Islandtulip

It's SUMMER the ranging heat is a huge indicator of this, and with summer comes fun nails and I live for good nail design and color.  Summer nails usually scream nails with bright neon colors, palm trees, and fruits this summer is no different and I have compiled a few of my favorites from Instagram but I have also inserted a few pastel color nails cause let's be honest not everyone is willing to rock bold colors on their nails and that's fine these pastel colors I have included go great with the summer vibes as well so whether you are going for bold or subtle here are 30 nail designs for you this summer.

I have quite a fascination with nail art it's extremely soothing and inspirational for me to sit and watch talented individuals bring such work of art to such a small canvas, I love referring to it as wearable art. The process is just absolutely magnetic going from a blank canvas to something just amazing seeing that topcoat being applied and the art just coming alive it's truly addicting. I've decided to attempt my own designs trying at a slow pace to learn and deliver my own work here is a video of my first attempt at a design, I decided to do something floral as it's one of my faves with a touch of black and white. I have a ways to go getting my videos to be better and I am working on this but for now enjoy my first video, can't wait until I've reached my hundredth video and I look back at where I first began.

Enjoy

So I have been on my natural hair journey for a little while now big chopped back in 2015 did a mini chop in 2016 to get rid of my bleached ends. So here I am on this journey buying hair vitamins which can be costly for a broke chick like me, buying oils, biotin, trying all sorts a voodooism on YouTube 😂😂and I'm like shouldn't my hair be further along than it is right now? like what the hell be going on here though. I'm over on Instagram seeing before and after pics like big chopped two weeks ago after pic goes from almost bald to back length, meanwhile, I'm here like big chopped in 1920 after pic saying grew an inch. I mean I'm doing like vampire years right here and my hair barely looks like it as grown.

What am I doing wrong sure maybe I should probably stick with one thing rather than be all over YouTube trying one thing after the other, but when you try something for an entire month you expect to see a greater difference than had you not tried something for the purpose of which you did.

I love my hair but I would love to see my curls brushing my shoulders having this really nice thick voluminous hair. I swear Instagram is like that annoying kid in preschool who teases and taunts you like look at me my hair is better than yours 😂. I think I need to take a chill pill and just let my hair do its thing if it decides that less than quarter of an inch is all it feels like doing each month then do you baby when we get there we get there, pssshh who I am kidding I'll be back on Google in a second looking up hair growth treatment, looking for the next voodooism that promises to grow my hair 1 inch in a week 😢koodoos to y'all got a girl running around like she just excaped from the looney bin trying to get some growth on her head. Which just got me thinking damn down south grows wilder than a bush getting rained on every day I have to be mowing that lawn so often like why can't my the hair on my head take a page out of vag's book 😩 I think they need to do a study see what can be taken from down below and added to up top 😂😂.

I think I'm just going to put this tablet down now stop typing leave you all out of my twisted thoughts. Power to the growth until next time.

I have been procrastinating for a few months now. I wanted to write this review for a while, but I am just getting around to it.

Last summer I went to the Caribbean natural hair show which was held in Kingston, Jamaica. Just to share, that was my first natural hair show and it was pretty cool. They had booths that were selling hair products at discounted prices. Now I am not one to pass up a deal if I don’t have to. The product that caught my eyes was the Lotta Body Coconut and Shea Oil line. All the products from this line may be used on relaxed or natural hair.

As the name of the line suggests these products are enriched with coconut and shea oil, both these oils are beneficial to your hair. They hydrate, gives shine, manageability, moisturize among other amazing things. The products in this line smell AMAZING!!!!! I can’t stress how great they smell. I’ve had people tell me “Your hair smells really good, what did you put in it.” Yes, the scent is that amazing.

 Lotta Body Wrap Me Foaming Mousse



Like I mentioned before this Lotta Body Wrap Me Foaming Mousse product may be used on both natural and relaxed hair. It’s great for a twist out rod sets etc. I find that for a twist out and rod sets, this product works better on relaxed or straightened natural hair for my hair it doesn’t work so well with this style (I have 4c hair with a mix of something else lol) I use this as part of my curl routine when styling my curls. I use t as kind of a base to help my curls pop a little more. But I love it more for straightened hair so currently I’m saving the remainder of this product for when I get my hair straightened so I can get some really nice definition to my twist out and rod sets.









Lotta Body Control Me Edge Gel



This edge control gel is really moisturizing, after using it my edges were really moisturized. When I first applied the edge control, I was excited my edges were well laid giving me a sleek look, which let’s be honest every woman wants. Then I spun around the house like I always do before I leave out. Then I took one last glance in the mirror before I stepped out and my sleek edges were gone. Yup, I was back to square one again. The edge control did not last for 15 minutes. So then my excitement turned to disappointment. Another problem that I found with this product was that, when the sleekness wears off, it leaves my hair wet, so when I rest my forehead on my hand, pillow or whatever it touches it transfers. For these two reasons, this is my least favorite of the four. I think if they correct these problems, this could really be a good edge control.



Lotta Body Love Me 5 n 1 Miracle Styling Crème


OK, so this product is my second favorite. I milk this bottle to get any remaining crème. The 5 n 1 crème is said to:

• Detangle & Condition
• Heat Protection
• Adds Moisture & shine
• Prevent Split End
• Tame Frizz

I can’t say for certain that it does protect against heat, I rarely use heat in my hair, but I do live in a tropical country so I use it that regards. It is absolutely wonderful at moisturizing, conditioning, detangling and helping with shine, it does help with the frizz as well. I do recommend buying.

And last but not least my absolute favorite





Lotta Body Moisturize Me Curl & Style Milk


This product is big on moisturizing, and that’s saying a lot because my hair rejects moisture. I use it religiously to give my hair that soft, moisturized and shine look and feel. It does give my curls/coils definition, not as much as a gel would but it gets the job done without that hard, crunchy feel. I feel like I can’t put a comb through my hair without this and the 5 n 1, I use them together and I truly love them. I will continue to buy both when you find a good thing you find it hard to let it go.

To wrap up this is a great line smells great moisturizes, conditions and adds shines. They just need to iron out a few kinks in the edge control gel and then it will be good to go. Again the scent is AMAZING!! Give them a try and let me know what your thoughts are.

Photo by bruce mars from Pexels

For the most part, you will hear naturals saying that going natural is the best decision they ever made and that going natural wasn't really that hard. I say first statement truth second not so much.
I decided I wanted to go natural In September 2014 after my last perm. I was really ready to say goodbye to the dreaded chemical processing days I had to look forward to every six to eight weeks and at that point my hair was rejecting the chemical so bad that I would try to sit as long as I could to get my new growth as straight as I could, even enduring some burns and still my hair would seem as if I hadn't straightened it in a while. I was just over it all. But I wasn't for the option of doing a big chop, I swear my head was just too big to go bald, so I decided to transition.



I kept up with transitioning for a few months, cutting the processed section of my hair little by little. By the time I got to May, however, I had cut so much off that I wasn't able to put my hair in one like I did throughout the process( this style worked wonders for me, my go-to) now it could not be done.
I opted for braids, crochet braids, full sew in to help make the transition much easier. They helped a lot along with water and natural oils. I had two texture on my head which now was becoming hard to manage and so I grew eager to cut all the processed hair off. On May 27 I got up and just decided to do away with it, I did it!!!! Now, what???? I was lost, I tried doing twist outs that were a bust, tried Bantu knots no luck there, flexi rods still no luck. I was like what the hell!!! I saw all these YouTube videos of people styling their hair and theirs came out so nice didn't look anything like my train wreck. What's up with my hair? Nothing is working out. Then I discovered headbands I wore those babies a lot they were my go-to lifesaver because I was just out of options. As I went along I tried new products to try and found what works for me. I have low porosity hair so finding a good moisturizer is key.

Here are a few things I learned that I would like to share and I hope may help someone who is now transitioning and will be doing there big chop soon.

• I found that during transitioning it's best to cut your hair little by little go at your own pace, you don't have to rush, there is going to be a day when you will get up and just want to chop it all off for whatever reason but be sure to have a game plan if not you will regret it.

• After doing the big chop the first few months won't be easy ( let no one tell you otherwise) this is the time when you're just getting to know your natural hair, you don't know what works for it at this point so you will have to try techniques, hair products, and styles to find what works.