LET'S TALK ABOUT HAIR

Alright, let's talk about hair. When you're eight+ months pregnant and you live in the most frigid place in the continental United States, there's not much you can do about your wardrobe. I make an attempt to look decent for church and social events, but otherwise I pretty much live in Thane's retired Army PT sweats from the 90s, elastic ankle bands and all. 

But, on the bright side, it's been a great few months for hair! I don't know whether to thank my hair straightener, the dry North Country weather, or hair-altering pregnancy hormones, but it's nice to take an occasional break from the curls.

Also, I had it cut last week. It was one of the things on my my pre-baby checklist, which is almost all checked off, thank goodness. My friend Rebecca cuts hair from her home and it's such a blessing because she not only does great work but she let's me bring my kids! Part of me wants to be really adventurous and cut it short or dye it, but I'm pretty much a huge, indecisive wimp when it comes to doing anything fun or risky. I've never even had highlights. I really admire those of you who aren't afraid to try new things. 

Speaking of which, what about you guys? Done anything new with your hair lately?

And of course this little guy had to make at least one appearance;

Have a great day!

MY CURLY HAIR ROUTINE

I didn't get far into this latest first trimester without noticing that my hair was in a definite funk. I always had natural curls that were fairly easy to manage, and then all of a sudden they weren't. I'm talking stringy, frizzy, dry, bad hair. I'd always gotten away with using cheapo hair products like Pantene and then whatever equally cheap mousse or gel I liked at the time. But- at least for this pregnancy- those days are gone! So, in search of a remedy, I came across these:

Shea Moisture Curl Control Shampoo and Restorative Conditioner. I really had NO clue what to try, and I've always been timid about splurging on expensive products without any guarantee that they'll work. But when I stumbled upon this post by a fellow curly-haired gal, I decided to try something similar to what she used. I found these particular items in the ethnic hair care aisle at Target {on sale, always a plus!}, and to my great satisfaction they are the best hair products I've ever used. They are totally organic and free of all kinds of curl-stifling chemicals like sulfates and paraffin. Thanks {once again} to my curly-haired friend, now I know this! The biggest noticeable difference with these products vs. the sulfate-infused brands {other than the enhanced curls}, is the feel and texture. My hair feels a lot more moisturized on a daily basis, almost oily, but not in a bad way. 

So, for the routine: I use the Shea line every day, and every few days I do a quick wash with a basic shampoo to get the built-up mousse and hairspray out, followed by a second wash with the Shea shampoo. When I get out of the shower I wrap my hair up in a towel for a minute or less {t-shirts are supposed to work better for curls but I've yet to try this}. Then I turn my head upside down and gently work a small amount of watered down mousse into it, careful not to do too much "scrunching". Currently I'm using got2b's Kinky Curling Mousse. Then I let it air dry, and I'm done! 

I will say that I'm still getting used to the non-shampoo feel of the Shea shampoo. It doesn't lather and foam like what I've been used to using all of my life, it's more like a moisturizer. And the more natural curls I get with it are prone to a tad bit of frizz on certain days, so I'm currently looking around for some sort of spray-in de-frizzer that I can use on occasion. Any recommendations?

I've only been using this organic line for about a week now, but I'll never go back. After being so personally clueless about what works best for curls {at least my curls} for 28 years, I hope this can be of help to some of you!

If you're a fellow curly-haired creature, what are your favorite products???

P.S. I found these Shea products at Target a week ago for $9.99 for the first bottle and then 50% off the next bottle of equal or lesser value. So, about $15 total. Some of Amazon's prices are really high, so it's definitely worth checking out Target or shopping around for a good deal.