Sunday, May 10, 2009

Something That Bugs Me

Good day my brothers and sisters....Happy Mother's Day to all the moms, grandma's, dad's who play the mom role and you pet owners cuz you know those animals are like children to you.
I just got through talking to my mother and she hit upon something that has been bugging me for a long time now. You know we look to the medical industry to aid in keeping us healthy, mostly by giving us information that will help us. It is appalling to me how this just does not happen. It seems as if there are very few doctors that really care about the people they are supposed to be serving. They just want to push the latest drug down your throat or cut you open with the latest surgical technique rather than actually solving whatever the true problem is. Take me for example, I have known that I have high cholesterol since I was 23, no one seemed too concerned about it at that time (HMMMMMM seems like a good time to get me pointed in the right direction .... don't you think), but as soon as another medical issu comes up, they are leaping all over themselves to convince me to take cholesterol meds (which are horrible---yahoo or google them and read the side effects....YUCK!!!!!). I consistently refused to accept these drugs. I suggested to a medical doctor once about trying natural methods for 3 months to see how that would work, needless to say I was met with a lot of attitude. What did she have to lose by allowing me to try that and see how it went???? A payday from the pharmacuetical company, that's what (that's a topic for another blog though). Anyway, I now go to a Naturopathic Doctor. With these individuals it's all about trying natural rememdies first and drugs lastly, if necessary. Not once has this doctor mentioned cholesterol drugs. After my first test with her came back high, she remarked that if she didn't see much change in the next one, she had a supplement she wanted me to try----a supplement people, not a drug---there are a ton of natural remedies for most ailments out there but most doctors don't take the time to explore them. Needless to say on my next test, 2 out of the 3 cholesterol related areas tested were within normal range (no supplement or DRUGS!!!). I just focused more on what I was putting in my body. Amazing things happen when you stop believing what you are told and start your own research.
That brings me back to the topic my mom touched on today----birth control and antibiotics. Did you know that antibiotics render your birth control ineffective during the time you are on them and up to 48 hours after your last dose? They do. Did you know that oral contraceptives inhibit certain necessary nutrients from entering the body in the way they are supposed to? They do that too, take your supplements people, the health food section kind, not the stuff in the middle aisle (centrum, one a day, etc. do very little except sit in your stomach).
Our food ---OH LORD---that's a blog all unto itself. I'm just gonna leave you with this for now.....limit how much you eat from a package---frozen or otherwise. Raw vegetables and fruit do you the most good.
For excellent mental enrichment check out www.undergroundwellness.com, the individual is also on youtube---this brother is spittin major knowledge. He is a licensed, educated professional. I believe he also has a radio program on blogtalkradio. I am very impressed with him and believe me i don't get impressed easily. Keep it healthy and happy brothers and sisters................educate yourselves, cuz ain't nobody else gonna do it for you.................much love, peace and blessings

Friday, May 8, 2009

WOOHOO

Today begins my mini-vacation. Too much drama in the workplace, I'm seriously getting to the point of no return. I have several little mental safety strategically placed throughout the year and this one could not have come at a better time. Mental health is just as important for hair health as products and techniques are. I'm gonna enjoy this time off so much, I might not even answer my phone or leave the house. Have a great weekend and remember to take time out for yourself....always.

Saturday, May 2, 2009

o the horror

i saw a blog stating that Suave may be discontinued!!!!!.....how horrible.....what will i use for conditioner. i looked through the other options and was not impressed....to say the least. now of course the area where this seemed to be happening was outside of the U.S. and that may have something to do with it. i mean if the parent company for this brand was in trouble, it would seem reasonable that they would cut shipment outside of the states. i checked my closest store that sales this brand and it was there;actually in bigger bottles. the store mentioned in the blog, that no longer had Suave, was Wal-Mart. There is a possibility that they may have discontinued their distribution relationship. i recall Kmart putting Isoplus Wrap Lotion on clearance, which is a big sign that it won't be there anymore, but when i checked the parent company's website it had several stores listed where the product could be purchased----Kmart was not in the list. i'm crossing my fingers that it won't go anywhere but this a call to action for me-----stock up, stock up, stock up.
.................................................I'm Out.......................................................................................................

Sunday, April 26, 2009

SEEING A DIFFERENCE

Okay, my hair is curling differently than it normally does following my little switch up in routine (co-wash then Suave for DT). The curls are not clumping the same. The clump is not as undeniably strong. I get curls, just not without product;like I normally would. I don't know if mybe I manipulated the hair a little more than normal in the shower or what. Well I'm gonna give it another go next week and see what happens. I may have to switch back to my normal DT.

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Changed a couple things today

So, I've made the decision to try just co-washing and conditioning instead of using the soap once a week on my hair. So on deep condition days (which I might bump up to twice a week) I will do a co-wash and then apply a deep conditioner. Now on the topic of the deep conditioner, I think I have decided to try just using my Suave conditioner as the deep conditioner for a while. I have used it this way before with outstanding results. We'll see what happens with that. I have the conditioner on my head right now doing a deep conditioning. The co-wash was interesting. My hair seemed fuller and slick when I got out the shower. This could be a majorly positive sign as my hair needs tons of moisture. As always I will keep you posted.

WHY WHY WHY

Why is it we sabotage ourselves despite the best intentions? This boggles my mind time after time. I know what to do to lose weight and I start but I stop, WHY!!!!!!! I have a medical issue that prevents me from consuming certain things (or at least on a regular basis) but then I go ahead and get sloppy with my slight amount of discipline on the subject, even though I know it could be very detrimental for me. I do not know why I abuse myself in such a manner. I wish I wish someone could slap me upside the head and give me a clue. Maybe then I would stop.

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Pre-Poo

Hi all.....hope everyone is having one curly success after another. Well i've seen so much from other people about doing pre-poo treatments, i decided to try it myself. Today is shampoo day (so to speak) so i wet my hair really well then applied my suave conditioner and allowed it to set on my hair for a little bit before rinsing it out and using my castille soap. my hair did feel different. quite difficult to describe the feeling (not a bad thing though). then i applied the deep treatment and i'm sitting here melting right now. we'll see if the pre-poo made any major differences. i'm going to try it a couple more times and report back on my progress.
that's all for now curlies.....

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

New Product Mix

Something inspired me to try the long aid activator gel again....and mix it with my softee gel (clean and clear). I LOVE THIS MIXTURE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I get the curl action of both without the overapplication of either. No greasiness from the activator gel (Love This). I can run my hands across my curls without losing them......yeah yeah yeah. I have done this mix for 2 days so far and it is wonderful. I can't wait until my hair gets longer.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

SHAKING THINGS UP A LITTLE PART 2

I forgot to mention in the last post that I added baking soda to my deep conditioning mixture as well. As I rinsed out the deep conditioning mixture I noticed a lot of lumps and bumps all over my head (except in this one area on my right side in the upper back crownish area and in the very middle back at the bottom....they seemed to be more straight!!!!!!!). I think I may have a 4th type of hair in my head (possible 3A anyone). I notice this straightness in these areas when I wet my hair on any day so I know it has nothing directly to do with the deep conditioner. Okay so the results....(drum roll please)....pictures are better than words:












As you can see I have all these wonderful clumps of curls right out of the shower with no product. I will be glad when my hair grows out, specifically in the top, so that I don't look like I have a ton of baldspots (or maybe I do....arrrrrgh!!!!!). You never know, I think relaxer chemicals halt the growth of hair in the follicles (could be why hair always seems to wind up so thin after a few months of being relaxed. Well this time I remembered to take pictures....yeah!!! Until next time,,,stay curly stay happy.



SHAKIN THINGS UP A LITTLE

I have tweaked my deep conditioner yet again. This time I did a way with the yogurt and didn't add any coffee. Here is what is on my head right now.....suave lavender and lilac conditioner(my hair loves it), neem oil (kinda smells like coffee), hemp oil, palm oil, shea butter, aloe vera gel, coconut oil, olive oil, eo's (tea tree, peppermint, eucalyptus, rosemary, lavender), castor oil and ground oatmeal for thickening. I just wrap my head in plastic wrap and allow my body heat do the rest. It's starting to melt now (been about 2 hours). I figure if I want protein conditioner I'll add an egg...there's protein in my gel anyway. I'll try and remember to take pictures when I rinse it out ( I always forget that part). I should've taken pictures after I washed with the castille soap....how much my hair must love it to clump up in curls after just having that on it...no conditioner or anything. Stay tuned my curlies for the dramatic results....lol.........

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

After Color Update

About a 1/2 hour after rinsing the color out of my hair and all, my scalp started itching something fierce. This continued until the next day when, after the 24 hour period was up I did a deep conditioner. I didn't think my regular DT was a good idea so I just used my Suave. Ok this was the greatest thing since sliced bread. My hair said "THANK YOU" as soon as I put the conditioner in. I'm not sure how long I let it sit but I'm gonna guess about 2 hours. I never thought Suave would do such a good job. When I rinsed it out, my curls were popping up all over my head. They remained this way for the rest of the day and overnight without any oil or product. I was pleasantly surprised. I'm pondering changing my DT by taking out the yogurt, unless I specifically want a protein treatment. Well I'll be doing that sometime this week and I will have to keep you posted. I really should've taken pictures....I never think about it until after the fact. O well ,,,,,keep it curly.

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Haircolr Since The Chop

I did my first haircolor since the big chop today. I used Revlon Colorsilk in Burgundy. This brand of haircolor is ammonia-free.....yeah!!!!!! Ammonia is horrible for the hair. I've used this brand before and always have good results, plus it's on the less expensive side versus it's competitors. Well after rinsing out the color I used my regular conditioner, since I had forgotten to bring the conditioner that came with the color into the shower (the original plan was to use the conditioner that came with the color and then follow up with my regular one....o well). When I was done I put the aloe vera gel and jojoba oil in my hair as I normally would. This time however my hair took to it amazingly well, lots of curls popped up everywhere. There were even still moderately defined curls viewable after it dried. It will be interesting to see how my hair will now react to other product and my deep conditioner. They say that hair dye can make your hair more porous;I guess it worked for mine. I'll let you know what happens.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

New Additions

I've started using aloe vera gel and jojoba oil as a leave in. It works great;makes my curls pop once I put the gel on. I use a nickel size amount of the AVG and a little less of the jojoba oil, emulsify in my hands (rub together) and apply to wet hair. Moisture, Moisture, Moisture.....That's all for now---Have A Curly Day.

Saturday, March 28, 2009

UPPIN THE ANTY PART DEUX

Okay let's focus this time...lol. So I bought the rosemary essential oil cuz i've seen it mentioned as a hair growth stimulator. We all want quick growth. I also bought a box of henna, walked past it twice til a sales lady helped me. I went back and forth on color cuz it doesn't show a picture on the label like regular color. I ended up with red. Hopefully it has good instructions cuz I don't know if i should do it on freshly washed hair or on product filled hair....o the confusion. I might try ginger essential oil too. I saw it in a recipe for scalp stimulation....yum. I'm kinda scared of what the henna will turn out like, I think I might wait for more growth before I do it.

I've been off sweets for a month as of today, I've lost 5 pounds, my hair is great, I have more energy and less pain (except for what needs to be worked out by massage....haha). I need to get up off my lazy and get back into a regular yoga routine. It's great for the body and mind but there are poses that take blood to the head (scalp) like downward dog. I did downward dog for a couple of seconds the last time I did a DT and oooooo automatic tingling in the scalp. If I could learn to stand on my shoulders that would be great. This pose is said to stimulate metabolism and of course the bottom half of the body is up so blood goes where.....to the head.

I'll leave you with a recipe or 2, let me know how they work for you:

Spa Scalp Treatment-

1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons of fresh ground lavender (or essential oil)
2 tablespoons dried peppermint (or essential oil)

warm ingredients in small saucepan (do not boil). massage into scalp over damp hair. cover hair with shower cap to keep heat in. sit in the sun, if possible, for twenty minutes. shampoo (co-wash) and rinse hair. should be repeated once a month.

Stimulating Ginger Scalp Treatment-

3 drops ginger essential oil
3 drops rosemary essential oil
1 teaspoon vegetable or nut oil

mix oils together and massage into scalp for five minutes. shampoo (co-wash) and rinse. repeat at least twice a week.


FYI-------
rosemary--stimulates hair growth
swiss pine--halts hair loss
cedarwood--strengthens the hair and cleanses the scalp
lemon--adds shine to the hair (but be careful in the sun, makes u extra sensitive)
lavender--thickens hair
eucalyptus--fights dandruff
cyprus--clears away grease
chamomile--lightens the hair color

HAPPY EXPERIMENTING.....

OK SO I'M UPPIN THE ANTY (IS THAT SPELLED RIGHT....LOL)

Hey u hair enthusiasts out there....hope your hair is playing nice with you. I'm thinking that adding a weekly hot oil treatment might be a nice thing for my hair and scalp. Seems like it would just glow with joy (get the joke...yeah). Anyway, I've been doing a lot of emotional and spiritual repair....which goes a long way in healthy body function (hair, skin, etc). I'm actually quite peaceful right now. I'm noticing a thickening in the hair in the back, towards the crown area. I'll be glad when the top catches up but of course i cut that part the shortest. I try to do scalp massages when i'm sittin round watchin tv or whatnot, tryin to get the blood flow hoppin. FYI-regular massages u know the lay on the the table and drool kind are great for bloodflow throughout the body cuz a tight muscle severely limits smooth flow of blood. So imagine what those tight neck, shoulder and back muscles are doing to the blood and nourishment tryin to get to your scalp......AAAAAAAARGH! THE HORROR! (All joking aside....I'm serious).

So enough griping. I bought some rosemary today to add to my various hair luxuries (treatments sounds so medical, you know). I have a book called "Spa Magic" by Mary Muryn that shows you different recipes for creating a spa at home and she lists rosemary, cedarwood and lavendar essential oils for hair growth. Peppermint is not listed but yes it helps too. Tea Tree helps with cleansing and dandruff. I have read a lot of threads on naturallycurly.com that speak of the amazing powers of rosemary essential oil, so I figure why not. I also researched neem oil and will be adding it to my hair's oil bath as soon as i order it. I found some on amazon.....i love amazon.

I also take supplements....just for general well being. I can not stress the importance of supplements for health and hair. You have no idea how what we put in our bodies as food is depleting our nutrients....i know u don't cuz i didn't lol. First off, you need a good multivitamin everyday, not the stuff over there in the vitamin aisle either, it has fillers. It's not supposed to but it does. Go to the organic section or a health food store. Fillers in vitamins reduce the bodies ability to absorb the nutrients....simple test to see if that multi is worthwhile: put it in a warm glass of water (simulates stomach environment) and see how long it takes for it to start dissolving ...if it even does. A lot of the popular vitamin brands just sit in your stomach until they pass through the bowel.....hmmmm not helping the body at all. Our food has very little nutrients anymore so that's not a good source of nutrients. Medicines kill our nutrients left and right. Eat your veggies and fruit everyday and try to eat them raw as often as is possible. Get your biotin....straight biotin, not the mixes (you know hair,skin,nail mixes). The one I have says to only take one a day plus my multi has a certain amount of biotin as well. Fish oil and Flax Seed Oil supplements are good too for hair and health. If I can get myself motivated i will publish a couple of health papers on here and you will have a start at what you need to research and learn about as far as your health and hair. The more you know, the more you will grow. I started ranting so I'm gonna add a part 2 cuz this is getting long....lol.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Tweaked Things a Bit

Hello all...I'm still experimenting. Yesterday I did my weekly deep conditioning (trying to figure out how to fit 2 into the week) and I decided to tweak the ingredients a bit. So, here's where it stands for now----yogurt, honey, shea butter, aloe vera gel, castor oil, olive oil, coconut oil, coffee (ground), essential oils (tea tree, peppermint, lavender), suave lavender and lilac conditioner (my hair loves this) and oatmeal. I added the oatmeal for thickening because without it I have the mixture running all down my back (icky mess). My hair loves this mixture. I could only leave it on for an hour because of the runniness but oh my god, the results were wonderful. I stepped out the shower, after rinsing and a condition with the suave and i had hanging corkscrew curls in the back. Now this is an amazing feat because my hair is still fairly short......ooooooo I can't wait to see how it acts when I get some length. The softness is undescribable. I think we have a winner.
Oh yeah I cleansed before the deep conditioner, first time in 2 weeks, seemed like it needed it. I used Dr. Bronner's 18-in-1 Hemp Peppermint Pure Castille Soap. the scent is lovely and my scalp tingled. Made my curls pop without conditioner.

Ingredients:

Water, Saponified Organic Coconut & Organic Olive Oils (w/Retained Glycerin), Organic Hemp Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Organic Peppermint Oil, Mentha Arvensis Extract, Citric Acid, Vitamin E.

Friday, March 20, 2009

Still Trying New Things

Hey all who might be following this....or maybe I'm the only one interested. Any how I'm still experimenting with my hair----YEAH!!!!! My Activator Gel is against me right now. I don't know what has happened but it just doesn't work like it did a few weeks ago...Oh well onto the next thing. Gel has always been a staple, I just don't like the crunchy it leaves. Today I tried my homemade leave-in for the first---Aloe Vera Gel, Shea Butter(raw!!!!!!!!) and Coconut Oil--(think I'll add honey next time I make it). I put it in after my co-wash/condition last night. This morning my hair was soft as feathers. I put more in with styling and added my gel. Well it didn't give me the automatic curls I was used to the first time I went natural;bout 2 years ago (although very little has been the same about my hair this go around). I'm thinking I may need a somewhat thicker gel to use with this leave-in. I'm going to give Softee gel a try. I'm also going to have a go at Suave naturals lavendar;since the Bio Balance conditioner (which I love) has mineral oil in it which has been said not to be good for skin (ie, scalp....YIKES!!!!);so I figured it's best to find an alternative. Looking to try the generic Biolage sold at Sallys Beauty Supply;been hearing rave reviews about it.

I must not have much porosity to my hair because it took until 4 pm (starting at about 7 am mind you) for my hair to really grasp the product and for curls to fully "pop". I'll try it with the stronger (I hope) gel and see how things go. Til later......

Monday, March 16, 2009

Success of my Deep Conditioner

I tried my deep conditioning concoction on Saturday. Well it went really well. I left it in my hair, under plastic wrap, for 5 hours. I did a couple of yoga poses during the treatment that required me to bend forward-----whoa-----what a rush of blood to the head. I felt my mixture heat up and start to tingle....excitement!!!!!!!! So, I washed it out and looked at it just to see what it had done if anything. Well my hair layed down so smoothly you would've thought I had wavy hair instead of corkscrew. I was pleased to say the least. Two things I would change---I would grind the coffee up and add fat (shea butter) to it as it is extremely hard to find yogurt with full fat. But, other than these 2 things, I think I have a mixture worth keeping.

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Trying New Things

So, I tried a new conditioner yesterday and I loved it. It's called Bio-Balance. I thought I had read the label carefully before I purchased it but I guess I didn't because when I looked at the ingredients again when I was getting ready to use it, I noted that it contained - mineral oil (eeeewwwwwww) and some parabens (but no cones---Yeah!?), so I was skeptical to say the least. To my surprise I noted a significant difference in my hair before I even got out of the shower. I had very very raised waves swimming through my hair. Once I blotted my hair I had major curls forming (my hair is still very short so they were close to the scalp). The curls remained even through the night without any product. I'm thinking this is a new fave....so long Aussie.

Now I am in the process of trying a homemade deep conditioner as we speak. It consists of organic yogurt, ground oatmeal and flaxseed and coffee. Coffee has been used in many spa services recently due to it's ability to bring blood to the surface of the skin (which of course gives it nourishment) so I figure the scalp is skin why wouldn't it work there. I looked through a natural recipe book I have and saw something about ginger for scalp stimulation as well so I may be tweaking this with the addition of the ginger-we'll see. I've also added flaxseed oil capsules to my supplement routine (can't begin to tell you all the good things about flaxseed in the diet) so we'll see how this all turns out. I'll keep you posted.

By the by may be concocting a new styling aid as well....definitely looking to use it as a possible lotion so why not try it on the hair if not for a product then a leave in........we will see what happens.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

I Tried Coconut Oil

So, i finally got the opportunity to try out coconut oil as a moisturizer yesterday. It worked great on my hair....I used it as a leave in before I used my activator gel. It made my hair curl very easily...even the parts that are coarse 4a type. Only a slight problem, at the end of the day my hair was slightly oily. So this will be something I do ever so often. Other than the oiliness it made for a great deal of moisture in my hair. I might just use it as a hot oil treatment from now on.

Saturday, March 7, 2009

GOING NATURAL----ROUND 2


this is my second go at being natural. the first time was in june of 2006. i made it a little over a year before i went back to chemicals---it just got so hard to manage. i didn't have any real guidance at that time on how to care for my hair. this time i'm much luckier. i've found several sites and communities that cater to the interests of the natural brothers and sisters.....yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!! i've gotten several good ideas andi'm going to apply them. one was for coconut oil as a leave in ---------mmmm yummy. i will keep u posted on how things go......til later peace and blessings

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very laidback i refuse to deal with drama or negativity