Just a short recap. The oil, I now love it.. At first it was stank, then it was alright.. Now I'm PRETTY sure I'll buy it again!! It smell so sweet as long as you dilute it.. Just a little dab'll do ya in this case. Still I wish it had a more coconut smell. :)

And I picked up the brush and brushed 'em.. Just brushed the crap outta my dreads and they feel pretty good.. IT felt pretty good!! At first I was just foolin' around with it, bored.. Hair's there.. One thing lead to another.. I brushed.. And it felt so good, just like all who suggest it said it would. Plus it removed lint I'd imagine.. The lint on the surface, nothing is gonna take the lint out that's imbedded but picking your locks apart and I ain't even thinking about that. But once a week or so maybe.. It might help keep new lint from being imbedded. I mean once a week with the DEEP brushing I did today.. Pretty much each lock or at least each section got a little special attention.. I might just brush over it every two days or so.. I still don't trust styling tools for loose hair on my dreads. Seems wrong. Like they'll brush them apart.. But I guess it's ok every once in a while.. Just for kicks.. :)

Weight, well, still having issues, but it'll be alright. For some reason I've been getting full really REALLY quickly.. I probably should be worried, but I'd like to think it's just my body's way of saying " You know what, Jen. Stop. Just stop. I can't BE like this anymore.. This weight is hurting us.." And that makes me feel like I have nothing to worry about about that.. :) Besides this is how it started last time.. Got really really full, really really fast and lost like 40lbs or more!! Hopefully this time I'll lose a little bit more. And keep more of it off. My goal is like 150 or so, and I think that's possible. I'm a grown ass 31 year old, I don't need to weight 100lbs to be happy.. 150 is just fine.

Well, I guess that's all I have to recap for right now. Maybe there'll be more later. :)

Jen

Well, I bought a new scented oil, coconut.. Now you know what coconut smells like. Sweet.. Kinda nutty.. CREAMY.. Not this oil... At first I liked it from the bottle's smell.. Smelled kinda like a creamy coconut, but then I decided after another experience I've had with the company that supplies my oil, better smell a little bit on your finger first.. I did.. And first instinct.. OLD LADY SMELL!! I mean.. Like an old lady vanilla.. Thinking it was a mix up.. I smelled the other bottle. (Yeah smart ass bought 2 bottles.. I mean.. I love the smell of coconut!!) Same smell.. It was just STANK.. TOTALLY STANK!! I sniffed that stuff every way I could. Tried to mix it.. Still HORRIBLE.. Worst off I'd put it on one of my locks.. One of my FRONT locks.. I was like oh lord.. I'mma smell like old lady til I wash my hair... But I kept smelling that lock.. And as the day went on.. It thinned out a bit and by this morning, it smelled pretty good.. So I decided to give it a shot.. Knowing it don't smell like I though it did. Get over it.. You paid for it.. You too lazy to return it.. Get over it and try to work with it.. So I did it.. I wash my hair Saturday anyway.. What's the harm? I slathered it on and now I"m waiting.. And it smells sweet.. Not really like coconut.. Not EXACTLY, but it does smell a LITTLE like it and it has a warm sweet smell.. I think I can deal with it.. Actually LIKE it in time.. It smells pretty good in my hair, though it stinks to me on my skin.. :) Who would have thought. :) And hubby likes it, so it's a good buy.. This is not enough to stop me from buying from the company, but I won't be buying any more fruit or floral scents from them.. Or at least not in bulk size.. Maybe a dram or 1/2 ounce or something like that..

I've been looking for new shampoo and conditioners to use as well.. There has to be something better than Pantene. I mean, the stuff is all chemicals!! But I've had a bad experience with 'natural' shampoo.. It made my hair feel like sticks. I can do that for less than $20 thank you.. But I have to try some out because I need a line to sell when I get the shop started.. However, no hype will make me sell people crappy stuff. It has to at least work for ME.. However, I feel the retailer that sold me the shampoo probably has other good products and I may try to sell some of those.. Or maybe I'll sell African Pride products. Much cheaper and I know they work pretty well... Just stay away from the ones containing Petrolatum.. (By the way, there is Petrolatum in Pantene Relaxed and Natural SHAMPOO!! Not conditioner.. SHAMPOO.. Right after water, right before SOAP... I figure that's why it works so well on my hair. Find a product with the same 'oiliness' but not chemical oil and it should work the same.. I may have to make my own if one doesn't exist.. I wasn't really tryin' to make anything, just sell stuff, but you know.. Mother of invention and all that. :) Pantene Relaxed and Natural has worked well for my hair and I'd recommend it, but people have to know about the chemicals and how bad they are for you.. If after that they still decide to use it, more power to them.. Good luck.. It's a great product, great results, but I just personally think we can do better for our hair.

Well, I guess that's enough rambling for now.. :)

Well, I finally bought some scented oil. And I must say it is... Powerful to say the least. I put some in a spray bottle full of water and it smells like I just dumped the whole bottle on my hair!!! I guess I put too much in there, but too little and it will seem like nothing.. Ugh! Hard to mix crap. :) But that's alright. I like the smell of the oil. I should have gotten the lighter one though. I like a more incense smell for my dreads though. Or a vanilla smell. This is kinda incense smelling, but very heavily scented. More like a perfume. It's called Anucci or amicci.. The label is hand written, so it's one of those. It smells good, like I said, but a bit strong. And at first my scalp was itching and burning. Just like when I used that "Yummy" shampoo I bought online. In fact, it kinda smells like that. I'll probably wash my hair either today or tomorrow morning, thin out the mix and see how that works. I paid $4 for that oil and I'm gonna use it!! Believe that now.. :)


Anyway, back to the dread conversation. I've been locked for 18 months now (August 27th was my locking day of 2005, in fotki, I though it was the 17.. Oh never mind... ) and it's going pretty good. I'm still using the same system I was using at the beginning of the year. In fact, I've been pretty much using this same "system" for over a year. It's working well, so why change it. I'm going to try to use a vinegar rinse soon. I have a LITTLE buildup in my hair and I need to strip that out. I'm starting a new job with in the next week or so, so my time will be limited again. Though this job gives great off time. And the pay ain't bad either. :) I just hope I can do this job with out making an ass of myself and getting fired. :( That would be a lowdown dirty shame. :)





As you can see they're growing pretty well here. I do see a few specks of lint or SOMETHING in them, so a rinse may do something with that. If nothing but break down old oils so I can pick it out better. Can't be givin' my fellow dread locked people a bad name, now can I? :)

There are so many products I'd like to buy for my little lock babies. Oils, shampoos, special conditioners.. But I just don't have the money right now.. Is that a bad thing? No. Because if I DID have the money, my hair would probably look a hot mess by now with all the crap I'd have been putting in it. As with most things in Nature, less added is best. Add too much.. And it wouldn't be nature, now would?

Jen

PS. For more pictures check out http://public.fotki.com/BlackAngelPlayah