Monday, December 29, 2008

Twitter

OMG ever since I found Twitter (http://www.twitter.com) I've been a fiend. I'm always updating unless I'm sleep, which I have awaken and actually updated that I was sleep lol. It's cool, check it out, check my updates out! Http://twitter.com/ebony1nicole

Christmas to New Years

Hello all! I know it's been forever since I've updated my blog but I've been a little too busy to keep it updated.. Christmas was pretty good. I got this Guess! watch I've been pawning over & some Ed Hardy perfume that smells like automatic erection, lmao.. (Think about it, then ask questions!) New Years is coming within the next couple of days and like always I've made a list of all the things I want to improve/change/add to my life. For some reason, I feel so much differently about my list then I have in the past years. It's like I know what I need to change and this time I really am going to change it! I know that's good but I even have my own doubts about my list.. I'll share a couple of my New Year's Resolutions...

  1. Celibacy... That one is a hard one for me kinda.. Like sex isn't everything but when I don't get it, I can be a total bitch..
  2. Weight loss... Ugh it was told to me that I needed to lose weight.. That's a good thing since it will improve my health.. But good Lord it's going to take so much out of me to actually get this going. NO PAIN, NO GAIN!
  3. MONEY.. I need to manage my money so much better, save more, spend less.. It's going to be hard, but totally worth it! In addition to that, paying my bills.. Sigh, I'm so irresponsible when it comes to that, it doesn't make sense.
Those are my top 3 that definitely need to happen no matter what. I'm super determined to just get those goals accomplished before 2010.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Damn, I'm starved!!!

Okay, it's early Tuesday morning. I was up because I got a phone call around 6:20 am, then again at 6:37 am. So when my alarm went off at 7:20, I missed it but heard it around 7:30. I got up, started to get showered & dress, and left the house 10 mins behind schedule. That wasted 10 mins could of been enought time for me to go grab some breakfast, but it wasn't used for that. That 10 minutes of life went towards finding a cute outfit, putting on lotion, and carefully pulling up my tights to wear with my skirt. If I would of just chose some pants, I could have been out the door 10 minutes earlier.

So now I'm sitting at my desk, starving!!!!! My stomach is growling in my freaking chest. I wish we had a vending machine.. Then again, I wish we didn't cause I'd always be at it, getting candy or some other unhealthy snack. Anyway, I wish I would be a little bit wiser and at the beginning of the week buy myself some healthy snacks like crackers, juice, trail mix. Sigh, I'm so hungry.. I guess I'll wait until lunch, that is if someone is here so I can leave.. Or if someone does leave & offer lunch, I will not hesistate to get something because I'm freaking hungry!!!!!!

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Cell Phones: Addiction or Bad Habit?!

My little big brother (as I call him since we are almost the same height now!!!) was just given a cell phone. A real cell phone, with minutes, a bill, everything. He spends more time on that phone just texting , reading emails, playing games.. Last night I asked him if I was to take the phone away, how would he feel? He basically said he couldn't live without it.

He's only 13; I'm 22 and I swear on everything if my phone was left at home or came up missing, I would have a freaking heart attack! My phone is like my lifeline. I have everything on that damn thing: email, IM, texting, web, cam/vid, MUSIC!!! Now there are some times when I do wish I left the damn thing somewhere. I'm so addicted to it. And in the next few weeks I'll be walking around with 2 of them!! Talk about a habit I won't be able to quit, I'm getting a Blackberry Curve!!

Now the "CrackBerry" as it's called, has everything imaginable except a touch screen. I'm not 100% sure, but I think you can view videos on it! Now that's something I need in my life because I'm a YouTube fiend! I guess when I get this phone, I'll make sure to get a car charger, because that battery will get mega usage!!!

Monday, November 10, 2008

Bored on a Monday!

Today is such a boring day. Just very uneventful and plain. I need some spice.. I thought painting my nails last night in this bright ass pink happily named "Pop Pink" would make me happy. My infatuation with nail color failed me last night. I went to sleep with them partially dried so today they look like I was rolling around in the covers..

I need some new websites to visit daily.. Today I'm not interested in the Bossip/Mediatakeout/ConcreteLoop sites.. I think I'll head over to Kanye's blog. He always has something interesting there.. And sure enough he did!!

Sigh, it's still pretty early in the day and the only thing holdling my sanity together are my Imeem playlists, and my sidekick. I swear I couldn't live without my phone. It has everything I need: camera, AIM/YAHOO messengers, and my music (well a lot of it). Speaking of cameras, I need to buy another one. Some theiving bastard who was at my house, stole mines. I know I didn't lose it, because I would have found it by now. So for christmas I'm going to go & buy a brand new one. I'm loving that new Nikon one (you know the Ashton Kutcher commercial camera?!) and I'm thinking about getting one that comes with a printer. Hmm, dilemma.. Dilemma. I'll figure something out.

Friday, November 7, 2008

Why?! Why?!

Okay last night on my way to choir rehersal, me & my brother were listening to the local radio station game show "Hip Hop Jeopardy". So I couldn't call in because I dropped my phone & it was under my chair. But anyway, so they start asking the questions and both contestants were stumped.. The DJ even gave them good hints.. My brother was guessing.. I knew I had the right answer.. And the 2 idiots on the radio had nothing! So he tells them the answer and then moves on to question #2. The question was so easy: Name 1 movie that Q-tip was in besides Poetic Justice.. It took both of them a while, but the guy finally got it.. I swear if I had my phone & gotten thru I would be off work by now, going to get my free cd!

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

This week in history!!!

Well first off, I hope everyone got out to vote!!! And if you didn't, shame on you! But if you did, I'm proud of you.






Secondly, congrats to Barack Obama & Joe Biden!



And now to the extra good stuff!!!
John Legend & Q-Tip both dropped cds this week. I listened to Q-Tip's cd, The Renaissance, via Imeem playlist. After listening to it, I see that he is back on his Kamaal the Abstract-esque rhyming! I love it. I can't wait to hear John Legend's cd. He has never disappointed me with any cd/song/anything he was featured on, so I know I'll be happy to hear this one!!!


A Fresh Start!!!

It's been a while since I've blogged seriously!!! But now I'm back & ready to do it daily!!! Just an update on some things going on in my life: I've given up on my "dream" of doing hair. I don't even know if it was really a dream or just something I grew to like to do. I've also became an avid reader of Hampton Roads Craigslist's Rants & Raves section. I mean these people don't hold back!! Just check it out for yourself here (http://norfolk.craigslist.org/rnr/). But besides that I'm here (again) to start anew, bring you blogs that you can enjoy & share!!! (Eventhough right now I have like NO readers)

Ohhhhhhhhhh and I couldn't keep this out of this blog but Congrats to President Elect Barack Obama!!!!

Hair: Now, Forever, Always...

I've always loved hair. Hair is my passion. But recently, hair isn't what I want to do anymore. I don't know when or what changed but hair isn't important to me right now. My hair is important but doing other peoples' hair doesn't bring me much joy. It's like I was living this dream where I would become so successful from doing hair & be this superior mega stylist to the stars. But with no real clientel, no license, and no firm support system (by that I mean monetary support); hair isn't what I want to do anymore. I've realized that I was dreaming. I guess it's good I woke up just in time to figure out what I really want to do in life.

I'm not saying that I won't do hair, but it won't consume my life like it did before. I guess that will leave me with more time to keep my own head nicely done.

Hair, I've loved you, I love you still.. But it's not you. It's me. Sorry we had to come here, but I'm over you.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

My First Real Adventure into Weavedom!

Hello all!!! I'm a member of the BlackHairMedia Forum (check it out: http://forum.blackhairmedia.com/) and the ladies in the weave/extension section always give me such great inspiration to wear weave. I mean not like braids, but weave (sew ins, glue ins, etc).. So I finally gave in. First I brought some Pro-10 Bohemian Curl... The texture/length/color was exceptional! But after week #1, I couldn't handle it!! My scalp was itching something terrible so I decided to wash the synthetic hair.. Bad move! The curls didn't pop back after my conditioner wash. So by week #2, I took the hair out.



Now to this past couple of weeks. I've been YEARNING for some pretty hair. So I went and brought some hair from one of the many local beauty supply stores.. For 18 inches of hair, each pack cost me $36 and I needed 2. So I spent roughly $70 bucks on hair. That was a first. I got my hair done (full sew in, no hair left out) on Saturday October 11th. And guess what? I already want to take it out. I'm not too much of a complainer but when I want something done, I might as well do it myself. As of right now I'm not loving my hair that much.. I mean I like it, but I'm not in love with it!!! I took it out after 1 week.

I have been thinking about trying it again, this time with curly hair again just for Thanksgiving. And if it works out, then I'll be doing it more often. Right now I'm having a love affair with my naturally curly puff. It's getting bigger & bigger!!! Hopefully sooner than later I'll be rocking a ponytail puff!

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Braid Etiquette: What it is?

Braid etiquette is when you (the braider) asks what braided style you want, does it precisely as requested and the client loves it. The main goal is to make the client happy, so asking questions is great. How long do you want the braids, is the tension too much or okay for your scalp, is this size good for you? All these questions & more should be asked before, during, and after you have completed their hair. A lot of people will bring a picture or magazine of different braided styles so you can see what they want. I've had clients actually make up something as I go along braiding their hair. As a "perfectionist", I always give my first opinion of something. If I think it looks funny or bad, I will tell them and if they say, just keep going or that they think it looks good, I do; but I'm not happy with my work even if they are. Over the years, I have learned a lot about braiding hair: first braids last a long time as long as you take care of them, and are done neatly; secondly, moisture is great for braids! and lastly, braids promote growth.

Here are a few more questions to help you acheive client satisfaction to the fullest!
  • What is the desired style/look that you want?
  • What type of hair did you want to use?
  • Do you have a picture of this style or a similar style?
  • How long do you want the braids to be?
  • Am I braiding too tight?

And here are some questions your client may ask:

  • Can you acheive this style just like in this picture?
  • What type of hair do you recommend we use?
  • What should I use to moisturize my hair daily?
  • Can I wash these braids?
  • What do you recommend to wash & condition this style?
  • How long will this style last?
  • What should I use to protect this style while sleeping?

I hope this helps someone!!! Leave comments, questions, etc. Thanks for checking me out!

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

My Realization of Why Chemical Processes Go Wrong...

Good day people.. Yesterday my mom & I went to Barnes & Nobles which gave me some time to scan thru some of the black hair magazines (there were roughly 3 or 4 there).. As I'm looking at all these books I see beautiful hair and I was just thinking to myself, all black women could be walking around here with gorgeous hair if they knew what to do to it and learn how to care for it. Then as we were leaving, I was still thinking about hair care and what people do wrong.. I know that I'm one of them but I came to these conclusions:

  1. Relaxers: Yes, you can relax your hair without causing damage; it's all in how you apply it. If it is a virgin relaxer (meaning you have hair that has never had any relaxer on it previously), only then do you comb the relaxer all the way to the end of the hair shaft. Too many times have I seen or heard women overlapping the relaxer on previously relaxed hair, which causes breakage most times or over processed hair.
  2. The Frequency of relaxing: I know it is said that you are susposed to relax your hair every 6 - 8 weeks. Now I've thought about the actual growth of most peoples' hair is about a quarter of an inch to half an inch a month, relaxing hair at any of those lengths (in my opinion) is too soon! Now possibly within a entire month you get about 2 inches of new growth, then I could see relaxing your hair. But at half an inch, even 1 inch; I would tell my client that they don't need a relaxer, just a good deep conditioning and I would flat iron the hair. Call me crazy but I think the less you relax the healthier your hair appears. (When I was relaxing my hair before, I would go about 4 - 6 months w/o relaxing my new growth and I had a lot with close to NO breakage.)
  3. Strength of relaxer used: I have never, ever, ever had a super strength relaxer touch my hair, a family member's hair, or a clients hair unless that is what they wanted to use. I would never suggest a super for anyone!! Now some people would disagree but a super is too strong in my opinion. But then again I guess people like hair that lays flat down, with no body!
  4. A good hair care regime: After getting a relaxer, you can't just go into braids or not caring for your hair properly. You hair is super fragile now. I personally would wear my hair in ponytails (when I was relaxed) but after abusing my hair with rubber bands, I noticed major breakage in the back of my head, so I stopped wearing them as much and would wear my hair out. I loved the look of a fresh wrap or a roller set. So my top 3 hair styles would be a roller set (which can transition into a wrap), a wrap, and a rod set (it gives off a curly look and lasts for weeks!).

I hope this helps someone who has relaxed hair see where the damage is coming from and try some of my suggestions!! If you have questions please leave a comment!! I will try to answer all questions as soon as I get them!

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

I've Been Busy!!!!!

Okay, the past couple of weeks have been a little bit crazy since I started my blog. I’ve been at the shop, had a family reunion, and trying to spend time with my family and other loved ones. Now, on to the hair!!! I recently did a full sew in at the shop on the shop owner.. At first I thought, this maybe will come out pretty good.. Then as I’m finishing it, I’m like this is pretty good!! And as soon as I spin her around to get a first & complete look at it, she jumps up with so much joy & screams OMG Ebony this looks wonderful!!!!!!!! I was like really??!! And she was just so amazed and in love with it that we took pictures of it immediately and played in the mirror!!! She was my LUCKY NUMBER 6 sew in, and LUCKY NUMBER 3 for a full sew in!

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Braiding Hair

Braiding hair is a international thing, people of all races braid hair or get their hair braided.

As a braider, I think braiding hair is wonderful. It's so hard for a good braider to be deemed the greatest. I don't think I'm the greatest, but I don't think I'm the worst. I'm more of the less is more type of braider; I like simple yet classic styles when it comes to my braids. Some people may say I suck just because I do simple braids compared to the millions of designs & styles I could possibly do instead. I think that if the braids are neat, styled to fit the person's facial features, and exactly what the person wants; in their eyes, I'm probably a great braider.

During my time braiding hair, I've ran into 3 types of customers who want braids: Customer 1: just wants something simple, neat, and worry-free. Customer 2: wants something a little more detailed, neat, and still worry-free. And Customer 3: wants something EXTRAVAGANT and neat. With Customer 1 it is very easy to please them. I would give them a idea of what I think is simple & neat and run with it. Customers 2 & 3 are a little bit harder since more than likely they both have their own idea of what they want & want my opinion of their idea. Some people already know how it should turn out and then others, have no clue what it will look like even at the half way point. Customers 2 & 3 may just want something out of the ordinary, but have no idea of what they want it to be. I would give them both a braid book and let them choose what they may want.

This is for any type of braids: micros, box braids, cornrows, kinky twists, etc. People just want their hair to look good.

What type of customer are you? Leave your comments!

1st Blog!!!

Hello all!!!
This is my first official blog! I'm so excited right now. Anyway, thanks for checking me out. Please stay glued to me, I will be sharing (hopefully daily) my thoughts about hair, advice on hair, and just HAIR!
Hair is my passion, I've been doing hair since I was about 13 years old, and it comes to me like second nature. I'll share my experiences with my own hair, doing other peoples' hair, and the importance of GOOD hair care!
Thanks again & God Bless!