What a BUSY week...

This is going to be a semi-random post...I'll do better this weekend (hopefully lol!)

First off, the weather is heating up here in Houston, and the change of the seasons always comes with crazy allergies too...I need Mucinex AND Vitamin C on tap!

There's been so much going on this past week and I want to cover them all, but I'll just briefly do a rundown.

• A week ago I was in Austin spending time with my sister, mother, sister-in-law, and niece...we had a great family picnic on the lake, and my aunt debuted her new natural TWA :)
• Sunday was Mother's Day and I was featured on Black Girl Long Hair!!! AAAAHHHH!!!!!
• Monday May 14th the This Hair Of Mine facebook page reached 1,000 family members!!! AAAAHHHH!!!!! If you aren't following me there, it's as easy as clicking the "Like" button to the right :)
• Tuesday May 15th was Women Are Gamechangers 1st Gamechanger Fusion event!  Although I wasn't able to attend, I hear it was a fantastic turnout at an awesome venue!  I hope I can catch the next one :)
• Thursday May 17th was the Welcome To Houston: Kim Coles Celebrates YOU! event at Natural Resources Salon.  I cannot begin to tell you how much fun it was to connect and reconnect with beautiful naturalistas!  The highlight of the evening was spending it with THE Kim Coles...she's fabulous, funny, talented, eloquent, gorgeous...it was really something special to be part of.  She was also gracious enough to do an impromptu Blogger round table where we were able to ask questions and interact with her on an even more personal level.  I think it really gave us all a peek into the person behind the comedy, and it was really special.
• Saturday May 19th (tomorrow) is the Houston NNHMD event at Pappadeaux, 6015 Westheimer Rd.  This will be a casual event to mix, mingle and CELEBRATE being natural!  Be prepared to chat, laugh, share stories, and enjoy some great Pappadeaux food (I'm needing a Swamp Thing in my life!)
• Sunday May 20th is the cherry on top of a great week for This Hair of Mine!  The Brunch with EDEN event is taking place with the EDEN BodyWorks team and I am serving on the Host Committee with my favorite Houston Bloggers!!  It's going to be a great networking opportunity and I'm super excited for it!

See what I mean!!  I can't wait til I can take a break!!  I've been playing around with the idea of doing twists or braids extensions to get me through a chunk of the summer since it's already getting so hot...I haven't done them in a long, long LONG time so I don't know how that'll work lol!  Y'all pray for me!!

I do want to send a special thank you to ALL of you that follow my blog...I'm coming up on my 1 year Blogiversary and I definitely couldn't have made it without your support.  GROUP HUG!!!

Lisa Michelle

Step Outside of Your Box

I was watching an episode of Oprah's Life Class last night, and this time the series was focusing on breaking ruts, getting out of your normal routine, and generally stepping outside of your box.  She visited some of her old episodes and found ladies that had lost some of their zest for life and found ways to empower them.  One group of ladies were single mothers who had been living an unfulfilled life - they went skydiving and found their spirits again.  Another lady had always had weight issues, and she ended up shedding all of her clothes (down to her draws!) and pretty much ran through the neighborhood.  Another lady had become a frumpy mom, wearing applique sweaters year round.  She had lost her sexy and wanted to find herself again...so she got a makeover and had been practicing pole dancing to bring the spice back into her marriage.  She has since grew her business to an international company and still maintains a sense of self within herself and for her marriage.

I rocked my "Out The Box" Style...

This episode had me thinking about how this applies to my natural hair...am I stuck in a box?  In my thinking, strange or otherwise, I haven't relied on a "box" in over 7 years, but does my hair put me into another box?  I wear my staple style pretty frequently and don't usually divert from it, but maybe I should?  I've been doing a lot more experimenting with different styles, shapes, products...doing things I've only seen other naturals do.  I guess I have a fear of doing something SO different, SO outside the box, that it won't be received well.  Maybe I'm scared sometimes....okay I'll say it.  I AM SCARED sometimes to wear my hair in different styles.  But it shouldn't matter...it really shouldn't matter how people are going to receive me.  Guess what, if somebody doesn't like me for my hair then why should I care!  I may not be my hair, but it's an extension of self, and if you can't get with it...well I just can't waste my time worrying about somebody else's feelings when they don't make or break me.  I'm sure somebody else feels me out there...but for now I'm done ranting!!

Basically what I'm trying to say is step outside your box, don't get stuck in the same ole routine.  This can be extended beyond hair and into your everyday life....the only way to make a change is to do it.  You can't expect things to just happen if you don't put forth the effort to make it happen.  Look at me!!  I'm just reaching my 3rd full month of blogging about my hair, but now I can say I've been apart of a professional photo shoot, I've put out over 10 videos on YouTube, I have been able to reach so many people on Facebook, and I'm going to be a blogger for the biggest hair expo coming to Houston in December...I had to step outside the box, quit procrastinating, and speak what I hope for into existence.  God is SO good...when you finally give in and let Him work.  *steps down off preacher stool*

Have a wonderful day THoM family, thank you from the bottom of my heart, and remember it's okay to step outside your box :)

Lisa Michelle ;)

THANK YOU!!! 1st Giveaway Success!

Oh my goodness, I am so grateful right now...THoM readers are AWESOME!! You all have shown me so much love and I can't thank you enough for spreading the word about my very first contest. Now on to the good stuff!!

With the help of Random.org, the winner is....

MANU

Manu writes:

One thing I had to overcome during my natural hair journey was finding the right products for my particular hair type and achieving certain styles. There is so much information out there, and it is hard to sift through it all! I tried so many products and spent a huge amount of money in beginning in a pursuit for healthy moisturized hair. What I love about my natural hair is that it is healthy! Once you find what works, it works! (when I had a perm, I constantly had to change my regimen)I also enjoy the fact that I can play in my hair and I don't have to worry about broken hair strands all over my bathroom floor or my clothes.
Manuela A.

I'm sure a lot of other Naturals can relate to your story, so thank you for taking the time to enter.  Please email me at lisa@thishairofmine.com so I can get your info to ship your goodies :)  Please email me by Sunday, October 30th or I will select the next name from the drawing.

I just want to say thank you again to everyone to participated in my very first giveaway.  Please know that there will be more, I PROMISE!! I'm going to try and have another one before the year is out ;)

Stay tuned and continue to follow me on the blog, Facebook, and YouTube as well! Have a happy Thursday!

Lisa Michelle

Good Morning Monday!

Hey y'all!! It's Monday and I'm getting back in the swing of the workweek after spending a weekend in the great city of New Orleans.  I had lots of fun, took lots of pictures, and managed to get a couple posts and a video out.  My hair is still kicking too :)

I didn't do anything to my hair last night...just slept on my trusty satin pillowcase.  If you don't have one yet I would seriously consider picking one up...ASAP!!  Out of all of the hair tools/accessories I've purchased, this is probably the best purchase I've made since being natural.  My hair is SUPER soft, still is holding curl, isn't smushed, and I'm ready for the day!  This is a few days old twist out, done on dry hair so my hair is stretched pretty good.

This isn't meant to be a long drawn out post, I just wanted to say good morning :)  I am getting the Anita Grant rhassoul application video together, among other things, and I'll try to post that tonight or tomorrow.  I would also like to say THANK YOU to those who are new to my blog, as well as those who've been reading since I started.  My personal HAIRstory should be appearing on NaturallyCurly.com tomorrow and I've reached 200 likes on my Facebook page, so this is perfect timing for my very first GIVEAWAY!!  I will tell y'all it's a couple products that I use regularly and I really think you would enjoy them as well.  I will announce what it is tomorrow and how you can enter.

Oh and if you haven't already, please check out my YouTube page, LisaMsLisa.  Subscribe, rate and comment if you like, and as always I appreciate the support!  I just posted a video showing how easy it was to take my twists down from the Naptural85 twisting method.  I will definitely work on a video of me actually twisting my hair...I've gotten quite a few requests for that as well.

What are some other things you'd like to see on This Hair Of Mine?

Lisa Michelle

Tell A Friend...This Hair of Mine Giveaway is Coming!!

Hey Naturals!! I know it's late, not as late as I'm used to posting but I'm trying to get a better night routine going (and it does NOT include staying up past midnight lol!)  I've been thinking about what I'd like to offer as a giveaway for my loyal members...and thinking...and thinking.  I finally figured out what I'm going to provide to a couple lucky folks, but I need y'alls help to spread the word about my blog.  I will be announcing the giveaway upon one of two things happening - reaching 200 likes on my Facebook page (go hit the button!!) or reaching 50 members on my blog.  I would love to bridge the discrepancy between the two, but such is life :) I'm just happy and pleased to be able to reach as many people as I can with my one little ole voice.  So help a sista out, tell a friend to tell a friend about This Hair of Mine.  If you know someone who's been thinking about going natural and hasn't quite yet decided, send them my way.  I may be a newbie blogger/vlogger but I think I've made a nice, comfy forum for all those who've joined.  I'm always open for question, comments and suggestions so feel free to be interactive on the site.  

That's enough of a plug, guess what I purchased today? After watching numerous videos and stalking her blog, I finally let Kinky Kurly Queen talk me into purchasing Bee Mine Bee Hold Curly Butter. I figured I'd give it a shot...and I'm a sucker for 20% off at CurlMart.com ;) I feel that my PJ monster is like the plant on Little Shop of Horrors (FEED me Seymour!!) I'm getting some good stuff, so much so I don't think I'll have enough hours in the day to try all of the goodies in my posession.  Check out Kink Kurly Queen, I think out of all the bloggers/vloggers I follow, I most closely identify with her.  Our hair seems quite similar (although hers looks a whole hell of a lot easier to detangle...and thicker too) and I love her disposition and attitude.  Her braidouts are THE BOMB and I promise one day I'm going to get at least one good one like hers :)

Meanwhile, back at the ranch (haha!!) I'm still rocking my twists from Saturday's washing, conditioning, and styling using Shea Moisture curl enhancing smoothie.  I know I have like 3 reviews to edit, this is adding another one on my list, but I figured I'd give it a shot.  It feels a little funny to me, I'm used to butters that melt and this seemed to coat my hands and took some work to get through my hair, but my hair still feels pretty smooth and looks quite shiny.  We'll see when I twistout before work tomorrow.  Tuesday is also our Nappy Love Houston Meet-Up at Natural Resources Salon.  I'm excited to get to see the ladies again, and I'm making sure I bring my camera (charging up as I type) and my camcorder to document the event.  I love being a part of a community that can embrace one another, lift one another up instead of demeaning, and support each other as we travel a similar path. 

I guess that'll do it for the night.  I'll pub again for your support of my blog, Facebook and YouTube channels.  Please take a moment of your time to subscribe to all of my various media outlets.  I appreciate every single one of you, every question, every comment, every suggestion is genuinely taken to heart.  I hope I can spread a little natural love in your day.  Have a peaceful night!

Lisa Michelle :)

PS: Are there any questions or issues you'd like for me to inquire about at the Natural Resources Salon visit?

Open Letter

Good afternoon Naturals!!  I just wanted to make this an open post asking for your help.  If you can't already tell, I love to tell stories and now that I'm getting some video and editing work under my belt I hope to bring more to my blog.  My intentions for the creation of this blog were to share hair stories, not just of myself, but of those who love their hair as well.  I would like some feedback from those of you who have perused the site on what you would like to see more of.  I'm no expert, but I've lived with my natural hair for the last 7 years...there's not much I haven't experienced.  There are so many blogs that I look at on the regular and I love all the information that's readily available within our community.  So what would make this site more interactive, more informative, more creative?  Would you like me to do more videos? Product reviews? More hair stories (Curly Tales) Tutorials (as best as I can show)?  I will definitely work on a giveaway soon, I know that always gets me excited!  I will share as much of my own hair journey, struggles and triumphs, with you and I hope that you will do the same with me.  This site is here to encourage, motivate, educate and support all those who have traveled this path.  Thank you for accompanying me on this experience...I'm still learning along the way!  Hope you all have a blessed day!!

Lisa Michelle :)