Luquisha Renáe Update: 2 years 8 months Naptural

So y’all know me and Luquisha got issues with each other. She’s stubborn. I’m stubborn. I’m lazy and she don’t be acting right 95.5% of the time.

Since my last Luquisha update, which was last June, I feel Luquisha has grown a quite a bit. My last “trim” was I believe in May or June 2014. I don’t really remember cuz I hated it. I love my beautician but I feel like she cut waaaaay too much off when I saw her last year. Yes I know it had been prolly since before my baby sister’s wedding last January but DAYUM!!

I was really just unhappy with my cut. I’m usually really excited about my trims but this time not so much. Plus sigh my beautician is old skool. She does natural hair but she don’t do natural hair. And since this is my second stint at being natural, I really wanted her to do more and play but I mean I understand cuz she’s really popular at the salon especially on Saturdays. So outta fear, I haven’t been back since. I thought I was suppose to go in October but turns out the appointment was set for December 27th. Needless to say I cancelled the appointment.

However, what I did do was try a new salon and stylist. Look if you know me well I’m really particular about who does my hear. I can go pretty much anywhere but I usually ask for black beauticians. I usually only go to salons that employ black beauticians. Well for my birthday last month, I not only did I try a new salon but the stylist/beautician was not ethnic. It’s possible that she may be a percentage ethnic but I am not sure.

Anyway. Her name is Stephanie and she works at Planet Curls off Main St in the Houston Heights. She came highly recommended by my big sis who probably now has a 3b/3c curl pattern. My big sis would never stir me wrong so I went and loved it! Stephanie gave me what’s called a DevaCut.

Now lemme just say I’ve read quite a few articles about DevaCuts and how other black napturals have liked and disliked this style of cutting natural hair. Honestly, I liked the way my hair looked and felt after Stephanie was done cutting, shampooing/conditioning and styling Luquisha. My curls POPPED schun! Popped like they’ve never really have before. That could possibly be because of the gel she used on Luquisha that day.

Speaking of gel, I thought I would a gel convert but alas I am not. I have Miss Jessie’s Coily Custard at home and I likey but I don’t. The DevaCurl Arc AnGEL Stephanie used was great at first application buuuuuuuut after it was fully dry and sitting on my hair for a bit, it became filmy and too stiff. Way more stiff than the Miss Jessie’s and not as soft. I tried breaking the gel cast with oil but it just sat there. It also made my scalp really unnervingly itchy. Ugh it itched worse than not washing my hair for more than two weeks. It was just ratchet!

I finally had to co wash my hair to make it feel better. But that was not even a few days after the appointment. So that was disappointing. But that was the only disappointment about the appointment. Stephanie is really knowledgable about ethnic hair and made really good recommendations on what to do with my hair as well as products. I will be returning to her in the summer.

Aside from going to a new stylist, Luquisha and I still fight on the regular. She’s even more stubborn as before. Or maybe I’m the one who’s stubborn. whatever none of you can prove that

Wash day was yesterday as usual. I did a ACV, coconut, olive oil and distilled water rinse to get rid of the build up. I hadn’t done that in quite some time. After letting the ACV mixture sit on my hair for a bit, I washed Luquisha with SheaMoisture’s SuperFruit Complex 10-in-1 Renewal System Shampoo. This shampoo smells sooooo good. Gawd I love the smell. The SuperFruit shampoo usually makes my hair feel soft but I think she felt even softer after the ACV rinse. I could be imagining it but Luquisha definitely felt different.

After shampooing, I deep conditioned with the SheaMoisture Manuka Honey & Mafura Oil Intensive Hydration Masque. I have the masque for the 10-in-1 but I decided to try to finish off the Manuka Honey & Mafura Oil masque. I forgot how much Luquisha loves the MHMO masque. Unfortunately, it took longer to apply this masque as it felt like it had been a damn month since I detangled Luquisha. That was not fun and excruciatingly painful. So many damn knots and not enough patience to take them out. This is why Luquisha and I fight so much.

Anyway after application, I sat under the SoftHood blow dryer attached my sister in law and brother got me for Christmas. Soon happy they got that for me. Talk about a ma zing. I sat under the SoftHood for about 10 or so minutes with a clear plastic shower cap. I would’ve stayed under the dryer longer but my tummy was talking rather loudly. So I just put on my satin bonnet over the shower cap to let the masque “bake” some more. I finally rinsed it out about an hour and a half later.

The rest of wash day was consumed with more detangling, applying styling product and twisting my hair which always takes the longest but I’m happy to say I finished before Downton Abbey came on PBS.

So here’s the finished product…

  

Thanks for reading…

 

the southern yankee

 

One Month Away

Yesterday literally marked one month until my burfday!

I dunno about you guys but I absolutely LOVE my birthday. Not only is it my favorite holiday of the year but every year it makes me a little more thankful for life, love and health.

Yes I realize not a lot of people like their birthdays. They’d rather not celebrate or do anything because it reminds them of what they haven’t done in life. It somehow depresses them when in my most humble and honest opinion people should be grateful to even be alive to see another birthday.

Not to be a Debbie downer or anything, but there are waaaaaaay too many individuals and/or their families that are robbed almost daily of the opportunity of celebrating another year on this earth. Call me overly sentimental but to even be able to wake up on one’s birthday is an absolute blessing that a lot of us seem to take for granted until it’s too late.

Sigh I know “way to kill the mood SoYa.” Sorry…

We’ll get back to the post at hand now…

This year for my birthday, I’m treating myself to a hair cut at Planet Curls. I’d be lying out my ass if I said I wasn’t nervous about this appointment. I’ve never been to a curly salon before. Nor have I ever been to a non-ethnic beautician before. But I’m going to my sister’s stylist so I’m not overly nervous nor do I feel like I will not be in capable hands as my sister’s hair looks marvelous. I think I’ll also get a badly needed mani pedi. Haven’t had one of those in YEARS! I’ll have to find a really cool color for my finger nails. They should be long enough by then to do my own and not get acrylics.

Anyway… I’m gonna warn you guys now; I’m probably going to be making  weekly possicle even biweekly countdown updates. Oh yes this gets more and more ridiculous as it gets closer to my birthday. Just be prepared ok?

 

Thanks for reading…

 

the southern yankee 

Flying High

I.

Went

To.

CHICAGO!!!!!

I dunno about you guys but I absolutely love this city. You hear me out there — LOVE!!!

I’ve had Chicago ambitions since I was a student at SicEmU. I wanted to work for the Chicago Sun-Times. I wanted to cover the mobsters of the Chi. Be immersed in the culture and food scene cuz let’s face it, anyone could eat this

Taken at Pizzeria Uno

everyday right?! I mean who wouldn’t want to have this delectable morsel of yummy spicy cheesy goodness?!

I can’t even say enough about this trip. It was definitely an opportunity I’m eternally grateful for because honestly my boss doesn’t have to pull the strings she does for me. She doesn’t have to help me advance in my career. She doesn’t really have to do anything but just let me work. But she does that and more 150% of the time.

So imagine my mind being blown late July when she told me we were going to good ol’ Chitown baby! Totally just… Shut me the fuck up and well we all know how hard that is sometimes. The weeks leading up to the trip I wasn’t excited or gung-ho about the trip. Something just wasn’t letting me enjoy the fact I was going to one of my top bucket list destinations. But like always I got through. My anxiety subsided finally.

But then I saw this:

Flying over Lake Michigan

This:

Big Ten Network entrance

And this:

Big Ten Network Studios

Yoooooooooo lemme tell you something in my NYC Latina accent I had #reportambitions as soon as I stepped foot in the studio. My heart went pitter pat so fast I almost had the vapors. Spoken like a true southerner huh?

But the piece of résistance was this shot here from the Director of Engineering office:

Ain’t it just beautiful?!?!

I wanna go back. I wanna go to a Cubs game at Wrigley Field. I wanna actually try a genuine Chicago hot dog. I would love to visit Northwestern University and its journalism school. I’d like to tour the Chicago Sun-Times if that’s even possible. So many side adventures that wasn’t exactly feasible this trip due to time constraints. But I’ll be back Chicago baby! Don’t you worry your pretty little heart.

Thanks for reading…

the southern yankee 

*all photos were taken on an iPhone 5s

Writer-vation: Milestone Monday

I can hardly believe it’s been five years since I started this blog. Geez time has flown by so quickly.

In five years, I’ve written almost 250 post; which I hope to double that number sooner rather than later; and have gained over a hundred followers; which, I have to say, shocks me every time I look at my blog stats.

I never really imagined even having that many followers much alone posting so many post because well I’m lazy as fuck. As you all know, I’m really sporadic when it comes to posting. I really don’t adhere to one particular topic nor do I follow any sort of writing/blogging/grammar rules. I write cuz I am in the mood or cuz I happen to be motivated by something.  I suppose one could say I’m museless. is that even a word “museless” ni modo Ima roll wit it.

I could and prolly should write more to perhaps invigorate my creative writer’s mind but it takes effort. I dunno I’m at a point again in my writer lifetime where I’m blocked mentally and emotionally. I find myself having more than enough to say just not enough time or motivation to write. But what else is new?

So with that said, I would like to say thank you thank you to those who have signed up to witness the most random weird madness that is my writing, life and blog. Please feel free to drop a line or two in the comment section. I hope you guys stay aboard the crazy train.

 

Thanks for reading…

 

the southern yankee

The Luquisha Renáe Chronicles: Two Years Post Chop

Last month, Luquisha and I hit the two year milestone since I big chopped for the second time. It feels like it’s been longer but alas it has not.

In the last two years, Luquisha has grown faster than she ever did the first time. Of course, it is quite possible her length is the same as it was in 2008. The difference between 2008 and now is that I was obsessed with Luquisha looking mane feeling like another natural’s mane. I didn’t realize how different Luquisha was from other naturals. I didn’t take care of her as I do now. she’d tell you differently tho.

It’s been an interesting two years. I have found a hair support system which is nice to have because it makes me not feel so lonely in this journey. I often receive random compliments on Luquisha which is always ego boosting. Someone even tried to touch Luquisha which lemme say I handled quite calmly and rationally. The only aspect of being natural that Luquisha absolutely hates is my laziness which unfortunately for her will not be remedied anytime soon. I keep saying I need to do right by her buuuuuuut I ain’t keeping my word. certainly that’s not a surprise

She desperately needs some attention from Miss May. It’s definitely time for a trim or a mildly major cut because my ends are so rough and knotty. To make matters worse, I can’t keep my fingers outta my hair. I’m sure if I could at least accomplish that I wouldn’t have half as many knots as I do. Ni modo one day I’ll learn. NOT!

Thanks for reading…
The Southern Yankee