New Shampoo and Conditioner

Hey Blog Fam!

My hair has really been suffering since I returned from our vacation. It really felt crunchy and not itself. Add to that equation the fact that I need to wash my hair 3 to 4 times a week because of my workout routine and you have straw hair. Well during my business trip to Florence, SC I went to the local Wal Mart and decided to buy some shampoo and conditioner. There was no way I was using the hotel shampoo and conditioner. I picked up Fructis Sleek and Shine with the conditioner. To my pleasant surprise my hair LOVED IT!! The shampoo is clear with a very slight tint of green but it really delivers moisture which my hair needed. It feels absolutely wonderful as well as smells lovely. No more straw hair. I also used the shine drops while my hair was wet and did a quick blow dry and my hair was really bouncy. I couldn't believe for $2.46 for the shampoo and conditioner these products delivered these results. The shine drops were $4.37 and I like those as well. To think I have been forking over so much money to Aveda and Fructis has been right in Wal-Mart. Sorry Aveda...I have to let you go. HELLLO FRUCTIS!!

Sorry for the horrible pic I am still on my business trip

Transformation

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I am really excited! Locks 4 Life - Atlanta's studio is going through a transformation. My contractor came yesterday and started laying the tile and I must say I was very pleased when I arrived home from my business trip just an hour ago. He is doing the darn thang. He also told me the plans for the shampoo bowl. He even did a sketch on the floor of where it would lay. Take a look at the closet area on the floor area. He will be making the door to that closet wider so the shampoo bowl can fit right in and I can go to either side to wash the hair. He is really professional. Take a look at the what the studio looked like before compared to right now. It is not finished and of course I will share the completed pictures. The tile makes the room look much bigger and more open as opposed to the carpet, even though the carpet was very plush and my customers and I loved it. :) He is also doing the bathroom right next to the studion in the same tile. COORDINATE!! Gotta love that! Plus we have enough tile for him to come and do the other two bathrooms in our home. My hubby picked out the tile...what do you think of his selection. I think he did a wonderful job!

So you guys know I have been chatting up my new gym and the knowledge that I have recently got my hands on concerning my metabolism and heart rate. Well to my surprise when I stepped on the scale today just to see what was going on from last week I discovered I had lost 3 pounds. That is with clothes on! I decided to leave my clothes on because that is how I weighed in. More food, cardio in my fat burning zone and strength training equals more weight lost faster. What a great surprise!! I am so sure my trainer won't let my body go into a plateau as I am training with her for 4 months.

If you guys don't have a heart rate monitor...I highly recommend one. This little sucker was on my behind this morning. As I went out of my zone that thing started beeping so loud and angrily until I submitted and slowed my heart rate down. Dang! It is worse than my trainer.

Hair in face...it can be annoying

Hey blog fam!

I started my new workout at my new gym last week and with 2 years of growth I am finding that I am now wearing two headbands just to keep my hair from slanging sweat in my eyes or on other people YUCK!! So today after a quick wash in the shower this morning I braided the hair out of my face while wet for a quick solution. Remind me never to do that again. When it drys I am looking rather slanted eyes and it gets pretty tight...even if you didn't braid too tight. So when I got home this evening I was just playing around and practicing my braiding skills on my own hair (it is a beast braiding your own hair) and I came up with a great solution. It is a braided semi pony. It keeps the hair out of my face and I can just use one band to lift the hair off of my neck. I am giggling just saying that. I have hair that touches my neck.

Locks 4 Life - Atlanta Styling and Profiling

Hey Blog Fam!

I have a new client Ms J with beautiful traditional locks. I washed, retwisted and styled her locks. Here is what I came up with. I love the curls on her hair.

So I changed up a bit

Hey Blog Fam!

During the summer months I have been a bit lazy and I free styled my hair almost the entire summer. With the ATL heat who wouldn't? So last night I decide to rod my hair with my soft spikes and just hit work like. Wrong! I took the soft spikes out and I finger combed it to ride to work. Then I got irritated by the curls in my face and I half way braided the front out of my face. Then when I got home and was preparing to go see the nutritionist I just say forget it and came up with this. Yall know I love me some flowers in my hair so don't ride my back too hard about always putting a flower in my hair trying to look like a fly Mamacita..Fuego (Like T Pain says).

Speaking of Nutritionist I must tell you guys about my transition. I just joined Lifetime Fitness (which I love) and I am doing a total make over. I have 35 pounds to lose. You may say where but please believe it is all in my hips. The nutritionist even said that she couldn't believe how much much my body fat was and that I carried it well. If that is supposed to be a compliment... no thanks I don't want it. I discovered that I wasn't eating enough calories (Thanks Weight Watches). My body at rest is burning 1,683 calories and by the WW standard I was only eating 1,200. My body was in starvation mode so no matter how much exercise or how many days in the gym I was spending I wasn't losing anything. I am now on a 1,900 calorie plan eating 7 small meals a day with 2 strength training days and the rest cardio. I invested in a heart rate monitor and a new attitude :) I have to do so something to get this extra weight off of me. We had a little too much fun in St. Kitts. I brought back a nice tan and an extra 5 to 7 pounds. Dammit!

I also purchased a new compact powder. For those who don't know I have had the hardest time finding a compact powder to compliment my complex skin tone. In the summer my red tones are more pronounce but the golds and yellows are still a factor. Any other time my red tones are a little less pronounce. I was in Toronto and went into Sears ( I know I tripped out too. Buying makeup in Sears) and the lady referred to Iman. I tried this Luminous powder number 4....Baby let me tell you, that I love it! It gave me a nice glow without that bronzer look. It is great!! I was in the salon in Lifetime fitness and the lady behind the counter was like you skin is beautiful. Thank you!! Now you know it is good when the ladies at the Spa compliment your skin. Thanks Iman. Here are some before Iman and after Iman shots.

Guess what I got.....

Hey Blog Fam!

After washing a client's hair who had major build up in her locks in my kitchen sink I said NO MORE. I went out and got this baby....

That's right...Locks 4 Life-Atlanta will be offering shampoo and conditioning services as well as styling so come and get you some. Notice the extra wide bowl for those with long hair and short hair alike. I have my contractor scheduled for Sept 6th. I can't wait!! I will not wash anyone's hair in my sink EVER AGAIN. The build up that I saw last week was TOO MUCH to handle.

On to another topic...after all of that fun in the sun and salt water I had to come home and get busy conditioning my locks. I noticed my locks were a little dry from the sun so I did a deep conditioner on my locks and they feel much better. I also noticed I have some bunched ends that I will be snipping today. Check it out....Yall like my tan?? I am also trying to work on my retightening but I am so busy...

I still have the grays in the front and I don't think I am going to mess with them for a little bit. The rinse only lasts maybe 3 weeks but since I was in the salt water I am guessing maybe 2 weeks at the most. Did you guys notice I still have some two headed dragons that I haven't snipped yet?

I also purchased some new art for my studio. This guy by the name of David Patterson created some wonderful works of art. They are exactly what I needed! One is called evolution and the other nubian locs.

I'M BAAACKKK

Hey Blog Fam!

I know I have been ghost for a moment but now I am back. My hubby and I spent out 7 year wedding anniversary in St. Kitts (my father's birthplace). It was a very relaxing 7 days. I needed that!! I have been working so hard that I almost forgot how to relax. I just switched jobs and I have been working my business Locks 4 Life-Atlanta so I haven't had much time for relaxing. Check us out in St. Kitts!