First off, I have no idea if the title is an actual military term, so just bear with me.
A few weeks ago, there was a DEP meeting and weights were taken. I
stepped on: I was a whopping 171lbs. It was the most disheartening
thing in the world for me at the time. A day or so later, my LPO called
me to let me know he was putting me on mandatory PT, which consists of
me waking up and catching the bus at 8 am to arrive at the office at 9am
and run around in the field outside for 45 minutes, everyday, four days
out of the week. Not going to lie, it’s pretty annoying.
Yet, two weeks have gone by, and I will admit that the running has
helped some. I’ve gone from 171lbs to 162-163lbs and have clocked
myself going 13 minutes running continuously. So, I’m actually not in a
complaining mood as I write this. Plus, everyone in the office sees me
everyday, so I don’t have to worry about calling in on Mondays, which I
almost always for get to do. So, yes, the waking up early in the
morning to ride with stinky people is a bit of an inconvenience, it will
show that I am trying and it is helping.
Hopefully, I can get under
160lbs by April, which is the deadline they’re giving me before they
officially toss me out. Surprisingly, I’m not really worried. Knowing I
did my best and I’m improving each day kind of feels like it’s enough
for me.
Once my week starts back up again, I’m gonna see if I meet any of my
fitness requirements or PRT (I believe it’s called). I’ll keep you all
posted.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Happy New Year 2013: Updates and a History Lesson
It's a new year and a new beginning for most. I hope everyone's
holidays were bright and all things exceeded expectations. I, for one,
am glad for the New Year because it gives a chance for reflection and
cleansing. It's a time where we can reflect on things that went well
the year before and the things that didn't. It's also a time where we
choose to change or reaffirm ourselves and the things we deem
acceptable. It's a new beginning and I love new beginnings.
I'm writing from my aunt's laptop instead of my own computer. It's a bit unsettling since I know any and all things that I do on this computer will be scrutinized if I don't take care to log out and erase any history I've logged on it. Yes, it it that serious. You maybe wondering why I would purposely subject myself to such strict surveillance at 25 years of age. Simple: it's tradition. Now, I'm not talking of the West Indian tradition of parents treating their children like 12 year olds until they've acquired lodgings and occupations of their own. I'm referring, rather, to the Haitian tradition of New Year gathering and Joumou: squash soup.
The way my mother explained it to me was that the eating of squash soup on the first of the year if the celebration of Haiti's independence. You see, during the time of French occupation and slavery on the island, slaves were not allowed to partake in squash. Of all things, if they were caught eating the gourd, then they would be hanged, no exceptions. So, once they gained their independence, Haitians, as a spit in the face of their former captors, gorged on all the squash, pumpkin, and other kinds of gourd they could get their hands on, boiling them down to hearty soups with various trimmings.
Each year, many families visit one another and trade their homemade soups and spend time in one another's presence. Friends stop buy to trade as well and children may receive monetary gifts according to their ages. For example, I was spending the January 1st with my mother, aunt, and a handful of my cousins and they lined us up from youngest to oldest. My brother, who was around six at the time received $6 along with a cousin of the same age. I was ten at the time, so naturally I got $10 and so on. It's an interesting tradition, and I look forward to it every year, only for the sake of having had something constant to celebrate as opposed to Christmas or Valentine's Day whose celebration is usually subject to fund availability or access to a significant other.
Now, on a totally different note, a month or so ago, I started using a natural remedy for ridding my face of dark spots that included apple cider vinegar and fresh squeezed lime juice. I've used it everyday, faithfully, before cleansing or exfoliating, leaving it on my face for 15 minutes. The concoction is a dynamite astringent and skin lightener. It dramatically lightened my face at least two shades lighter, dark spots and all (wasn't really going for that thorough a job). Yet, while it lightened the spots, it did not get rid of them. I am happy they are less noticeable, but I'm looking to get rid of them. My mother suggested that I go back to using the regular Noxema cold cream, remembering how clear my face looked when I had been using it back in middle and high school. I'm at that point in this endeavor to where I'm willing to swallow my pride this time and listen to her; both to see if it would give any sort of an improvement and to see her face when I tell her it really hasn't helped any. I know, it's really passive aggressive, but either way, I win, right?
As for my weight, it's still fluctuating like crazy, yet I notice there is a change in my physical appearance. My body looks a lot slimmer and toned. I'm not as hungry most days (unless I'm upset) and I do have more energy. Yet, the scale remains around 164-165lbs. I'm beginning to think it's muscle at this point, because I don't know what else they want me to do at this point. I do three types of cardio a day, sweets are practically non-existent, I lift a little bit of weights to tone everything out, I even take a shot of apple cider vinegar with an H2O chaser in the morning because of the fat burning benefits I've heard it to possess. Yet, my numbers will go no lower.
Now, this situation as me a little worried, but not too much so. I know I've lost a great deal of fat due to the changes in my appearance and the way my clothes fit. Yet, in order to prove that I don't possess as much fat as they feel I do (the cut off for body fat percentage is 33%; I estimated mine to be around 27%), the guys at DEP need to measure me. Which is where my problem lies: everyone in the Navy recruiting office is male and they're not allowed to take my measurements since I am female. Whenever I am there, they never seem to have a female in the other offices to help out. So, while it looks as if I may be screwed come the next DEP meeting, I feel eerily calm. I know the hard work I put into losing this weight, but apparently, because everyone at the office is disorganized and lazy, I'm going to lose my contract; not because I didn't try. I won't worry, though, as frustrating a thought it will be. There are already other opportunities opening themselves up to me in the case this does not come to pass.
It is the first of the year and there are many things that I want to do differently, yet I refused to make a definite resolution. No, its not because I'm afraid of commitment. Yet, aside from the thought of New Year's resolutions being cliche, I feel that every sunrise is an opportunity to start over and to have the New Year as a set starting point puts on the pressure for success; and not in a good way. Though, I will say that I will try to continue on this path of self-improvement I've started on, body, mind, and soul.
I'm writing from my aunt's laptop instead of my own computer. It's a bit unsettling since I know any and all things that I do on this computer will be scrutinized if I don't take care to log out and erase any history I've logged on it. Yes, it it that serious. You maybe wondering why I would purposely subject myself to such strict surveillance at 25 years of age. Simple: it's tradition. Now, I'm not talking of the West Indian tradition of parents treating their children like 12 year olds until they've acquired lodgings and occupations of their own. I'm referring, rather, to the Haitian tradition of New Year gathering and Joumou: squash soup.
The way my mother explained it to me was that the eating of squash soup on the first of the year if the celebration of Haiti's independence. You see, during the time of French occupation and slavery on the island, slaves were not allowed to partake in squash. Of all things, if they were caught eating the gourd, then they would be hanged, no exceptions. So, once they gained their independence, Haitians, as a spit in the face of their former captors, gorged on all the squash, pumpkin, and other kinds of gourd they could get their hands on, boiling them down to hearty soups with various trimmings.
Each year, many families visit one another and trade their homemade soups and spend time in one another's presence. Friends stop buy to trade as well and children may receive monetary gifts according to their ages. For example, I was spending the January 1st with my mother, aunt, and a handful of my cousins and they lined us up from youngest to oldest. My brother, who was around six at the time received $6 along with a cousin of the same age. I was ten at the time, so naturally I got $10 and so on. It's an interesting tradition, and I look forward to it every year, only for the sake of having had something constant to celebrate as opposed to Christmas or Valentine's Day whose celebration is usually subject to fund availability or access to a significant other.
Now, on a totally different note, a month or so ago, I started using a natural remedy for ridding my face of dark spots that included apple cider vinegar and fresh squeezed lime juice. I've used it everyday, faithfully, before cleansing or exfoliating, leaving it on my face for 15 minutes. The concoction is a dynamite astringent and skin lightener. It dramatically lightened my face at least two shades lighter, dark spots and all (wasn't really going for that thorough a job). Yet, while it lightened the spots, it did not get rid of them. I am happy they are less noticeable, but I'm looking to get rid of them. My mother suggested that I go back to using the regular Noxema cold cream, remembering how clear my face looked when I had been using it back in middle and high school. I'm at that point in this endeavor to where I'm willing to swallow my pride this time and listen to her; both to see if it would give any sort of an improvement and to see her face when I tell her it really hasn't helped any. I know, it's really passive aggressive, but either way, I win, right?
As for my weight, it's still fluctuating like crazy, yet I notice there is a change in my physical appearance. My body looks a lot slimmer and toned. I'm not as hungry most days (unless I'm upset) and I do have more energy. Yet, the scale remains around 164-165lbs. I'm beginning to think it's muscle at this point, because I don't know what else they want me to do at this point. I do three types of cardio a day, sweets are practically non-existent, I lift a little bit of weights to tone everything out, I even take a shot of apple cider vinegar with an H2O chaser in the morning because of the fat burning benefits I've heard it to possess. Yet, my numbers will go no lower.
Now, this situation as me a little worried, but not too much so. I know I've lost a great deal of fat due to the changes in my appearance and the way my clothes fit. Yet, in order to prove that I don't possess as much fat as they feel I do (the cut off for body fat percentage is 33%; I estimated mine to be around 27%), the guys at DEP need to measure me. Which is where my problem lies: everyone in the Navy recruiting office is male and they're not allowed to take my measurements since I am female. Whenever I am there, they never seem to have a female in the other offices to help out. So, while it looks as if I may be screwed come the next DEP meeting, I feel eerily calm. I know the hard work I put into losing this weight, but apparently, because everyone at the office is disorganized and lazy, I'm going to lose my contract; not because I didn't try. I won't worry, though, as frustrating a thought it will be. There are already other opportunities opening themselves up to me in the case this does not come to pass.
It is the first of the year and there are many things that I want to do differently, yet I refused to make a definite resolution. No, its not because I'm afraid of commitment. Yet, aside from the thought of New Year's resolutions being cliche, I feel that every sunrise is an opportunity to start over and to have the New Year as a set starting point puts on the pressure for success; and not in a good way. Though, I will say that I will try to continue on this path of self-improvement I've started on, body, mind, and soul.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Crisis Averted... Somewhat.
Last week, I had been put against a very harsh ultimatum: I lose 3lbs
in one week or I was out of the Navy’s Delayed Entry Program. I sought
the council of my friends and was suggested a rather frighteningly
unhealthy diet for the next week: magnesium citrate, OTC diuretics,
along with juiced meals and vigorous walking. Given my plan, I
assembled the items needed at CVS and began my mission.
Immediately, after walking through the door of my house, I cracked open the bottle of magnesium citrate and began to guzzle. The taste was a lot better than I thought it was and I’m no stranger to foul tasting laxatives (Epsom salt has got to be the worst tasting I’ve had so far). It was a lot gentler too than what I was expecting; again, quite akin to laxatives that induced cramps and turn your insides into knots. It was so gentle, I almost doubted that it would be any way close to being effective for me. Yet, I was quite wrong. The next day, the purge began. I’ll spare you all the messy details, though, I’ll just say, all in all, it was the best experience I had with a laxative… ever. And that’s probably not a phrase you hear very often. The diuretic I took Saturday since the pharmacist my mother and I had talked to said taking them both simultaneously would ruin my kidneys.
While, I’ll admit, I did not stick to the liquid diet that was proposed to me, from Friday to Wednesday (excluding Saturday and Sunday), three times a day, I walked for thirty minutes; 1 minute at a normal pace, 3 minutes at a brisk pace. I did religiously, though, forgoing walking outside in the rain and doing some intense step cardio on Tuesday. I made sure to keep myself hydrated and fed, though, of course, making sure not overeat. I noticed that I did trim down a little bit, especially around my hips. I’m definitely gonna chalk it up to the walking.
Yet, this morning, around 2 or 3, I woke up to go to the bathroom and I stepped onto the scale. I had actually gained two pounds. Desperate and full of panic, I rushed to the cabinet where we kept the vitamins and reached for a really, really strong laxative. My mother stopped me just in time before I did anything that could have done some serious damage.
Again, like she did a few weeks ago, she sat me down and prayed with me. She told me that not joining the Navy was not the end of the world and that if it didn’t happen this time around, there may be a next time, or even a better opportunity waiting. I, of course, did not want to hear that. I was at a point where I was tired of giving my everything into something and not getting what it was that I ultimately wanted because of someone else. Whether it be because I gave into their pressure or, in this case, because someone didn’t think I was trying enough.
After we finished praying, I went to bed, still rather glum. I crawled into bed and pulled the sheets up over my head. And I sobbed. I boohooed, cried, and wept. I sniffled to God and asked why he would bring me up so far, only for me to be turned away, just like that? If this were the case, then there was no point in waking me up in the morning, because just to go and weigh myself only to be humiliated was pointless. I pleaded with him for a while until I went back to sleep, not waking up until late in the morning.
I was awake, so apparently he was going to fix this problem. Yet I weight myself and I was back down to 167lbs. I wasn’t 170lbs, yet the 167 didn’t show any progress. I trudged onto PT, ready to get my expulsion over with. Yet, when I saluted myself in, I noticed the my LPO was no where in sight! He’s the guy I made the deal with and the only guy that can sign my “get lost” papers. This was awesome! I still had time!
I tried my hardest during PT (we played football), just to show them that just because I was “overweight” did not mean I could not keep up. I put my all in with no complaints. I was so grateful to God that he had managed to buy me more time. I had all of Christmas break to do it the right way and show some actual progress and I think he’s showing me that, because using shortcuts would not put me in the right kind of shape to do any sort of physical activity while in RTC.
In addition to running (which, unfortunately, is an absolute bore), I’m going to try to do some HIIT workout videos, as well as the walking, so as to mix up my routine. I want to mix up my routine, get my weight down, increase my endurance, and just get in shape all around.
This is my dream and I’m in charge of the scenes!
Immediately, after walking through the door of my house, I cracked open the bottle of magnesium citrate and began to guzzle. The taste was a lot better than I thought it was and I’m no stranger to foul tasting laxatives (Epsom salt has got to be the worst tasting I’ve had so far). It was a lot gentler too than what I was expecting; again, quite akin to laxatives that induced cramps and turn your insides into knots. It was so gentle, I almost doubted that it would be any way close to being effective for me. Yet, I was quite wrong. The next day, the purge began. I’ll spare you all the messy details, though, I’ll just say, all in all, it was the best experience I had with a laxative… ever. And that’s probably not a phrase you hear very often. The diuretic I took Saturday since the pharmacist my mother and I had talked to said taking them both simultaneously would ruin my kidneys.
While, I’ll admit, I did not stick to the liquid diet that was proposed to me, from Friday to Wednesday (excluding Saturday and Sunday), three times a day, I walked for thirty minutes; 1 minute at a normal pace, 3 minutes at a brisk pace. I did religiously, though, forgoing walking outside in the rain and doing some intense step cardio on Tuesday. I made sure to keep myself hydrated and fed, though, of course, making sure not overeat. I noticed that I did trim down a little bit, especially around my hips. I’m definitely gonna chalk it up to the walking.
Yet, this morning, around 2 or 3, I woke up to go to the bathroom and I stepped onto the scale. I had actually gained two pounds. Desperate and full of panic, I rushed to the cabinet where we kept the vitamins and reached for a really, really strong laxative. My mother stopped me just in time before I did anything that could have done some serious damage.
Again, like she did a few weeks ago, she sat me down and prayed with me. She told me that not joining the Navy was not the end of the world and that if it didn’t happen this time around, there may be a next time, or even a better opportunity waiting. I, of course, did not want to hear that. I was at a point where I was tired of giving my everything into something and not getting what it was that I ultimately wanted because of someone else. Whether it be because I gave into their pressure or, in this case, because someone didn’t think I was trying enough.
After we finished praying, I went to bed, still rather glum. I crawled into bed and pulled the sheets up over my head. And I sobbed. I boohooed, cried, and wept. I sniffled to God and asked why he would bring me up so far, only for me to be turned away, just like that? If this were the case, then there was no point in waking me up in the morning, because just to go and weigh myself only to be humiliated was pointless. I pleaded with him for a while until I went back to sleep, not waking up until late in the morning.
I was awake, so apparently he was going to fix this problem. Yet I weight myself and I was back down to 167lbs. I wasn’t 170lbs, yet the 167 didn’t show any progress. I trudged onto PT, ready to get my expulsion over with. Yet, when I saluted myself in, I noticed the my LPO was no where in sight! He’s the guy I made the deal with and the only guy that can sign my “get lost” papers. This was awesome! I still had time!
I tried my hardest during PT (we played football), just to show them that just because I was “overweight” did not mean I could not keep up. I put my all in with no complaints. I was so grateful to God that he had managed to buy me more time. I had all of Christmas break to do it the right way and show some actual progress and I think he’s showing me that, because using shortcuts would not put me in the right kind of shape to do any sort of physical activity while in RTC.
In addition to running (which, unfortunately, is an absolute bore), I’m going to try to do some HIIT workout videos, as well as the walking, so as to mix up my routine. I want to mix up my routine, get my weight down, increase my endurance, and just get in shape all around.
This is my dream and I’m in charge of the scenes!
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Weightloss Crisis
So, I may have mentioned before that I was having trouble with my
weight, yet never actually went into detail about it. It’s a long story,
but I’ll try to keep it simple:
I’m quite a curvaceous cutie (not bragging, just stating facts) and standing at 5’5″ (65 in), my appearance often betrays my weight. Comfortably, I weigh a healthy 165lbs (quite proud of this number), though to get into DEP I had to weigh below 160lbs. I lost the weight and got down to 157lbs. Yet, since getting into DEP, my weight’s been playing the indian rubber ball and has been bouncing all over the place, though never going back down toward 160lbs. The heaviest I’ve been since DEPping in has been a whopping 170lbs. Yikes!
Like everyone I had talked to about it, I was convinced it was water weight due to PMS and possibly being back up. So, I’d been going the natural diuretic route with caffeine and water, with little success. Yet, today, I had a rather frustrating conversation with my Leading Petty Officer. Before today’s DEP meeting, I weighed in at 167lbs. He pulled me to the side and brought out the bottomline: I lose at least 3lbs by next Thursday or I’m out of DEP.
Well, upon hearing such news, you could probably understand the frustration I felt. I had forgone Thanksgiving just so I would avoid such an ultimatum (I ate, on Thanksgiving, I just didn’t gorge myself). Yet, when I left the meeting that day, I did the best thing I knew to do in situations like this: I panicked and called my best friend, Kenny. Like always, he managed to calm me down and he laid out some suggestions for a full body flush that included magnesium citrate and OTC diuretic. My other friend, Brandi, also suggested a liquid diet and a brisk walk three times a day in conjunction to flush for the next week.
I’m super desperate at this point, so I’m willing to withstand a week of bulimia just to keep my standing.
I’m quite a curvaceous cutie (not bragging, just stating facts) and standing at 5’5″ (65 in), my appearance often betrays my weight. Comfortably, I weigh a healthy 165lbs (quite proud of this number), though to get into DEP I had to weigh below 160lbs. I lost the weight and got down to 157lbs. Yet, since getting into DEP, my weight’s been playing the indian rubber ball and has been bouncing all over the place, though never going back down toward 160lbs. The heaviest I’ve been since DEPping in has been a whopping 170lbs. Yikes!
Like everyone I had talked to about it, I was convinced it was water weight due to PMS and possibly being back up. So, I’d been going the natural diuretic route with caffeine and water, with little success. Yet, today, I had a rather frustrating conversation with my Leading Petty Officer. Before today’s DEP meeting, I weighed in at 167lbs. He pulled me to the side and brought out the bottomline: I lose at least 3lbs by next Thursday or I’m out of DEP.
Well, upon hearing such news, you could probably understand the frustration I felt. I had forgone Thanksgiving just so I would avoid such an ultimatum (I ate, on Thanksgiving, I just didn’t gorge myself). Yet, when I left the meeting that day, I did the best thing I knew to do in situations like this: I panicked and called my best friend, Kenny. Like always, he managed to calm me down and he laid out some suggestions for a full body flush that included magnesium citrate and OTC diuretic. My other friend, Brandi, also suggested a liquid diet and a brisk walk three times a day in conjunction to flush for the next week.
I’m super desperate at this point, so I’m willing to withstand a week of bulimia just to keep my standing.
Sunday, December 2, 2012
New Hair and Skin Regimen
So, as stated before, I when I got my new cut, I wasn't at all happy
with how my skin looked and made plans to promptly fix it. Weeks
previous I'd be exfoliating everyday until I looked rather faded and
dull, so I receded into doing it a few times a week. The scars and dark
spot faded slightly, but not they did not disappear. Disappointed, I
needed a different way to bleaching them out without breaking the bank
and exposing my fairly sensitive skin to harsh, man-made chemicals. So,
that's when I hit Google.
Google, as many people know, is an extremely useful tool that leads you to things you never knew existed or ever thought would work. For example, I read Chamomile tea, the same tea that's good for a relaxing, sleepy time moment, was a natural, non-acidic approach to skin lightening. Yet, as with all things in nature, this method takes time; like, 2 months. Ugh! Two months is too long and I'm too impatient! I wanted these spots gone, like, three months ago. So, I kept searching and found some citrus methods. Of course, lemon came up in numerous places, yet we had no lemons in the house (lame). Yet, I read that a lime's acid content, though less, was comparable to that of a lemons and I could also switch out lemons with apple cider vinegar. Those two, we always had lying around the house. (Mom uses both to wash and disinfect any bacterial residue on meats like chicken and beef.) So, I set to work.
I've made a concoction of both apple cider vinegar and lime juice and applied it to my face after washing it, along with rubbing the lime peel all over my face. The smell was weird and made me hanker for some salt and vinegar chips (in the same minute made me feel like a washed drumstick). After 15-20 minutes, I rinsed it off. I could already see the spots fading slightly, though my beauty marks are little lighter. That I don't want to go away. So, I'm making it a plan to be a bit more mindful as to the amount and the places I apply it. As I write this, I am three days into this regimen, and the spots lighten a little bit each time I use it. Yet, now I'm going to incorporate it into my usual routine of exfoliating, deep cleaning, and normal cleansing. More on that in another post.
Speaking of concoctions, I've also done a little research on how to keep up with my new 'do. Though this was done even before going into the big chop. I wanted to make sure that I was doing it properly at the start and was creating a good foundation as well as forming new habits for whenever I decide to grow my hair long again. I tend to have really a dry scalp as well as hair and wanted to, first and foremost, figure how to moisturize it properly. Through meticulous research and hours of back breaking research (and by back breaking, I mean, pointing and clicking), I've found several tips to help keep my developing mane healthy and shiny:
For some reason, I'm kind of excited. I can't wait to see what happens if I continue with what I'm doing.
Google, as many people know, is an extremely useful tool that leads you to things you never knew existed or ever thought would work. For example, I read Chamomile tea, the same tea that's good for a relaxing, sleepy time moment, was a natural, non-acidic approach to skin lightening. Yet, as with all things in nature, this method takes time; like, 2 months. Ugh! Two months is too long and I'm too impatient! I wanted these spots gone, like, three months ago. So, I kept searching and found some citrus methods. Of course, lemon came up in numerous places, yet we had no lemons in the house (lame). Yet, I read that a lime's acid content, though less, was comparable to that of a lemons and I could also switch out lemons with apple cider vinegar. Those two, we always had lying around the house. (Mom uses both to wash and disinfect any bacterial residue on meats like chicken and beef.) So, I set to work.
I've made a concoction of both apple cider vinegar and lime juice and applied it to my face after washing it, along with rubbing the lime peel all over my face. The smell was weird and made me hanker for some salt and vinegar chips (in the same minute made me feel like a washed drumstick). After 15-20 minutes, I rinsed it off. I could already see the spots fading slightly, though my beauty marks are little lighter. That I don't want to go away. So, I'm making it a plan to be a bit more mindful as to the amount and the places I apply it. As I write this, I am three days into this regimen, and the spots lighten a little bit each time I use it. Yet, now I'm going to incorporate it into my usual routine of exfoliating, deep cleaning, and normal cleansing. More on that in another post.
Speaking of concoctions, I've also done a little research on how to keep up with my new 'do. Though this was done even before going into the big chop. I wanted to make sure that I was doing it properly at the start and was creating a good foundation as well as forming new habits for whenever I decide to grow my hair long again. I tend to have really a dry scalp as well as hair and wanted to, first and foremost, figure how to moisturize it properly. Through meticulous research and hours of back breaking research (and by back breaking, I mean, pointing and clicking), I've found several tips to help keep my developing mane healthy and shiny:
- Exercise- Yes, exercise. I know, not along of people want to hear that they have to get of the couch and move just to take care of the strands sitting on your head, but you'd be surprised at the benefits of just one hour of sweating will do for you (Ugh, I know, a whole hour). I didn't even understand it when I started running, but I noticed that the flakes in my hair began to diminish and my scalp was less itchy. This was because while I was sweating, my pores were opening and the sweat that I was producing was bringing forth some of the natural oils in my skin, keep my scalp moisturized. It was like keeping my scalp greased without having to sit in front of the mirror and pass Dax through my head. Aside from keeping the scalp moist, the sweat is great for the skin as well.
- Sealing- While it is good to wash and add oils to the hair to get it moisturized, sealing it is what locks the moisture into the hair shaft and keeps it from getting dry and breaking. Shea butter seems to be the favorite amongst most as well as Coconut oil since it moisturizes too.
- Mixing Both Oils and Sealant- Saves a lot of time when you're constantly on the go. You can mix them in a spray bottle, add a little water, shake it up, spray and go. Easy as that! This little tidbit I actually heard prior to even thinking about cutting my hair, but it is very good advice.
For some reason, I'm kind of excited. I can't wait to see what happens if I continue with what I'm doing.
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