Ionika Flatiron Review

I purchased a Ionika flatiron from TJ Maxx (Maxxinista, lol) a couple of months ago.  This iron retails for $150.00 dollars but I paid $29.99 for it.  I already have a flatiron that I purchased from Sally's about two years ago. It is the GVP version of the CHI pink camo ceramic flat iron.  To be honest, I think the iron that I had was okay, but I felt like I wanted something more.  When I purchased the GVP iron I got it from Sally's on sale for $59.99.  The few times that I have used it, it did what it was supposed basically, but it did not really do the trick for me.  It never gave my hair that straight and silky look that I expected to get from a flat iron.  So that is the reasoning behind me purchasing this beauty...

                                                   Ionika Ceramic Tourmaline Flatiron

I have flatironed my hair with this about two times so far and I absolutely love this iron.  I have never experienced an iron that gives my hair such luster and silkiness like this iron.  I am not one of those people who is going to pay $300.00 for one single iron, but this iron in my opinion could definitely be in the running with one of those irons.  TTYL.

~HottCoco
xoxo

Post-Partum Shedding

Okay so it is not like I did not expect it to happen but now that it is happening it is sooo frustrating.  What is it you ask?  Post-Partum Shedding!!  Post-partum shedding usually takes place in during the first six months after a woman has given birth.   I am loosing quite a bit of hair but because it something that is inevitable I am totally okay with it.  The frustrating part of this process is some of the shedding hair gets all over my clothes, in my sink and the worst part of it all is the shedding hair has been tangling up with my new growth at the roots.  During the first few weeks after birth everything is fine.  In my case, I did not really start feeling the impact of the post-partum shedding until I reached about 9-10 weeks post-partum.  I am now 13 weeks post-partum and I am rapidly combating my hair fall.  I have incorporated garlic paste into my deep conditioner and I will soon implement the black tea rinses whenever I decided to stop breast feeding.
So here is what I am working with...

This is the amount of hair I loss after I pre-pooed and shampooed my hair.  It does not seem like much.  It looks like about 30-50 strands give or take; which is not bad.  Hopefully, my shedding will slow down  sometime soon (BEFORE SIX MONTHS) I am not sure how much more shedding I can deal with. Sigh...

~HottCoco
xoxo

So...I gave myself a haircut!

So today I gave myself a haircut because I simply got tired of looking at my raggedy ends.  I clipped some of my ends off about a week ago but because my hair was not that straight I was not able to accurately cut off the dead ends and achieve a blunt cut.  So here is the most recent picture of my length prior to cutting it...

and here is the after...

Overall, I like the way that it turned out because I absolutely LOVE a blunt haircut.  So below I will show how much I cut off.  It looked like at least about an inch.

I am happy with the results.  As I stated before, I had a baby not long ago so I must admit that during my pregnancy and the weeks following the birth of my baby I had been extremely laxed with my hair.  Even now it is kind of hard to take care of myself because I am always caring for my babies; but I decided that from now on I am going to try to make a diligent effort to care for myself as well.  I have realized that in order to care for others I have to take care of myself first!  Take care guys,

~HottCoco
xoxo

Home Cooking

So, last night I made this dish:

It's Jerk fish (Catfish), white rice and mixed vegetables.  The dish was really good.  I have had jerk fish before but it has always been cooked by someone else.  Now don't get me wrong because I can cook, but I usually make Jerk chicken or some other dish.  As far as fish goes, I usually steam it or bake it.  Anyway, I prepared the fish much like I prepare Jerk chicken and it was really tasty.  TTYL.

Have a great weekend!

Take Care,


~HottCoco27
  xoxo

Winter hair tips...

Hello all,

Please keep in mind that this is my opinion and what I personally do for my hair during the bitter cold fall and winter months.

1) Wear protective styles as much as possible.  Buns, wigs (my two favorites), braid outs etc...

2) Wear a hat!!  If it's cold don't try to avoid messing up your hair by not wearing a hat, instead invest in one of those cool hat/scarf headdresses that is listed below and either sew a satin/silk lining in the inside or wear your scarf underneath your hat.  Or, at least just put a satin or silk scarf on your head to help protect you vulnerable strands from becoming dry and brittle which can lead to breakage.



3)  Try to deep condition a couple times a week.  I would do one moisture and one protein deep condition per week.  At this point, I am increasing my moisture because my hair has a great deal of protein in it already so I am working on balancing out my hair with the proper moisture level.  Some deep conditioners that I am loving right now: For moisture Aussie moist deeeep moisture conditioner, Lustrasilk Shea butter and Mango, Kenra moisturizing conditioner and Queene Helene conditioning cream.  For Protein: Joico K-pak, Avocado oil, Motions deep penetrating treatment and Motions silk protein treatment.

4) The fall/winter weather is for not only the hair but the skin so make sure your drink plenty of liquids rather it herbal tea or water.  This is a great way to keep your hair and scalp moisturized from the inside out.

5) Don't forget to keep those ends moisturized and sealed.  I would recommend moisturizing and sealing at least twice a day.  Once in the morning and again in the night.  Try using a think and creamy water based moisturizer to moisturize your hair, as it may be more beneficial to the hair than a watery or runny spray moisturizer during the fall/winter.

6) Lastly, because it is cold outside and you are already wearing protective styles this would be a great time to engage in the growth challenges... i.e. like oiling your scalp with Jamaican Black Castor Oil (JBCO).

Enjoy your hair and Happy Hair Journey

Take care,

~HottCoco
xoxo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wc1i8EG0xus

New Items I am trying

Hey Guys!

As I was out and about today these are some things that caught my eye.  Of course, there were other things too but I am on a budget and I did not really need those extra things anyway.  Thank God.  So here are the things that I decided to pick up:

-L'oreal HiP Eyeliner pencil in Violet Volt
-Suave Damage Care Conditioner
-Creme of Nature Argan Oil Gloss and Shine Polisher
-Scunci Upzing (stretchy thingee lol)
-NYC Extreme Lip Glider lip gloss in Chelsea Rose

I will try these things out an let you guys know how they work out.  I am excited about trying the scunci upzing.  I wear my hair up a lot in protective styles and this like it might be ideal to jazz up my normal everyday styles.  Also, I am excited to try the Argan oil line because it has silcones in it (because it a serum) but it also has some key ingredients like Olive Oil (great for hair & scalp has Omega 3's and it is a great moisturizer, Honey (humectant) and Wheat Protein just to name a few. Overall, I am happy with my little purchase and I will update you guys soon with what I think about the products.  Take care.

~HottCoco
xoxo

Welcome

Hello and Welcome,

It has taken me a while but I am finally getting things going with my blog. I have a lot of things to say, just not sure if everyone wants to hear...lol. Anyway, thank you for visiting my site and I hope you feel free to read, click around and enjoy yourself. Take care,

~Hottcoco

xoxo