My Quick and Easy Shea Butter/ Oil Mix

I started making this when I moved around a lot during the year and didn't have the necessary tools to make my original mix. So Just used the following ingredients minus the water I usually add:

Shea butter
virgin coconut oil
jojoba oil
sesame seed oil
extra virgin olive oil
vitamin e
grapefruit essence oil

I melted all the ingredients in a pot and then let it cool off before putting in a container b/c it melts the container otherwise. After it cools it solidifies again and voila! At first it looks grainy but if you rub the shea mix in your palms it melts and is fine to use. OF COURSE YOU CAN USE YOUR OWN CHOICE OF OILS!!

Natural Model: Meet Ms. Ashley Steele!

I thought it would be great to show that natural hair is considered beautiful even in a tough industry like modeling. That's when I linked up with Ashley Steele to do this blog. Enjoy the interview questions and spread the word on Ashley representing Ohio!!!

1) how long have you been natural? If you haven't always been natural what inspired you to go natural?

I have been natural since 2005. I made the switch when I went off to college. I never did the big chop, I slowly phased the relaxer out of my hair getting trims every now and then; it didn't take too long!

2) what is your favorite thing about your natural hair?

The fact that I don't have to do much with it to make it look good. I don't have to sit in a hot salon for hours on a Saturday, or risk burning my scalp with chemicals. Just keeping it clean and moisturized works. I also like how BIG my hair is! I think it frames my face very well and emphasizes my prominent African features.

3) what is your favorite natural hair style?

Either a simple twist out, or when I pin it up into a mohawk…Natural chic. (: I need to find some new styles to try...

4) would you consider yourself a product junkie or do you keep it simple?

I'm always trying to try the newest thing out, or something someone just wrote a rave review about. I wouldn't say I have a set routine because of this so yes, product junkie! (: I'm currently using Carol's Daughter products (almost the whole line lol).

5) What are your thoughts on this "new natural hair movement"? Do you think it's a fad or a trend that's here to stay?

Its a movement I'm glad to see! Natural beauty is the best kind! Some ladies use lace front wigs and tracks and lets just say it's not always a good look. I'm not afraid to be who I am! It's beautiful! (: I think it is definitely here to stay. I get compliments on my hair all the time, and lots of women tell me they are also considering going natural. Women I know who have been natural for years I'm sure have embraced it for life.

Questions concerning modeling w/ natural hair:

6) I'm pretty sure most naturals can agree that we can see more and more Black women going natural. This is also being reflected on t.v. And in some magazines. Working in the modeling industry, are you seeing more Black models embracing their natural hair?

Sadly I'm not. In the industry it is all about your look, natural or not you have to present yourself better than the next. So if it includes fake lashes, tracks, or implants some women will do it. I'll go as far as fake lashes lol. At a casting call, I'm usually the only natural. I can recall 1 occasion where there was one other than myself.

7) do you find it more difficult to book photo shoots because of your natural hair? When you do get a call backs for jobs do they want to straighten your hair or add straight weave for a more European look?

Actually no! People prefer to work with me in my natural state, telling me it makes me unique and really enhances my facial features. I do however want to get a few photos in my portfolio with my hair straight. It helps to be versatile and be able to wear different looks.

8) has anyone ever tried to convince you that relaxing your curls would be better for your career? If so what did you tell them?

Nope! I think they know better (: I'm stubborn!

9) if you found it too difficult to find work because of your natural hair would you consider chemicals again?

No, it's not worth it. And I don't think I'll be presented with that problem. However, if I am, I hope the stylist has the time and patience to wash, blow dry, deep condition, comb, twist, blow-dry and then straighten! No more chemicals for me!

10) what advice would you give other aspiring natural hair models trying to break into the industry?

Don't be intimidated by the fake. Embrace your natural look, your natural essence and natural beauty. Your confidence can help your shine brighter than the competition! (:

I LOVE all of Ms. Steele's answers to my questions! Love her look too! Definitely someone to put into your "natural hair inspiration" folder! lol

You can check more of Ashley Steele out at www.AshleySteele.com or on Twitter. Her screen name is MsAshleyS
BTW, LOVE THE LOOK IN THE SECOND PIC! TO CHECK OUT THE T-SHIRT AND SOME MORE CUTE URBAN WEAR GOT TO ILOVETHEHYPE.COM

Changes to My Avocado Coconut Mix (deep conditioner)

Everything in life is experiments and lessons learned and that goes for [inspiring] mixtresses too! lol I have changed my recipe of my avocado coconut mix by adding more of the moisturizing agents. Avocado in itself is a great moisturizer due to it being a fatty fruit. However, it is good to give it a boost with more honey, coconut oil and coconut milk! Check out my original recipe here...

well, I noticed that I wasn't getting the moisture boost that I was looking for so I added more honey which also moisturizes the hair. This time I added 3 tbsp instead of 1. Next the coconut oil I added 4 tbsp instead of 2. The coconut milk stayed the same pretty much except I added a tad bit more. maybe 3/4 in stead of 1/2. My hair felt better moisturized afterward. Now, everyone has different needs for their hair so please experiment! If you need a protein boost, add mayo or just an egg. If this recipe does not provide the moisture you need then add more moisturizing factors like shea butter. Do what works for you! Until next time natural Barbz! Peace and Blessings

Food for the Hair: Bananas

Banana is not just for eating. It can be added with other ingredients to make a wonderful conditioner/deep conditioner. What are the benefits of banana exactly? Well, to start off, banana contains potassium which is great for softening the hair shaft. It contains natural oils and carbohydrates, and Vitamins A, B, and C. These are all good in keeping the hair's natural elasticity and preventing spit ends and breakage. Bananas can also create manageability and shine and prevents or controls dandruff. I have also read on some websites that it can also promote growth but I would not put a conformation on that yet. Now for my experience, i did an avocado and banana conditioner a while back when I was transitioning. I can say that my relaxed hair did not like it but my natural roots loved it. The thing I would recommend this time is using baby food bananas instead of whole bananas because the pulp will definitely get stuck in your hair. Now I looked at a couple of recipes and I re-worked it to fit the baby food jars which are about a half of a banana for the stage two jars.

2 stage 2 jars of banana (baby food)
1/4 cup of honey

stir the two together or use a blender/mixer (whatever is your preference). Leave it on for however long you'd like and rinse. Voila!

Now using Avocado:
half of a Haas avocado (this particular kind is small)
and 2 jars of banana baby food (stage 2)

mix together in a blender and apply to hair. I would suggest leaving this one on for a while since it can be used as a hair mask. Maybe 1 hour at the least.
Well, that's it for this post, natural hair Barbz! Love ya. (Peace and blessings).

Hand in Hair Syndrome: Ways To Fight It

Have you ever caught yourself playing in hair? Taking each coil and twirling and stretching it? What about if you have twists or braids? You tend to "search" your hair for any section that feels funny and untwist and twist again. At the end of the week you have a frizzy mess. Well, I am a victim of Hand in Hair Syndrome. No wonder by the end of the week my twists are a big fuzz ball! It's not just the problem of the upkeep of your hair but pulling on it too much can cause breakage. There are ways to fight this. I call them super protective styles because there is no way to damage your natural hair unless you are seriously yanking on them. Extensions. Yes, braids, genie locs, and kinky twists are a few. Even a sew in weave, but be careful not to get your hair braided too tight. My preferred method for a quick fix is wigs, preferably lace front or full lace wigs because they have a natural hair line. I do not suggest gluing or taping it down because of the damage it could do to your hair line if you have an extended hair line. There are many brands that do no require this so do some shopping around if you are interested. The above pics are of a couple of styles that I recently purchased and thoroughly enjoy. Thanks natural hair Barbies and Peace and Blessings...

Join the Challenge My Natural Hair Barbies!!!

I am joining a youtuber's natural hair challenge. Her name is Naturalbells on YT and Bellebells on Twitter. I am extending this challenge for my followers of my blog and for my youtube viewers. Here is her video for the rules: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8OZ0yzRBqM

Now, in the video she says to stick to your routine!!! So, here is my routine that I will be sticking to...
First, every other week I will shampoo with black soap and deep condition with my avocado/coconut mix. The other weeks it will be a co-wash. After the wash that will happen every sunday I will spray on some of my coconut oil/veggie glycerin mix for moisture, let that semi-dry, and then twist my hair with my whipped shea butter creme mix. The rest of the week I will rock my twists making sure to moisturize them every day and oil my scalp with my Jamaican black castor oil/coconut oil every other day. When my hair starts to get unbearably frizzy (which usually happens after the 3rd or fourth day) I will wear one of my wigs so that i will suppress my urge to mess in my hair. I do not want to mess in my hair until that Sunday!!! Reason being is that I notice that when my hair gets frizzy those last few days, I'm always taking out the twists instead of waiting. So I basically never stick to my weekly protective style routine. I want to give my hair a chance to rest and grow, reducing the chance of breakage by combing too much or pulling on it too much.
She also mentioned not adding any heat. Well, I'm already reluctant to actually apply heat to my hair. I was talking to this other natural in my area and she had a section of hair that would not return to curly because she straightened it too much. Granted she did do it more than I actually would ( I believe she said every Sunday) but it still shocked me and gave me a new realization of the damages of heat. I did want to straighten my hair, possibly on Valentine's day so we will see...who knows maybe before then. Until next time Barbies! Peace and blessings....

Two More Twists Styles

Hello! Thought I'd share these styles with my blog followers!!! To see more angles of these hair styles visit my fotki album by clicking here. They're on the second and third page. The first style showcased was done recently. I've had the idea in my head for a while now. I'll admit I kind of hesitated because it was different and I was not sure how people would perceive it but in the end it's MY hair. As long as I like it, that's all that matters. Contrary to my previous thoughts many responded positively. Click here for the video.

The second hair style was an idea spin off from a fellow youtuber named naturalbells. I loved this style. The twist out kinda reminds me of a side fro hawk after I pinned it up which you can see in the third pic from the top. You can check out the tutorial by clicking here.
Of course all these styles were twisted using my whipped shea butter creme mix. Peace and Blessings!

Do You Still Have Dry Hair?

A few naturals have come to me asking me what they can do to combat their dry hair. They have their staple products such as conditioners, deep conditioners, shampoos and moisturizers. They also have a simple hair care routine. There are a few things that some people do not look at to assess whether or not their products are the culprits. As I've stated in my last post some "cones" can actually be drying to the hair for some people. So if you notice that after using the products that contain them your hair gets dryer, even brittle, stop using it. Another thing to look for is protein. Yes Protein is good for your hair...in moderation! If all your products contain protein you may experience a protein overload which can cause the hair to get hard and brittle. Also if you are doing protein treatments make sure to moisturize your hair well to prevent the drying and breaking. There are some other simple things to do such as shampooing less. Some people can shampoo every day, others can't. It depends on what your hair likes. As you should know, shampooing strips your hair of build up...along with your natural oils. If you have a need to shampoo often, do a pre-poo with one of your favorite oils. It will help retain some moisture. I also learned from a youtuber by the name of blackonyx that to seal in moisture follow this order: Add your water based moisturizer, then cream based and last oil based. A simple way that I do this is to use my shea butter creme mix. It contains all of that ! (lol)
So in conclusion, make sure to check out the ingredient list of your products, pre-poo before shampooing and moisturize following the order of water, creme, and oil. Peace and Blessings!

Winter Hair Care: My Winter Hair Routine

Okay, lovelies! It's almost that time...Long sleeve sweaters, high heel boots and....dry hair!? In the winter we have to go to extra lengths to protect our kinky curly manes. The air is dryer, colder and the harsh winter wind blows like no other. Here's a video explaining what you will need to do to protect your hair this winter:


Now, what products will I be using and what styles will I be using? for moisturizing my hair I will stay with my whipped shea butter mix and my organic virgin coconut oil. My clarifying shampoo is black soap and I usually use that 1 per week but I'm going to cut back to 2x a month. For conditioner, I have just fallen DEEPLY in love with Giovanni deeper moisture conditioner. Love it! I will be doing a product review so stay tuned. I don't really have a deep conditioner yet, but since the Giovanni line seems to be working for me I will be trying their deep conditioner. As far as protective styles go I don't have a set idea yet but as of right now it will be braids and twists. However, I am thinking of "locking" my hair for the winter. I will be purchasing some extra silk/satin scarves and some rasta (over-sized beanie) hats to protect my hair when I go out. Mind you, I do live in SC and it doesn't really get as cold as most places so I may not be doing this routine until the later months. If things go according to plan I will be moving up north early next year and therefore I will need to start this routine. Stay tuned! Peace and Blessings.

My Miss Jessies Curly Pudding Experience

As you know I don't really favor curling puddings or gels, but I do these reviews for my viewers/readers. Now, My experience with Miss Jessie's Curly Pudding (MJCP) was far better than my experience with the Kinky Curly Curling Custard (KCCC). Although I was hesitant to use it at first because of the price ($22 for 8 oz) and the ingredients. I heard people say that the ingredients were low quality for the pricing and that it contained mineral oil. The ingredients are as follows:
Water
paraffinum liquidum- aka mineral oil! (ahhh!)
glycerin
fragrance - some fragrances can be skin irritants
triethanolamine- making emulsion with mineral and vegetable oils, paraffin and waxes (to blend the oils, and shea butter)
carbomer-help to distribute or suspend an insoluble solid in a liquid. They are also used to keep emulsions from separating into their oil and liquid components. Carbomers are often used to control the consistency and flow of cosmetics and personal care products.

PEG-12 dimethicone- a very harsh cone; the heaviest; very difficult to wash out; used to condition hair but actually dries it out for some people.
dipropylene glycol- used as solvents and viscosity decreasing agents in cosmetics and personal care products; low-toxicity

silk amino acids- adds softness and repair hair structure; A natural water-soluble source of acid derived from liquid silk
aloe barbadensis leaf extract- aloe vera leaf extract
avocado oil
shea butter
sweet almond oil
jojoba seed oil
macadamia seed oil
oleth-5- helping water to mix with oil and dirt so that they can be rinsed away. These ingredients also help to form emulsions by reducing the surface tension of the substances to be emulsified and help ingredients to dissolve in liquids in which they would not normally dissolve.
ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate- protects cosmetics and personal care products from deterioration caused by UV rays. (preservative)
disodium EDTA- helps prevent the deterioration of cosmetics and personal care products. It also helps to maintain clarity, protect fragrance compounds, and prevent rancidity. (preservative)
DMDM hydantoin- prevents or retards microbial growth, thereby protecting cosmetics and personal care products from spoilage. (preservative)

ext. violet 2- coloring (why it's purple)

So as you see, most of the ingredients are synthetic. They disguised the name mineral oil because they know most people are hesitant to buy any products containing it and are most likely not going to look it up. And I'm also wondering why they need 3 preservatives? Anyways I am very disappointed in the ingredients. I expected more from a $22 jar. As far as what it does for my hair, I like it. It didn't make my hair feel hard like the KCCC. It smells pretty good, but that's probably because of all the fragrance in the product. I applied it 3 times, each time differently. The first time I applied it to damp hair. It didn't really do anything. It defined my curls only a little bit and I still experienced frizziness. Next, I applied it to wet hair, applying my shea butter mix first, towel blotted my hair and then applied the Curly Pudding. It came out nice, and I had few problems with shrinkage. I still had some frizziness because I believe the shea butter acted as a barrier to the Pudding. Last I applied it while wet in the shower. First I applied a leave-in cream and then applied the Pudding while my hair was still. My curls were really defined and I had almost no frizz (click here for the video). However, I did experience more shrinkage than I would have liked. All three times my hair was not hard or felt crunchy like KCCC. KCCC is all natural, and MJCP isn't. I wonder if all the synthetic ingredients have something to do w/ that. Anywho, the picture at the top is my second experiment with the MJCP using the shea butter as a base. I also tried this with twists. My twists were completely dry the next day. It wasn't brittle dry but it wasn't moisturized in my opinion. I would not recommend this product to people who are sensitive to cones or over-priced products. Hope this helps someone! Peace and Blessings.

References for the ingredients come from
Wikipedia.org and cosmeticsinfo.org

The Frohawk: 2 Styles

Hey my lovely natural hair divas! I'm coming at yall with another natural hair style.
This one is the flat twist frohawk. Two styles can be achieved with it. The first if the hawk in twists giving yourself a stylish protective style. The second is the twists taken out giving you a nice style for a night out on the town.
How I achieved the twist style:

After I sectioned my hawk and the sides I added some of my whipped shea butter creme and did some flat twists on the side. Then after I did each side, I did individual twists on the hawk (middle section). To achieve the twist out style I applied coconut oil to the individual twists as I un-twisted them. Then I secured my flat twists with hair pins before taking the ends our tails of those twists out. In order to get a fuller look I pulled apart some of the twist out pieces/strands in order to get a messy look. For more details click here for my youtube video. Hope you like it and hope this helps someone! Peace and Blessings.

Let Your Hair "Do what it Do": My New Natural Hair Motto

We are all guilty of it, especially us "newly naturals". What am I talking about? Piling our hair with gels and puddings, vigorously brushing our mane with the infamous Denman brush. Stretching and parting or curls, and combing out the curls to achieve a certain look. I've done it, spending at least over $100 dollars on curling products. Yes, my hair curls on it's own but I do have some spots of frizziness. But you know what? That's okay, because that's what my hair wants to do. And there in lies my new hair motto: "Let your hair do what it do!" Our hair has a mind of it's own. The way it curls, deciding whether to clump together or not. It's okay and it's beautiful. Stop trying to make your hair do something it doesn't want to. Don't believe me? Go do a quick wash and go, don't add any products. After it's towel dried a bit shake your hair and see where it falls, how it falls, and which strands decide to curl or clump together. See? It's beautiful! Of course doing twist outs, braid outs, coil outs, etc. every now and then is okay. But not every day, not all the time. Let your hair be free to do what it wants! Yes I do protective styles, but you will not see me in a different one more than once a week! Stop trying to make it fall a certain way, let it reach to the heavens if it pleases! Don't break the curls up, they want to be together! Love your hair how it is! Own it and you will be beautiful! Peace and blessings.

Natural Hair update!

Hey my natural hair divas! I feel like I've been neglecting my bloggers since getting my new webcam! Sorry! But I will update yall! It's still hot where I'm at so I am still doing the protective styling of my fro. I haven't done any new protective styles other than the braids an twists so I'm not going to go into detail about that. I have actually done a live tutorial for my Avocado/Coconut deep conditioner mix so click here to view it. I have done a few new styles though which I will discuss in other posts. I've kind of slacked off on my hair care routine as far as oiling my scalp but other than that I've been keeping up with it. I have switched from using the hair butter to using the hair creme for everything. The next time I will be doing a shea butter mix it will be for a body butter. I trimmed my hair recently. This was my first time trimming my natural hair and it was more difficult than I expected. I did it while it was wet and that allowed for easier smoothing. I ended up doing a dusting instead of a trim because I didn't have any damage since I do not do too many harsh things to may hair such as applying heat. Over all I feel like it turned out well. I used to be a beast at trimming when my hair was straight but now I see it's more difficult to get my ends straight enough to trim with out using heat. Click here for the video. Other than that my hair is still growing beautifully! Please stay tuned to other posts concerning my styles! Peace and blessings

Which Hair Typing System is Better?

Hey lovelies! If you are transitioning or are already natural nine times out of 10 you already heard about hair types. I remember the first time I heard about it, I immediately looked it up. I felt like well, now instead of labeling hair either good or bad now we have a numbering system! YAY! (hint of sarcasm)....Here is the 1,2,3,4 hair typing system thanks to Curls.biz and Naturallycurly.com

Type 1: Straight hair. It has the most shine. It is also the most resilient and is the hardest to damage. Because the hair is straight, natural hair oils can run down the shaft easily and there for this hair is the oiliest.

Type 2 (wavy): In between straight and curly hair. Has more sheen then curly but less than straight. More prone to frizz
2a- Can alternate between straight and curly
2b and 2c- More resistant to styling
Now this is where it gets more detailed. Type 3 and 4 are what most of us Black naturals have.

Type 3 ( curly): The curl pattern is definite. When it is pulled it has an S curl pattern. It is very climate dependent meaning that the more humid it is the more frizz there is. This hair is also damage prone. If not taken care of properly the curls can appear dull.

3a- Big, loose, shiny curls. The shorter the hair the straighter the hair. Think Julia Roberts big red curls.
3b- Medium sized curls ranging from ringlets to tight corkscrews.
3c- Tight curly corkscrews. Can be curly or kinky; strands tightly packed together. aka big hair.

Sizing:
3b- side walk chalk circumference
3c- pencil or straw circumference

Type 4 (Kinky): Very fine and fragile. Won't have shine but will have sheen. Actually very soft and will feel silky.
4a: Very tightly coiled and has s pattern. Has more moisture than 4b. Coffee stirrer circumference
4b: less defined. Has a Z shape pattern
4c: There wasn't much said about this type but I can imagine that is is less defined than 4b and still carries the Z shape pattern.

Okay, now that we have the traditional hair typing system out of the way, what is different about the LOIS system? In my opinion it doesn't divide us because people who are in the 4 category will have some of the same hair issues as those in the 3 category. It decides what your hair needs by the way your strands curl, the thickness of your hair and your hair texture. Take a look:
L - If the hair has all bends, right angles and folds with little to no curve then you are daughter L.

O - If the strand is rolled up into the shape of one or several zeros like a spiral, then you are daughter O.

I - If the hair lies mostly flat with no distinctive curve or bend you are daughter I.

S - If the strand looks like a wavy line with hills and valleys then you are daughter S.

You may have a combination of the LOIS letters, possibly with one dominant. If you cannot see one letter over the others, then combine the letters. Example: LO or IL or OS..

Find Your Strand size:
A strand of frayed thread is about the thickness of a medium sized strand of human hair. If your strand is larger than this, then your hair is thick. If your strand is smaller than this, hair is thin, or fine..

Find Your Texture:
Shine is a sharp reflection of light while Sheen is a dull reflection of light.

Thready - Hair as a low sheen, with high shine if the hair is held taut (as in a braid), with low frizz. Wets easily but water dries out quickly.

Wiry - Hair has a sparkly sheen, with low shine and low frizz. Water beads up or bounces off the hair strands. Hair never seems to get fully wet.

Cottony - Hair has a low sheen, a high shine if the hair is held taunt and has high frizz. Absorbs water quickly but does not get thoroughly wet very fast.

Spongy - Hair has a high sheen with low shine with a compacted looking frizz. Absorbs water before it gets thoroughly wet.

Silky - Hair has low sheen, a very high shine, with a lot or low frizz. Easily wets in water.

Now take my hair for instance. I have mostly O curl and some S in the back since my curls are looser there. My strand size is smaller than a piece of thread and my texture is cottony. And by the LOIS system I think it is easier to find out which products are better for your hair. For my hair I would buy lightweight products that add shine and define my curls, reduce frizziness and add moisture. Let me know what you all think. Peace and Blessings.

Pescatarian What???: Update #2

My plan to not eat any meat but fish and other seafood was working well. I even decided that if I did eat fish or seafood I would limit it to once or twice a week. And that was fine...until I was craving chicken this last Friday! I was doing good too. I went 2 straight weeks without eating any poultry, red meat, or pork. Well the pork was not hard since I never ate it anyways besides bacon and neither was red meat since I only had steak maybe 1 time per month and lamb chops maybe twice a month. But chicken I ate at least twice a week...everyday when I lived in walking distance of KFC. I knew it was going to be hard for me to let it go. And Friday proved just that although I did not get it until Saturday night. I mean I thought about it all day...literally. Just thinking about the crispy outside of fried chicken and the juicy meat beneath the fried skin. Hmmm....lol! I reminded myself that this is suppose to be a transition, I did not want to go cold turkey for fear of too many relapses. I consider myself doing very well because I am transitioning and chicken is the only meat I've been craving and eating; very rarely though. I feel like I deserve a big pat on the back! Peace and Blessings.

Latest Protective Style: Mini braids!

(pics from bottom to top: first day, after one week, and second week)

Hey lovelies! Time for the new style of the week! This week I wanted a style that didn't frizz so easily or got "old looking" so easily. So I opted for mini braids. I knew when I started that it was going to take a while especially with me having to start and stop to tend to my girls. Well I loved them...while I had them! lol I am a newly natural and I love to see my fro and how big it gets! I got the idea from a couple of youtube naturalistas: prettydimples01 and KinkyCurlyQueen. Unfortunately I only kept them in for 2 weeks, which is long for me!

How I did them:

I started on dry hair (i know it's not good for kinky hair) because I didn't want the braids to "slip" loose or shrink. I started in the front and worked my way around the back until I was in the middle and finished. On each braid I did not braid all the way down, maybe left 1/2 inch to an inch of hair loose.

Products used:

I started the braids on dry, clean hair. After I was finished braiding I soaked them with water and then applied Kinky Curly Curling Custard mainly to the ends to create curl definition. At night I would just rub coconut oil to my ends and scalp.

This style would have definitely lasted at LEAST 1 month but I'm so impatient...Hope you liked! Peace and Blessings.

Pescatarian...WTH is that?!? And New Foods

Hey lovelies! This is another blog about my semi-vegetarian diet. I have learned that pescatarian is the scientific term for someone that does not eat meat except for fish and shellfish. It has been debated whether fish is considered a meat but it is. it's fillets are made of protein and it has flesh. This is okay with me because I did not choose to take this journey because of a label. My choice was made because I wanted to eat healthier. Will I ever stop eating seafood? Maybe, but not any time soon!

Lately I've been trying out new foods and things that I usually wouldn't eat on a regular basis. Some of the new foods I've tried are Avocado and morning star veggie burgers and breakfast sausage patties. I thought the avocado would be disgusting but it actually has no taste. It's great if it is paired with things such as a salad with something sweet. For an example I usually make a salad with spinach, apples, carrots, raspberries, blueberries, cucumbers and sometimes cheese. The sweetness from the fruits kinda gives the avocado that "something". Another thing is that the avocado's texture is so creamy, it's weird because you expect creamy things to have a taste! I also made homemade shrimp fettucini Alfredo and I added avocado in it. It complimented the dish so well because of its creaminess. The morning star veggie burgers are so tasty! I was actually surprised! I give them 4 out of 5 stars only b/c tasting bits of veggies kinda freaked me out but I need to get use to it anyways. The sausage patties get 5 out of 5 stars. Even though it wasn't meat is still had kind of a sausage taste. Even my daughter liked it and she's very picky so you know it taste good! Other things that I have eaten before but not that often were green peppers in my salad and spinach. it actually taste better than romaine lettuce to me.

I haven't had any red meat, poultry or pork in the last 3 days! yay! so happy! Maybe this transition won't take as long as I thought. I am going to try to cut down my seafood intake to once a week though. I want most of my diet to be mainly vegetarian but I'll sneak in a fish fillet or two every now and then.

Chunky Braid Out

Ever wanted that big fro look? Well this is one way to get it without blowdrying and adding heat damage. The first thing I did was make sure my hair was completely dry. Then I parted my hair in big sections (I'd say 2-3 inches thick). Use a product to help moisturize but not "wet" your hair (i.e. hair creme). I used oyin handmade's burnt sugar pomade but you can also use plain shea butter or shea butter mixed with oils. Gently comb curls out of each section (ends to roots) and then braid. After sleeping on them over night (or longer) take them out, fluff and voila!

New Protective style: 3 Strand Twists/twist Out

Hey Lovelies! If you are following my on twitter you probably know about my latest protective style: 3 strand twists. I first saw a tutorial a while back from a lady on youtube showing different ways to start locs. Recently her channel was deleted so I searched for another video and found one (click here for the video). Unfortunately I need to purchase a new camcorder so I won't be able to post another live tutorial until after my birthday on August 23rd (a long time, I know!). Anywho, 3 strand twists look and sound difficult to do but they are really not. I did mine fairly small (and with all the breaks I took) I'd say it took a combo of 4 hours to finish. Not that bad, micros take longer than that!

Products: I used my shea butter creme to do the twists. Click here for the recipe. And to take them out I rubbed coconut oil on them to give it a shine. I was thinking that the next time I do a protective style I will add jojoba oil to the coconut oil b/c jojoba is good at smoothing the hair cuticle and eleminating frizz.

How long did the twist last? My issue with the twists is that since I'm a wild sleeper I'd wake up and find a few sticking up but I just fixed that by pinning the front in a style. After a 4 days I took them out.

How long did the twist out last( pic in the top right corner)? The twists out surpisingly lasted for a long time. I ended up washing them out after the 3rd day because of my regimen but I know they would have lasted longer. They didn't frizz easily and the curls still had definition. I just put my hair in four loose ponytails and then put a satin bonnet on at night to preserve them.

Conclusion: I like 3 strand twists, its a better way to elongate your fro as still get that twirl that twists outs give your hair. I felt good rocking just the twists because they reminded me of locs. This is definately the method I will choose when I decide to get locs. when I took the twists out I didn't really like it at first because the curls were so defined! It felt fake. But they had a chance to frizz a little the next day and it looked better to me. Hope this helps! Peace and Blessings.

Finally!! My Coco-Veggie Mix Recipe

Guys, I have found the best thing to "awaken" your hair in the morning. I love it for my hair, it works best on my daughters hair (3 type mainly 3b/3c) and it smells wonderful! It's a spray I use, you already may know about it's roots: Vegetable Glycerin and water. I just added coconut oil b/c I like the benefits of it. So here you go! (To see what the mixture looks like click here for my youtube video)

Ingredients:
coconut oil
vegetable Glycerin
Water
1 spray bottle (oz does not matter)

Directions:
I divided the ingredients into parts because it's easier when you are working with different sized spray bottles. Some could be 6 oz or 8 oz. Okay, fill half of the bottle with water. The oil and glycerin are going to take up the other half so you are going to fourth those ingredients. So fill one fourth of the bottle with the glycerin and the last fourth with coconut oil. Shake bottle before use every time.

**Note: Coconut oil melts at 76 degrees Fahrenheit so if where you store this mixture is colder than that it will start to solidify. This became a problem to me in the winter months. Some tips I got from my subscribers on youtube.com that worked best for me was to sit the bottle in a bowl of hot water or put it in the microwave for a few seconds (maybe 10).
Peace and Blessings