Honey is my Enemy! :(

WHY! WHY! Why did I do this? I am so upset right now. Okay here's what happened. My skin has always been smooth with no breakouts or blemishes. I noticed this past week I had about 2 very small dry patches on my face. So I searched the internet for some natural cures. I came across a few websites that suggested HONEY will leave your skin smooth and add moisture to it. So yesterday I decided to put honey all over my face. I left it on my face for 1 1/2 hours. After I washed it off, those sites were right it did leave my skin moisturized. But it also left my skin with the ugliest rash/breakout. I am so pissed! I have a major audition coming up next weekend. Plus I also have an interview with a talent agency in a few weeks. I need this gone, like now. Right now I'm sitting here with aloe vera gel on my face, praying to God that it will go away.

Here's the comparison shot of my face: BEFORE/AFTER










I believe I'm the only person in the world that honey has affected this way. I searched to see if anyone had the same issue, but everyone had great results. This definitely taught me a lesson. DON'T FIX IT IF IT AIN'T BROKEN!!!

Sew-In Pics

Here is the sew-in I did a few weeks ago. I totally forgot to post it. Anyways, it came out perfect. I braided my hair back vertically and then sewed the tracks across. I kept it in for 5 weeks and followed the regimen in my last post. I just took it down today. The takedown was fairly smooth and easy. I basically soaked my hair with conditioner and water, and my braids just slips right apart. I must say I'm very happy with the results. I actually gained an inch of new growth.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to put another sew in back in my hair until the end of October. I have a boatload of auditions and interviews coming up and I'd rather rock my own hair while I do those things. I was trying to hold off on the relaxer til' January, but I need to look fresh for a very important audition coming up. My career is first priority over my hair...lol. But I promise to post my relaxer pics when I relax in October.

Here are some more pics of my sew-in:

New Plan/ Sew-In Regimen

I was having a conversation with my sister last night about how I retained so much length and had better progress in the beginning of my hair journey. And when I think of it I used to wear a sew-in back in the beginning of my journey. It makes so much more sense. It meant less manipulation. So in the attempt to stop myself from messing with my hair so often I am going back to the sew-in. Maybe this will help me get to Brastrap length with ease.

Here's my new sew-in regimen:

• Take out and reinstall sew-in every 2-4 weeks.
• Moisturize daily with Hollywood Beauty Olive Creme
• Spray scalp with Aloe Vera juice daily
• Continue to take my vitamins as normal
• No relaxer for the rest of the year
  

Because I'm so excited about this new regimen, I'm going to install it tonight. The sooner the better of course. I washed and clarified my hair and scalp last night. The only thing I didn't get to do was a deep condition. So I definitely need to keep the moisture up for the next 4 weeks. I'm going to be using the Yaki texture hair by Enstyle. It only cost like $7.99 for a 1o". So it's definitely cost efficient. Plus I'm cheap and I just can't bring myself to pay alot of money for something that's only going to last me 4 weeks...lol...Anyways I will definitely post the finished results when I'm done installing it.

Hair Update: BSB

Here's my update...sorry it took so long. I took these 2 weeks ago and I've been too lazy to post them...lol! Anyways for the last relaxer I stretched for 10 weeks. I don't believe I'll do that again. I'm going to stick to 7-8 week stretches for now. Anyways I believe I made a bit of progress in the length department, but in the thickness department I soooo lost. I even suffered breakage in the front. I'm thinking it has something to do with the barrettes I was using to secure my ponytails. Also I've been very bad with the flat iron. I've flat ironed about 4 times in 2 weeks. :( So now I vow to flat iron at the end of the year instead. I'm giving it a break for the rest of the year.

Here are my progress pics: (Click to enlarge)

PJ'ism Revived

I made a promise to myself at the beginning of 2009 to cure my product junkie ways. I was doing great until last month. Here's a pic of all the latest products I've added to my regimen:








From left to right:

• Aussie Moist Conditioner
• Aussie Sydney Smooth: Calm That Frizz Creme
• Aussie Hair Insurance: Leave-In + Tip Protection
  
• Aussie Moist: Deeeeep 3 Minute Minute Miracle
• Gro-Aut: Jojoba Conditioner
• Soft & Beautiful: Hair Moisturizing Complex
• Jamaican Black Castor Oil
• Parachute Coconut Oil
• Dudley's: PCA Moisture Retainer
• Creme Of Nature: Ultra Moisturizing Shampoo

I will try to give a review of some of these products real soon. So far I'm in LOVE with the Aussie Moist Conditioner!

New Vitamins

I decided to switch brands on MSM. I used to take Spring Valley from Walmart, but I have a feeling it is not pure MSM. I try to be very cautious of what I put in my body. So I decided that my vitamins have to be the real thing. So I found a website called Nutrition Express and I bought the Lindberg brand. It said it was pure and it had great reviews so I'll give this a try.

I also decided to add a new supplement to my regimen. It's a mix of Choline & Inositol. I decided to add it, after I did a research of its benefits.

Here's a list of some of its benefits that I came across online:

• Inositol encourages hair growth and can help prevent baldness.
• It stabilizes the cell membranes, and its antioxidant property safeguards the hair follicles from damage.
• Coffee kills this nutrient. Caffeine will destroy it, especially if taken in high dosage.
  
• Helps in controlling estrogen levels and may assist in preventing breast lumps.
• Choline should be taken in the same amount as Inositol. (Best to take the entire B group vitamins with it) - My B-Complex doesn't list Inositol or Choline in the ingredients, that's why I purchased them separately.
• You can also consume Inositol with a diet of wheat germ, Brewer's yeast, veal, pork, liver, brown rice, wheat bran, oat flakes, nuts, vegetables, cantaloupe, raisins, and bananas.
  

Platinum or Silver?

I'm not sure what to call it. I call it platinum but my sister says it's silver. Actually, I always thought that they were the same thing. Anyways, here is the cute manicure I rocked this week. I used to Sinful Colors: "Out Of This World." I also added some cute rhinestones on the ring finger to form the shape of a necklace. I will definitely rock this look in the winter time, when it rolls around again. I think this look matches the winter season better than the summer season.

I Made Pizza!

It wasn't easy but I DID IT! YAY!!!!!!! Okay, seriously, I took info from several sites to get the finished product. It came out tasting like Digarno pizza which is tasty of course. But I was aiming for Papa John's pizza, but it wasn't bad for my first try. My whole family loved it, too, including the dog. First I made the sauce from the recipe on the Pizzamaking.com website. Then I found and easy recipe for making the dough on 1001recipes.com. I'm too lazy to write or copy the recipes but if you click on the links it will open to the exact location of the recipes.
Here are the results below:

Nail Design: Pink Is My Favorite Color

Everytime I think of pink the song from Aerosmith pops into my head...lol...
Well, I rocked "Cabana" from the Sinful Colors Collection this week. I actually did these when I was crunched for time, so I couldn't really do much of a design. But I did do some kind of Burberry plaid pattern design on the ring finger. I hope yall like it.
(Click Photos to Enlarge)