos años, si me has preguntado si ropa debe ser caro o barato yo te diría que no quería gastar mucho dinero en mi ropa y zapatos. Me piensé que ropa no era un inversión. Ropa es solo ropa y cuando no funciona bien, puedo comprar mas. No quería gastar mucho porque siempre estaba en un diet y piensé que los talles estaban temporarias. "En el proximó mes voy a perder peso entonces, no necesito gastar mucho ahora." Con los zapatos, creía que los que estaban baratos estaban igual. No importa si solo llevan por un tiempo porque en el proximo estación voy a comprar mas. $20 fue muy caro para mi. En colegio, mis papas pagaban por todo. Si necesitaba o quería algún cosa, ellos me lo compraron. Por cierto, no estoy "spoiled." Era un buen hija y ahora estoy un buen hija: estudio mucho, traba mucho, estoy independiente. No quiero preguntarles para nada. Siempre he tenido todo lo que quería. Pero siempre me sientaba como dinero era por ahorro. No tenía un sabor caro. lo que era mas barato estaba bien.


Ahora entiendo que a veces es mas importante a pagar por calidad. No estoy creciendo y no tengo planes para ganar pesa. Quiero perder pesa pero necesito vestirme para hoy. Ahora entiendo que lo que es mas barato no es siempre mejor. Mi sabor no ha cambiado mucho pero creo que 5 o 10 dolares más no es importante. Lo que es importante es calidad y comodidad. Un habito de mio estaba comprando ropa que no ajustarme bien. La resulta fue, tenia armario lleno de ropa que no podía ponerme. Fue un ciclo vicioso. Finalmente, decidí que bastante era bastante. Ahora mi primer regla es Si ropa no ajustarme bien en la tienda, no lo compro. A veces hay un gran venta pero tengo que ser fuerte porque sé que no voy a llevar si yo lo compro.


Digo todo esto porque mi nuevo manera de pensando es un poco raro para mi. Quiero comprar ropas que puedo llevar mas de un o dos veces sin desteñirse. Estoy listo para comprar ropa de calidad. Todavia le amo a Forever21 pero quiero comprar ropa que va a sostener.

A few months ago when I was packing I thought I was packing the minimal amount. A few bottles of conditioner, a little oil, some other products: the basics. I was wrong. With about 7 weeks left I'm realizing that I have entirely too many products! I never thought I would say this! But I think it's because I've been protective styling. So I don't use as much conditioner and oil daily.