2020 - It's a Wrap

 

The year 2020 has been the year so far that I wish had a hard reset button. Since the death of Kobe Bryant back in January...it just seams this year has been on a downhill roller coaster. I was in a Launch Code class in the beginning of January, was dropped within a few months because I just couldn't keep up. Went on Spring Break at my job on March 13, it became extended due to CoVid-19 outbreak and didn't get back to work until June 8th.

 

Fuck you FedEx #FuckYouFedEx

As a business owner who depends on the various shipping companies to deliver my products. I normally don't have issues with service. Yet unfortunately since last week I have been going through "lost package hell" with FedEx. I reordered some supplies on November 3rd through Ebay from a vendor I had done business with previously. My package was suppose to be delivered on November 7th. Now I also want to make it known that all my packages that I have delivered whether they are personal or business are sent to my P.O. Box. I prefer this because if a package is dropped off at a residence anyone can just come by and pick it up. When delivered to a Post Office I feel confident that my packages are safe and looked after until I am able to pick them up.

Get out and enjoy yourself

Well this past Wednesday I had my first meetup for my latest class this semester. I'm taking Photography 2 at neighborhood community college and can already tell this class will be a challenge. I have more creative freedom to take pictures and that is a first for me in regards to not have a clear concise rules for what I can shoot. It's in my hands to the point I have to explain WHY I shot something a certain way. So I'm a tad bit nervous about that. We also found out that we will be making Pinhole cameras so I went to Total Wine & More and went into their cigar section and found an empty box that I thought would serve my purpose. I was only charged $1.64 (that's with tax) for my box. I had to let some of my classmates know, who were also with me last semester for Photography 1. So I am looking forward to constructing my very own Pinhole camera.

Woman in the Mirror

Well the first week of 2018 is officially on the books. Have I made resolutions for the new year? Nope. In the past I haven't had much success with them and decided I'm just not going to put pressure on myself like that. Yet I do plan on making changes to myself. I realize that there are things that I need to change. My health, finances, and professional goals are just a few. I'm trying to learn how to slow down and think things through. Last week I decided to really focus on self improvement and awareness.

Dipping my toes back in.....

Good afternoon to all,

It's been a while since I've been back to actually do a blog and trying to get myself back into the way I used to be about blogging. My mind has been clogged up with so much mess so I'm trying to learn new ways in regards to make my mind relax and not stress out so much. I'm trying to get back into loving me and learning more about what I can do and become.

#AllThatMsJazz Yummy Scents Collection Sale 15% off

All That MsJazz Hair & Body Products
Yummy Scents Collection Sale

November is the month of Thanksgiving and sweet treats, check out some of these sweet fragrances! The phrase, “You smell good enough to eat!” has never rang more true.  If anything you might have to refrain yourself from eating these particular whipped shea butters. Now you can finally enjoy your favorite treat without the extra calories.

It's been a minute....

It's been a minute since I've been actively posting. With my side business picking up momentum and also being back in college, I really haven't had time to just sit down and just take a breather. So on the short side my good news is that I received all A's in the three classes I was enrolled in for the Fall semester and my shea butter business has beening doing great as well.

Yet I think the funny thing is that I have not talked about my side business really except for my last post and this one. So since I am so late in regards to this for those who haven't checked out my Instagram, Facebook fan page, or Twitter account. I have a whipped shea butter business called All That MsJazz. Shea butter is wonderful from head to toe, but don't just take my word for it, try some for yourself.

Yesterday I did my first vendor showing at a church function and even though I had a good time, the event wasn't in my opinion really catered towards the vendors. I was grateful for the experience and I definitely learned from it. There is another vendor opportunity next weekend that I'm hoping to be able to participate in. If not, I'll be having a huge overstock sale.

Overall, I'm hoping to become more active again on my blog. I just have to find the time. 

Until the next episode....

 All That MsJazz

What do you do for an Auction, donate of course:)

Life is Beautiful and so is this basket!!

 Well the BMS Chili Cook off and Silent Auction which will be held next Friday at my job is almost here. This is one of the biggest events and is great because we receive a lot of traffic also due to the high school football game which also takes place as well. The Silent auction consists of not only donations from businesses around the area but also 'Family' baskets which are those made up by the groups of students at my job.

Since I started my business with my whipped Shea butters I'm always looking for ways to spread the word about my business and I came up with the idea back in July to make up a basket centered around pampering. I knew I wanted it to be a unique basket and I remember there was a former coworker, Kathleen Berhmann, who also had her own business, Buddha Bath and Body, making homemade soaps as well as other items. So I thought it would be a great idea to also ask  if she would like to donate some of her homemade soaps to the basket, another coworker, Denise Balley who is unofficially in to Partylite candles donated a candle holder and some votive candles. So since Denise wasn't an official rep I put the name of the lady, Kathy Willhite, who is her contact also in the basket as well.

I also bought a Loofah and some fuzzy socks to round out the items. 

I already had bought the basket and items to decorate the basket in advance at Hobby Lobby. I knew I had a certain vision for the basket but I knew unfortunately I wasn't skilled enough to put it all together. So this past Friday I finally brought all the materials up to the job and a coworker who had experience in making gift baskets put mine together and I have to say she exceeded all my expectations and did an amazing job.

As she was finishing up my basket with my hair dryer to shrink up the plastic so it would mold to the basket, her first class of the day was coming into her classroom. They were crowding around the basket and asking who it belonged to. I told them I had it made for the silent auction and that the whipped shea butters and soaps were handmade while the candle accessories were donated. It's a unique basket because all the items with the exception of loofah and the socks were from staff (present and past) who were connected to the school district that I worked for. 

the item list sign I made to go with the basket

I'm hoping the basket will be a big success and who knows, it might become something that we can do every year. If other coworkers have their own businesses and would like to donate then maybe next year the basket will be bigger. Not only are we doing it for a good cause but also it will help spread the word about our businesses.

All That MsJazz

Buddha Body & Bath

Party Lite - Kathy Willhite

 
Until the next episode....

 All That MsJazz

#Shake38 Shakespeare festival: Cleopatra and Antony

This past Friday I had the opportunity to participate in the Shakespeare festival which is known as Shake38. A friend of mine contacted me on April 20th and informed me that someone was going to be putting on a festival and was interested in having someone there talking about lotions and body butters and recommended my name to the person. 

So I made contact with the lady by the name Ilene Berman. We decided to meetup the next day at Chronicle Coffee  so we could talk and go over what she would need from me. I made sure to bring her a sample of my shea butters so she may try them out.

Overall we had a great discussion and she informed me of the concept she was envisioning since she was in charge of the Shakespeare play, Cleopatra and Antony. I left there with ideas already brewing in my head. I needed to make up business cards, produce product labels for my shea butters, and get other items so I could give out samples.

By the time Friday came around I was ready and left work early so I could make my way to the location with plenty of time to spare. I was able to relax for a while and take in some lunch at the The Best Steakhouse off of Grand.

So I make my way to my destination 30 minutes in advance so I could have a parking spot and met Ilene at the sidewalk. She introduced me to another lady who would be doing hair, Ayanna Thompson and another lady, Angela Malchionno was on her way who would be doing nails. She was also going to bring a spare table for me to use so I may lay out my items.

My table

So the event officially started at 1:30pm, Ilene was kind enough to let me use a table cloth she brought along. 

So throughout the day people came through and I talked about my products, gave out samples and my business cards. The other ladies there also were showing off their crafts. The young lady that was doing hair was doing an amazing job styling locks and even did my hair at the end.

Angela was kept busy the whole time.

By 3:30pm the event was winding down and Ayanna was doing my hair in a pretty up do. Around 4pm we were officially done and everyone was ready to go. I gave Ayanna a ride home and relaxed for the rest of the day. Overall I had a great time and told Ilene that I would be interested in the future of participating in another sidewalk show.

A few pictures of the hair style Ayanna Thompson did for me.

The right side was slowly unraveling so I took it down.

Until the next episode....

 All That MsJazz

As the Natural Hair Journey Turns

Since last May when I did my Big Chop I have been learning/struggling with my natural hair.  It has been a great experience and I definitely feel the challenge with it. Back when I was working with a TWA (Tweeny Weeny Afro) my everyday regimen couldn't have been easier. Yet as the months went by my TWA became a WTH (What The Hell). In fact, I thought I was doing pretty good up until this month. I was used to washing my hair with my products, detangling, and just letting it air dry.  Detangling has become more of an issue. It is to the point that I am working more on knots than anything else. I couldn't believe how much my hair had grown and I wasn't even at my 1 year mark which is not until May.

The following pictures were taken yesterday morning after washing my hair.

I've also learned to change or add to my regimen as my hair has been growing. I've added Shea Butter to my daily routine and love how it feels as well as how it looks in my hair. I still use my mixture of oils as well. I still enjoy my Design Essentials products yet felt as of lately I could no longer use the finishing products from their line because my hair wasn't cooperating. So I was left with just using my oils, the jojoba lotion from Design Essentials and then my Shea Butter.

So a week ago I decided I needed to make a hair appointment with my stylist Daisha because I felt my hair had gone past my "comfort zone" as far as understanding.  So for the past two days I was rocking a beret because my hair was just so unsightly I couldn't bear for anyone to look at it in its crazy state. My appointment with Daisha was set for 5:15pm at The Christopher Stevens Salon and I made sure to be there at least 10 minutes early. After my arrival I just relaxed but I did NOT remove my beret until Daisha was ready for me. I warned her that she might not get her fingers back and once she took off the cap and saw my hair she couldn't believe herself how long my hair had grown since she last saw me in October at a hair show.

After washing my hair for a while she concluded that I needed to go under the steamer to help with my knots that were in my hair. So after being under which felt around 30 minutes I was done and I must say it was an interesting experience.

 


 
 So after I was done, Daisha had me back at of the washing bowls and she then proceed to detangle and unknot my hair. She informed me that I was due for a trim since I had not had my hair done since the last time I saw her which was last June. The tangling was dead hair that had been wrapping itself around and so she took off around an inch. Overall she still couldn't believe my length. From what I could gather from measuring it myself, my hair had grown in length around 5 inches - 6 inches since I last saw Daisha in June. 

 

So after she cleaning up my hair I went to her styling chair. She asked me how I wanted to style it. I told her didn't matter to me and we decided on a big rod set. She said my hair had grown so long that I had jumped up 3 spots in rod sizes.

While she was rodding my hair I was informing her of my hair routine. What I really like about Daisha is that as I was telling her what I do with my routine not once did she shake her head and say I shouldn't do this or that. She just simply asked me how did I feel and if it was working for me. She is not judgmental. I also was asking her opinion on things that I was doing and if she had suggestions. 

Then I go under the dryer for over an hour. So after she was done styling my hair I asked her about upkeep and she stated that once a week to just separate the spirals and it will give it a fuller look as the weeks progress.

Overall I am proud with my natural hair journey. How far I have come and what I have learned along the way. I don't feel that I am expert by NO means, far from it. I simply take what I have learned and apply it the best way I know how. Now there are some things I will say have stood out for me.

1. I co-wash and/deep condition on the weekends. The only reason I might wash more than once a week is I am either working out a lot or my hair was having a crazy day. I do shampooing once a month, but I realize that I might need to kick it up to maybe twice a month once I get back to being more active and/or as my hair is growing.
2. Black Jamaican Castor Oil has worked wonders for me. I had this bald spot (at least I could tell and so could Daisha) on the crown area of my hair on the right side. I looked up the benefits of using BJCO and decided to give it a try. I have been using it since June of last year and I my hair has grown back in that spot. I use it in my deep conditioning regimen.
3. Nature is my best friend. The mixture of oils in combination with the homemade Shea Butter mixture I also use have made my hair feel healthy and strong. The elasticity in my hair is something else. I still enjoy my products from Design Essentials and As I Am. But the main thing is that the products that I make, I use on myself on a DAILY basis where as the other products I use on a WEEKLY basis. The oils I buy are Grade A quality (are edible), the same ones that you can find in your regular grocery store. Some others I buy from Amazon or Trader Joes. I do not buy any pre-made hair oils from the stores. They more than likely have extra ingredients that just act as fillers. The only oil that I have come across that I use but is NOT edible is jojoba oil. Not to mention if you go through the trouble of making it yourself, you save some money in the long run.
4. Eating my veggies and fruits. On many different forums and groups I've noticed people wanting to get the maximum benefit of using biotin, gelatin, or any other pill that can be bought or produced to help promote hair growth and length. I used to be one of these individuals until I realized that biotin was already found in some of the foods (veggies) that we eat. So I decided that since I was trying to get back in shape and I know eating healthy helps promote this, I was going to increase my intake on my veggies and fruits. Since doing so I no longer take any biotin or gelatin pills. Another thing I have added to my regimen is drinking veggie/fruit smoothies in the morning. I normally use a mixture (which varies) spinach or kale as a base, pineapples, raspberries, blueberries, or strawberries for fruit options and almonds, Flax seed or another nut etc....you get the point. For liquid I use either milk, heavy whipping cream, or even water.
5. Don't obsess over hair. After I had my hair cut I went through a mini-shock episode which only last about a few hours.  I then had a period of being impatient and just wishing my hair would just go through the motions and just grow back out already, I still have THOSE episodes from time to time, but not often. I realized that it was going to take time and that I only needed to focus on making sure I was maintaining my upkeep routine. For me the time flew by and now I'm seeing my diligence has paid off.
6. I am not an excessive product junkie. What I mean is that I do not feel at all that I have to try everything that comes out. I am the type of person who enjoys sticking with what I know. I have tried various products and even made my own. There are somethings that I have enjoyed and added to my regimen. Others I couldn't return fast enough to the store.  I feel right now I have my ideal regimen in place.
7. It's ok to have the best of both worlds. What I mean by this is that I am grateful to have Youtube in my life. I've have learned ALOT from women on there but I know there are just a handful I really enjoy paying attention to because: A) They have been in the natural hair game for a while. B) They are the same hair texture as myself (ranges from 4a through 4c)  and C) Their tutorials make enough sense that even I can understand them. Yet even as I have them for a reference guide for me nothing beats still having a professional that is willing to help you with your hair journey. I'm grateful that I have Daisha because she has been in the hair game, relaxed and natural for a long time. The fact that she was able to detangle the mess that I had yesterday is a testament to that. Now there are others who are out there who feel they have mastered their hair and don't need any assistance from Youtube or a hair professional and that is perfectly fine. I'm just saying for myself that I feel more comfortable knowing I have someone I can go to because I am far from being at the level of understanding with my own hair.

So as my 1 year Big Chop anniversary approaches all I can say that I'm thankful for what I've learned so far and look forward to what my journey has in store for me.

On a separate note: I decided that I needed to UPGRADE my satin Bonnet so I have decided to buy one only from a lady who makes high quality versions, her store is called FlorBella. After ordering from her, I discovered another lady who also makes them as well, her store is called Ebonicurls. So I thought I would put both their links in this post/in this paragraph for you to check out.



Until the next episode....

 All That MsJazz