2010 - Year in Review

Amazing isn't it?  That the year has come to an end already.

I stopped making "resolutions" a few years ago and decided instead to focus on tangible goals and create a personal motto for how I live my life.  There's a difference between saying "I want to grow my hair" and saying "I want to retain 4" of length, stretch my relaxers to 10 weeks, and reduce direct heat."  The latter is more concrete and thus easier to track progress and recognize when you have achieved your goal.  My personal motto this year was "Live, and let live" and "To each their own."

My Achievements
One of my goals for 2010 was to start this hair blog and my youtube channel, so I can help women grow their own hair.  I am amazed at the growth of both website and I'm excited about what 2011 will bring.

In my very first post, I made promises for what the blog would offer to my readers.  I believe I lived up to those promises and hope you agree.

Then, I realized I needed to change the web address to KibibiHair.com.  See the funny story below.

On a more personal note, I'm happy to say that I've also achieved two personal goals this year - take ballet and horseback riding lessons.  I danced ballet for several years when I was younger.  After not dancing for over 15 years, I was beyond excited when I got my split back.

I'm showing hubby one stretch we do in ballet class.

My husband planned a horseback riding activity for my birthday in 2009.  That was my very first time around horses and although I was a little scared initially, the thrill of riding (really, really fast lol) was incredible.  So I decided that I would take lessons in 2010.



My Shortcomings 
I wish I could say that all my goals were successfully achieved but the truth is they were not.  I like being as transparent as possible with you, my readers, so I will also share some of my shortcomings this year.

One major hair setback, although I didn't call it that at the time, was self relaxing.  The last time I self-relaxed, I lost an excessive amount of hair.  After looking at my progress pictures, I realized that each time I self-relaxed, I was slowly losing thickness.  Once I had that realization, I went back to my stylist Reniece.

Before my 5" trim. May 8, 2010

I also had some personal goals that I did not achieve this year.  I'll share more about those in my next post, where I will detail my goals and motto for 2011.

What are some of your achievements and shortcomings for 2010?  Did you live up to your potential this year?

Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas with family and friends.  I'm in Miami with my family and it has been non-stop laughter since I arrived.

Here's a fun video of my sister in Target on Christmas Eve.  She is mouthing the words of a kid's tantrum in the next aisle.  Hilarious.



By the way, she is natural (no relaxer and no color). She has been natural since 2005 and the last time she straightened her hair was 2009.

My Hair Today

I did a roller set last night and dried for 1 hour and 5 minutes.  The heat was set to 60 degrees celcius and my ears were on fire! LOL But I wanted to get it dry as soon as possible, so I covered my ears with paper towels and focused through.

After I removed the rollers, I flat ironed my edges and did 6 pin curls.  I didn't have time to take pictures in the morning, so I took pictures when I got home from the office.  This is how my hair looked at the end of the day.

Coupon Alert! Free Shipping Day

I'm on a roll today. :)

Today is free shipping day and over 1000 stores (including Sally's Beauty Supply, Beauty.com, and Sephora) are offering free shipping with guaranteed delivery by Christmas.  Some stores offer free shipping on all orders, and some require a minimum purchase.  Click here to view the complete list of participating stores.

This is great for getting those last minute Christmas items.  Enjoy!

Coupon Alert!

Company - Carol's Daughter
Website - www.carolsdaughter.com
Offer - Use the code Save40 to save 40% off plus get free shipping
Expires - Midnight on December 17, 2010

I don't use her products, so I don't plan to buy anything.  But, I always try to share money saving deals with you.  Please tell me what you get!

I am "Sick as a Dog"...

as the saying goes.

I know I promised to record a video with winter regimen tips.  Unfortunately, I now have the flu, and can't talk for more than 2 minutes without coughing up a lung.  My dog, Wisdom, is keeping me company, but he keeps trying to lick my ear.  I think he knows that I'm sick and is trying to make it all go away.  I'm too weak to fight against it, so while I lay on the couch he cleans my ear...hmm, was that too much information? Excuse me if it was, my judgment is altered because of the illness. 

Anyway, I'm taking meds and vitamins, drinking tea, gargling with warm salt water, slathering myself with Vicks vapor rub, washing my hands often, and sanitizing everything I touch.  I have all but quarantined myself, so I don't get my husband sick or reinfect myself.    

This will no doubt affect my Christmas hair plans, because I won't have the energy needed to blow dry and flat iron my hair.  Sigh.  On the up side, I will be in Miami for Christmas so the warmer weather should do me some good. 

Here's a random picture to make you smile.

Wisdom and Angel, the ring bearers at my wedding

Reader Mail: What do you think of sew-in weaves?

January 2006, my sew-in weave

I recently got an email asking about my thoughts on sew-in weaves.  Here is my response below:

Sew-in weaves can be a great option to protect your hair.  My stylist does sew-ins exclusively (with the exception of me and maybe one other person lol)  and her clients have had success with using them to retain length.  Check out her website for some progress pictures at www.reniece.com. 

My only caveat is this - don't wear a sew-in at the risk of developing scalp issues.  My scalp will go crazy if I wait longer than 10 days to wash it.  With a sew-in you won't be able to wash your scalp thoroughly, thus its just not a great option for everyone.  This is why I prefer to wear wigs in the winter, because I can easily remove it and wash my hair. 

Feb 2006, Sew-in curled

If you won't have any scalp issues and decide to get the sew-in, keep the following in mind:

• Make sure the stylist doesn't braid too tightly. If your eyebrows won't come down, or you feel like you've just had an instant face lift then its WAY too tight.
  
• Ask the stylist to sew a weave mesh along the perimeter of your braided hair and then sew the weave onto the mesh instead of onto your braided hair. The threads can cut into your hair when sewn directly onto your braids.
  
• You still have to moisturize your real hair under the weave (use a color applicator bottle to apply it between the tracks)
• Don't wear it for longer then 6-8 weeks, any longer and you risk finding matted roots when you remove the sew-in
• After you remove the sew-in, thoroughly detangle your hair and remove all shedded hair before you wash.  If you don't remove all the shedded hair, you will end up with a matted tangled mess that may require cutting to remove.  I don't mean to scare you but it can get that extreme in a matter of minutes.  

SNOW!

To my surprise (and chagrin), it started snowing today.  I suspect that this was just an anomaly, and the snow probably won't continue past today.  Don't get me wrong, I love snow and seeing the seasons change.  But today caught be off guard.

Winter officially starts on December 21, and I want to enjoy my hair as much as possible before I start my winter regimen.  That being said, I know that many of you already have consistent snow and severely cold temperatures.  To help those in that situation, I will make a video soon on my winter regimen.

In order to make the video the most helpful, please leave a comment below and tell me what your biggest challenge is when it comes to winterizing your hair.   

Countdown to Christmas

I love Christmas. It is the happiest time of the year for me, because some of my best childhood memories are from Christmas in Jamaica. My family would have our own Christmas show at my grandmother's house. Complete with a play about the birth of Christ, dance contest, soda-drinking contest, beauty pageant, gift exchange, and lots of food.  

One great thing about the holiday as a child, was that I got to try different hair styles. I don't recall ever getting my hair hot-combed growing up.  My mom pretty much kept it in styles like this one below.  I think I wore ribbons in my hair almost every day as a child LOL. 

On Christmas day, I got to wear my hair down.  One of my aunts would set my hair so I could wear a curly style.  The curls usually didn't last because of the heat and humidity.  But for the 30 minutes that my style was on point, you couldn't tell me anything. 

This Christmas I plan to wear curls since I wore a wavy style for Thanksgiving.  I'm thinking of using the Curlformers on flat ironed hair.  We will show how it goes.    

Did you get to wear a special hairstyle as a child because it was Christmas?  What are your hair plans for this holiday?