10 days strong/Benefits of lemons

A few days ago i posted a new youtube video, i was on day 7 of my master cleans detox "diet"
well today is my 10th day, and i am proud and amazed, i never thought i could go this long with out eating! I won't lie the first 3day were super hard but after that it wasn't as bad.

anyways i received a lot of emails from people on youtube,
who wanted to know more about it, so i decided to just write a blog.
now let me get this out the way, i didn't do this to loose weight... i did it cus i was having serious stomach issues that kept landing me in the E.R. and since the docs couldn't find anything wrong
i decided to take matters in to my own hands.

i couldn't decipher what foods were bothering me, so i cut everything out jumped on the M.C.
it's a 10 day program, but i think i'm gonna keep going. my stomach has never felt better
so i'm gonna see if i can make it to 14days but do no more then 20days.

i've lost over 11pds, i'm down to 136 i don't want to get any smaller then 130 so i'm gonna monitor my weight closely, i haven't been this small in 2yrs my waist is a lot smaller and my stomach is super FLAT, but the best part is, i feel really good=)
iv'e basically lost weight all over my body.

anyways i feel good and that's the most important thing this isn't for everyone, and i'm not promoting it, but since i keep getting emails, this is simply how i feel...i am taking this as a life style change, so no more no processed foods, or meats... i am trying to go vegetarian.



M.C promotes organic lemon but honestly i think
it's a waste of money, as you see the organic lemon is
much smaller then the regular lemons, so what i do is
take 2 regular lemons and 1 organic. once i'm done with the bag of organic
lemons, i will just stick to getting regular sized lemons from super target.

all my ingredients
you must use organic maple syrup grade B only!!
and cayenne pepper.



my baby called himself helping me
"make breakfast" i got a citrus juicer from target for $19.99
i must say it was the best investment ever,
it strips all the juice out of the lemons so you getting every last drop.


see nothing left!


i drink half a gallon a day, then i drink another half gallon of
water through out the day to keep me well dehydrated.

Health Benefits of Lemon

even if you don't go to the extreme of doing the master cleanse you can still incorporate lemon in to your diet, lemons are very beneficial for your body, you can add lemon slices to your water or drizzle some lemon juice on to your salad. only use real lemons....
bottled lemon juice has no properties or nutrients, due to all the preservatives
that they add during the bottling and process.

The lemon tree originated in South East Asia, and Arabs introduced lemons to Europeans in the 21^st century. Since then, this miraculous fruit has been found to be quite amazing, in that it provides a ton of health benefits, most of which folks are unaware of.

1. Lemons cure indigestive problems. When mixed with water, lemons can help with indigestion, nausea, heartburn, and stomach ailments.

2. Lemons contain Vitamin C. The high levels of this important vitamin found in lemons can not only help cure a common cold, but can prevent and treat infections in the body.

3. Lemon juice is thought to be healing. Lemon essntical oil is great for uplifting spirits.

4. Lemon cleanses your liver. Waking up in the morning to a glass of water with freshly squeezed lemon will detoxify your liver and keep you hydrated. This juice is also thought to flush the body of kidney stones.

5.Benefits to the skin...
Lemon juice when applied on sun burn can help to get away from the burning sensation. It acts as a cooling agent and soothes the skin. Regular use of lemon juice on scars fades them and eventually the scar is removed.

6.Benefits to hair....
Lemon juice can be use on your hair to help strip out excess soap, grease, shea butter oil ect. it is also used to make your hair shiny....The high quantities of citric acid helps to fight excessive oil released from your skin. you can do a lemon hair clayifer with bottled lemon juice iv'e tried that as a clearifyier and it works well.

Regular use of lemon on hair and skin makes you look young, and it makes your skin and hair look very healthy.

my video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrGam4dqSFo

Hana elite flat iron review

I was sent a brand new flat iron by misikko.com
they wanted me to do a review on it, the flat iron i was sent was the hana elite.

i can honestly say it is a really good flat iron,
i did a youtube video on it, sunday and for the most part my hair is still
straight it hasn't reverted back as of yet.
it took me 2hrs to flat iron from start to finish, i am very happy with the results
i would recommend the flat iron for use on natural hair.

watch my video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=li0Dw9ov5Ng

you can purchase the flat iron here:
http://www.misikko.com/hana-elite-flat-iron.html



(I was provided this product at no cost to do a review, my thoughts and opinions are my own.)

my new hair routine

Today i did another henna and molasses treatment on my hair, i must say i really like it.
i don't henna as much as i used too, but i try and do it at least every other month.
my hair has been growing, i compared my last henna pics from a few months ago,
and i see a bit of a difference so i can't complain.

people always ask me what my "hair plans"are, they want to know if am i getting locks,
another relaxer O_o ,braids etc...my response is this, I plan on doing absolutely nothing=D
i am just letting my hair be, for the first time in years i'm just going to let my hair be free,
to do what it wants, i'm just gonna rock my fro and that's really about it, i want a fro that's so big that you will be pissed off, if i sit in front of you at the movies lol!

to be honest i don't even twist my hair much as i used too, i think i have my hair somewhat "trained" now....meaning when i add products to it, it curls and twists up on it's own with out me having to twist or manipulate it. it's hard to describe i will have to take some pics so u can see a close up of my hair texture, it's funny i have all these little natural curls that i never knew i had.
and i am loving them!

a few people wanted to know my new hair routine, it took me about 2 months to get it down,
but for the most part it works for me so i am sticking to it.

MY NEW HAIR ROUTINE

1. i "wet/co wash" my hair basically everyday, my hair needs moisture so this is what works for me... i DO NOT shampoo everyday, so don't get it confused ...if shampoo is used on a daily basis it will dry out your hair! either i let the water run threw it freely... in the shower,
or else i co-wash my hair with conditioner.

2. i only let my hair air dry...my hand dryer is the bomb, but the sad part is iv'e only used it once lol, i don't add any unnecessary heat to my hair. i also like air drying because, it can be a few hours later, and if i run my fingers threw my scalp, i can still feel a tad bit of moisture
and this is great for my hair.

3. i still only use natural oils, NO GREASE... i did the same thing when i was relaxing my hair.
i mix most of my oils together, and i still love using my shea butter!
since i basically "wet" my hair on a daily basis, i don't have to worry about having an oily buildup on my hair and scalp.

4. i use pure aloe vera gel, especially on my hairline... it helps to keep it healthy and moisturized,
it's also known to help stimulate hair grow, my hairline has come a longggg ass way....
let's be real those micro braids, sew-in's and black hair glue messed me up bad!
i'm glad everything has turned around for the better lol.

5. i only comb my hair once every 2 weeks with a shower comb and Lot's of conditioner!
i don't like to manipulate my hair what so ever, so constant combing/brushing is a no-no for me, but to each it's own.... i finger comb my hair in the shower and i finger comb it again when i add oil or aloe vera to my hair, i only do it once in the morning and that's it.
i just let my hair be the rest of the day, i like the wild and "crazy" afro look lol
but everyone is different.

that's really about it, i just keep it simple... i switch up little things every few weeks so
i don't get board...for example, i may not shampoo/clarify at the end of the month,
instead i just do a acv wash instead.
instead of doing a henna treatment, i may just do a
silk amino acid wash...change is good, it's keeps you on your toes
so you don't get comfortable during your hair journey.

check out my interview i did with opal fusion magazine a few days ago.
http://opalfusionmag.com/2010/02/12/black-hair-the-natural-experience/

happy valentine's day sweeties!




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product of the day.♥.black soap

quick hair update my hair is still growing,
can't wait to have a big ol' Angela Davis fro lol

In the winter my skin tends to be a little dry, one of the ways that i help to combat this, is by using pure African black soap, growing up we used this a lot...
yeah we had dove and all that other stuff, but our main staple was African black soap, anything from packaged Dudu-Osun, to just buying a big chunk/block of pure black soap.

Benefits of African Black Soap

• Helps to clear skin of bumps,spots and blemishes
  
• Helps to relieve acne, oily skin & other skin problems
• It's also great for removing make-up, I used this after one of my photoshoots, just to see cus I had a face full of make up on, and no lie it took it all off!
  
• Helps against premature facial lines and wrinkles

African Black Soap: is great to use while showering, bathing or Washing your hair!
it's 100% natural so you don't have to worry about sulfates and other damaging products.

History lesson: For centuries, both the Ghanaians and Nigerians of West Africa have used African Black soap to help relieve acne, oily skin, clear blemishes and various other skin issues. African Black soap has also been used to achieve beautiful skin. Africans have also used this natural soap for bathing and washing their hair. Black soap will leave your skin silky soft and clear. African people use Black soap to get rid of skin rashes, ring worm, measles, and body odors. use the soap then top it off with some Shea butter and your good to go!

This soap make your skin feel so good its keep it clean and healthy looking.
African black soap is soft, organically shaped, it has a earthy smell. and it lathers up so well just like soap that u would buy from the store, get a good later then run the suds through your hair as a shampoo.
The soap is Hand made it contains Roasted coca (Chocolate) Pods, Plantain Skin, Ash, Palm Oil, and Water.
you can purchase it online or go to any African shop in your area.
i got a pound of it for $4, it tends to go fast i love this stuff!
make sure to keep the soap in a sealed zip lock bag, DO NOT get any water in the bag,
if you do, this will cause the soap to dissolve!





Just in case you don't follow me on twitter or facebook
i want to let you know, that i started another blogsite 2days ago
called http://lovelyti.com/ :o)
this is my official website, it's an extension of my youtube channel,
basically on this blog, i talk about any and everything
this is a good thing because now i have a separate place
to talk about other stuff!!
I would really appreciate it, if you all could sign up for this site as well.
you can sign up by email, the subscription box is on the right hand side.
please share the link with your friends as well, and visit often!
http://lovelyti.com/
Thanks =)

lovely natural of the month.

Name: Sade AKA Mrs Edwards

How long have you been natural?
well i stopped relaxing my hair October 17 2008 and i did my big chop Aug. of 2009


How did you start your natural hair journey?
i started my journey doing bantu knots( my best friend back then) but after my last relaxer i was board with straight hair and a friend gave me the idea of going natural she sent me
links to people on youtube that where natural and i was sold after seeing the first video!
as of October 28 2008 i was DONE with relaxers!! and i must say i am proud of myself because it was hard i stuck to my guns and i am natural now!


Transition or b.c.
if i could do it all over again i would have done my B.C. sooner! transitioning was hard
because of the two different textures, it was also hard finding a style that i could keep for more then a week.

Favorite hair product:
herbal essences totally twisted, Shae butter, coconut oil, and WATER!!!


What’s your hair routine?
well i am still trying to get something down but for right now since its cold..
sunday: wash day moisturize my hair and braid it up the front and two braids in the back.
on Wednesdays i take down the back and spray my hair with my leave in conditioner and moisturize and use oils between the braids.

What’s your favorite hair style:
well right now it's braids outs and twist outs


Any advice for natural newbies:
i would say don't hold on to the relaxed ends too long! get to natural asap!!!!!! WATER IS YOUR BEST FRIEND!

What’s your favorite hair accessory?
head bands!






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Sorry I haven't blogged or vlogged in a few days, I was deathly sick this weekend I caught some type of stomach virus that was going around, my oldest son's birthday party was saturday and we had to cancel it =(

I couldn't hold anything down for 8hrs straight, come to find out the kids who were invited to the birthday party were sick as well, so they wouldn't have been able to come anyways.

By Sunday morning the entire household was sick, it was some type of virus that hit the school and daycares. so that's where I’ve been in case you were wondering...
We are all doing better now thank God!

Topic of the day PROTEIN why so many choice??
we hear about protein all the time, but there are so many to pick from,
i want to help break it down for all of my lovelies,
there are quite a few choices to pick from so pay attention=)


Ok so What is protein?
Protein is made up of long chains of amino acids. Your body needs every kind of amino acid to preform normally. The amino acids our body’s cannot produce, we get from food.
Protein is required by the body for the growth, maintenance and repair of all cells.
If you aren’t getting enough protein in your diet, your hair and skin will be affected.
imagine a chick with anorexia, the first thing that is usually affected is her hair.
her hair will become dull, thin and fall out rapidly all of this is due to lack of protein!

Once the hair is out of the follicle it is very fragile, but there’s a lot you can do to make it appear healthy and keep it growing to it's fullest potential.
Along with keeping your hair moisturized and eating a good amount of protein, you can also add protein as an external treatment.

External protein helps coat the hair, by filling in your hair shaft, and adding strength to your hair.
There are many types of protein sold over the counter for hair repair, but they are not all the same in strength! Some protein treatments can soften the hair shaft like Dominican hair products and silk proteins!

vegetable proteins, makes the hair shiny and and healthy looking .
While others, like keratin protein help strengthen the hair.
Depending on your hair needs, this will determine which protein treatment that you will need.
*Read the labels you can cause serious damage to your hair if you don't!*



Collagen Protein (Animal Protein) -- known for increasing elasticity in the hair. ex: ORS hair mayonnaise, aphogee 2 minute reconstructer, VO5 protein conditioners.
all of these are also considered "light protein treatments" by many people.
I personally wouldn't use them more then twice a month.

Keratin Protein --(fibrous proteins) responsible for keeping the hair strong and pliable.
This is the strongest of all the proteins and is actually the one that hair is made from.
This one re-structures hair that has been damaged or broken down by chemicals.
It helps to replace the amino acid cysteine, which is the main one lost during chemical processing i.e. relaxers, dyes, jerhi curl kits ect, i know it's 2010 but folk are still rocking their soul glo kits =)
Remember these are heavy duty proteins. ex: Nexxus Emergencee, Aphogee Two Step Protein Treatment Dudley DRC-28 protein treatment.
my personal favorite is liquid keratin, i add it in my moisturizing conditioners,
to give it the best of both worlds, it's done wonders for my hair.
i did a video on it a while back on youtube.

Silk Amino Acids/Protein -- Silk has tiny molecules that can penetrate the entire hair shaft deeper than all other proteins without adding any weight, it leaves the hair feeling clean and non-greasy EX: Organix Nourishing Coconut Milk, Anti-Breakage Serum, Biosilk Silk Therapy Conditioner.
my personal fave is pure silk amino acid, i love that stuff!


Wheat Protein--is a moisturizing and strengthening protein.
it's known for increasing the hair's ability to maintain & receive moisture
ex: Lily of the Desert, ALOE VERA 80 daily shampoo
Organics Daily Conditioner, pure Aloe.


Vegetable protein -- Vegetable proteins absorb more easily in to the hair shaft, than animal protein it does not create build-up, and it leaves the hair very shiny, and radiant!
ex: ORS Carrot oil, Yes to Carrots hair and scalp mask, The Hollywood Beauty Carrot Oil or moisturizing hair lotion and Giovanni vegetable shampoos and conditioners,
their leave in condish is the bomb!

Another great way of getting protein, is to ingest it!
try eating foods like chicken, tuna, salmon, peanuts, eggs ect.


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product of the day.♥. Castor oil

Today's product of the day is:
Castor Oil

So what is Castor Oil, and what does it do for hair?

Castor Oil is derived from the castor bean, and seeds of the castor plant. It has been used for decades as a laxative and as a skin softener.

It is also a treatment for muscle aches, and infections and inflammations .

castor oil has been used as beauty aid, for years it helps to soften and treat very rough, dry skin. it's a vegetable based oil so it is ideal for skin and hair, it also makes a wonderful hot oil treatment for dry damaged hair.
castor oil works to coat the hair shaft and smooth the cuticle layer, seals in moisture and leaves your hair with a soft and silky feeling. It is more easily absorbed by the hair,

allowing for deeper penetration into the hair shaft.

as with any hot oil treatment, it is important to avoid overuse of Castor Oil, especially if you are prone to a oily scalp. I recommend not doing a hot oil treatment more then once a month, i do one maybe a few times a year, if that...

I only do it when my hair is board and needs a change, weekly moisturizing treatments should be used along side castor oil so you can get double the benefits.

the main thing I use my Castor oil for, is sealing my ends, i do this whenever i braid or twist my hair. castor oil helps to maintain your length and prevent split ends, this is why i am able to go so long with out constantly trimming, but again do what works for you=)

#RANDOM

all of the Gucci samples have been mailed!!

you all didn't waste anytime, everyone should get their Gucci samples

by the end of the week.

thanks again for participating in the contest,

have a blessed day!

ti


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the winners of the holiday giveaway!

hi everyone i made a video tonight announcing the winners of my giveaway.
make sure to check it out on youtube, and see if you are a possible winner!!


I have also paired up with a wonderful site called big discount fragrances
if you are interested in some gucci perfume samples contact me on youtube.
they sent me both male and female sample everything is shown in the video.

they also made a coupon code for my subs and followers, if you buy anything from their site you can save 10% off using promo code lovelyti
it's good from now- until feb 28th,you will be able to save some money right in time for valentine's day.
here's their site: http://www.bigdiscountfragrances.com/

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•.¸¸.•*¨•❇Happy New Year!❇②Ⓞ①Ⓞ❇•*¨•.¸¸.•

I want to wish everyone who has supported lovely hair growth happy a new year!!!
2009 went by so fast, any issues or heartache that you experienced in 09
leave it in 09, do not bring any excess baggage to 2010=)
2010 is your time to start fresh and look a head to a better and brighter future!!

Remember new year higher standards,
let's do better as women and as people in general.
be blessed in the new year,
thanks for all of your support
ti
•.¸¸.•*¨•❇Happy New Year!❇②Ⓞ①Ⓞ❇•*¨•.¸¸.•

bald babies are so 2009?

Hey everyone hope you all had a great new year, i hope everyone was safe and warm=)

well i had gotten sent this link on youtube recently and i was surprised by what i saw lol,
well let me take that back since I’ve been vlogging a year now, nothing really shocks me...but i digress,
anyways there is a company making wigs for babies smh, now most you saw the lace front baby video that i did on youtube, well someone sent me a link to a company who makes wigs for healthy babies ages newborn to 12mths, i did my research and found out the company has been around since 08 but did not get any big exposure until their "product" was discussed on the tyra banks show.

I think it's sad that we can not love babies for who they are, I understand that women get bothered when people think their daughters are lil boys, my aunt went through that with her daughter.
unfortunately some people are just slow, you can have a girl in all pink with earrings but if she is bald people will say still say "awww what a cute lil boy" smh!

I went through that with my oldest son, people always thought he was my daughter =/ when his hair was long!

it didn't matter if he had corn rows going straight to the back,
or if i had his hair slicked back in to 1 big braid, he could be wearing a all blue sean john out fit, and idiots would still be like "oh your daughter is so pretty" WTH???

I would set them straight quick, fast and in a hurry.

I believe that people should use more common sense when it comes to commenting on children, if you can't tell the sex of a child just say cute kid and keep it moving lol!

hair should in no way determine the sex of a child, if your daughter is bald headed who cares.

if your son has hair to his back who cares....
Why are we letting OUR insecurities dictate what we do to our children's hair?

I could have cut off all of his hair, but for what?? i liked his braids, his dad wore braids, my brothers,my nephew everyone in our family was rocking braids at the time so our son did as well.

I always said when he got old enough to decided that he didn’t want braids then and only then would we cut his hair.

well once he turned 5 and was getting ready to start kindergarten he told me "mom i don't want long hair anymore" i asked him why and he said he didn't want anyone thinking he was a girl at school,

( he obviously heard some ignorant adults on the street ask me that)

anyways it was harder on me then him lol, but he wanted it cut so hubby cut it all off.

it was his 1st hair cut ever, he's always had hair even when he was born,

i swear he looked in the mirror for a week straight lol he was so happy with the hair cut!

now that he's about to be 9 he keeps a fade and refuses to ever grow his hair out =(

anyways the point of my story is... kids grow up kids change these 4-12 mth old babies will not be bald their whole life, i think that these small wigs look just as creepy, as the baby with the lace front on her head.

Anyways check this mess out and tell me what ya'll think.

cute package or just plain sad?

I find it odd that they airbrushed this
picture so much??



she looked so cute before!



improvement? or just plain weird?


tyra show episode

my video

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the top hair styles of 2009

2009 will be over in less then 4days, 09 was a pretty good year for me, I had my up’s and downs, trials and tribulations but all of these things have helped to make me stronger.
there were so many great hair styles in 2009, I even went through my own hair metamorphism in oct 09 when I did my "Big Chop" it's been 2 mths and I am glad I did it!

At 1st i missed my length, but now I am happy and I feel more confident. honestly this is probably the most that I have ever styled my hair in over 4 years, when i was relaxed i didn't do anything to my hair but wear it straight.

Now that I have my afro, I feel like I can do more with my hair, my favorite style by far is a twist out, for some reason braid outs don't work well in my hair, it was fine when I was relaxed but my hair will only take to doing twist out's, it's weird but I’ve tried 4 different braids outs, and each time it was a epic fail lol, but my twist outs are pretty nice, I’m finally getting the hang of styling my natural hair 2010 will be even better whoo hoo!!

rocking my Santa hat!

my wash n' go twist out


I did a double strand twist in the front and I pinned the side of my afro back.

So 2009 was a big year for hair styles, a lot of hair styles came and went and so many people switched up their hair styles at the drop of a hat, i enjoyed everyone's hair style choices.
i think my favorite style of 09 had to be the half shaved head lol, raven symone started it
and soon many folks followed suite, it became almost comical when willow pulled it off. Well i thought it was a cute hair cut, for shorter hair styles like the one Rihanna ,willow and keyshia cole rocked, i wasn't feeling the hair cut on girls with long hair like Cassie and Lala it look way too odd imo.

bangs:
Bangs and bobs were huge this year,
I believe Jessica Alba started this
this trend in 09,
it soon spread across hollywood.

this model's skin tone and hair cut
are both flawless!

I don't care how old Keisha
gets, she will always be rudy to me lol
she is gorgeous!

miss kerri looks good with bangs.

sorry but I'm not feeling this
hair style on Naomi, but it's good to see her
giving those lace front a rest,
her edges are severely damage.

Mo'Nique's hair looks fab,
this is a pic from her
alter ego photo shoot
with Derek blanks.

Bobs:

My girl Taraji looks flawless!

new mommy j-hudson looks super cute here,
this wig fits her well.

Even though Tia cut her hair,
I still get her and her twin mixed up
#dontjudgeme


Michelle honestly looks good with this bob
it's good to see her rocking her real hair.

shaved heads:

Solange looks flawless I love her new look!


keyshia cole's hair cut was my favorite out of everyone
who shaved half their head.

kelis


not feeling it on cassie....


Tasha Smith with her twin Sidra Smith,
who shaved her hair off last year.
it's good to see her still rocking it,
she is truly a natural beauty.

Blond hair:
blond hair was big in 2009
Rihanna switched her hair color about
2mths ago, from all black to a two-tone look,
I like it for the most part.

Mary always looks fierce
she has been rocking blond hair
off and on for years.


christian millian
I think it's way too blond,
it washes her out.


Kim shocked everyone when she dyed her hair
blond, I think this color is nice, it's suttle
and go's great with her undertones.



the queen!



Amber has rocked a lot of different colors,
in her hair, but I love the blond look most of all.
I think it fits her well.

leona lewis






this color actually looks
great on lil kim, that barbie blond
had to go!



So what was your favorite hair style in 2009?



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