all good things must come to a end!!

Hey everyone I hope all is well, and I hope everyone has a great week=o)

whoooo hooooooh 4 hour left until the challenge is officially over!!
Well if you have been following me on youtube or twitter you would know that

I got my hair done for the 6mth challenge it turned out lovely!
I went to a new Dominican shop, I was really nice and clean and they were very professional and friendly.

well my blow out didn't last as long as it did in the winter, it has literally been 90-100degrees
everyday, my hair started to revert back quickly, humidity is not my friend lol

well at least I got it to last 3 days, but i will not get another blow out until winter,

I don't have money too waste plus this southern heat is no joke,

it's way too hot to have all this hair hanging down my back lol.

Well it's all good, I mainly wanted to get it blown for a accurate length check
I compared my pics from 6mth ago and my hair has definitely grown,
it has grown at least 6inchs, I got my maximum growth potential!!

I am very grateful to have a regiment that works for me! I had to tweak things a tad bit since I am transitioning but so far so good!!

well I just wanted to take this time out to thank everyone who has supported me on both youtube and my blog, I never thought anyone would follow my blog or read the things I wrote but not only did you all read them you all commented and sent me question and requests, so thank you so much ladies!

It is good to have support from other women be it in real life or over the internet.
Many times we females can be so damn catty, but I have honestly gotten to know some of the
coolest ladies, I have ever met right here from my blog,forum and youtube.
So thank you ladies for all of your support, thank you for sharing my website and my youtube videos, I wouldn't be here with out all of your support and backing.

Good luck to all of the challengers, the winner will be announced by the end of the week. I have to go to the hospital tomorrow so I can't do a video, but I should be up to par by fri so hold tight =o)

Continue on your path to healthy hair, do not listen to the negativity and the back handed comments from so called friends, family or from females off of any hair sites,
do what works for you, you do not have to explain your self to anyone, but God that's how I look at it.

As along as I am happy with my hair, I could care less what others think, or have to say about my hair, at the end of the day relaxed, natural or transitioning
love yourself and don't feed in to the hair hype or hair drama =o)

love you guys, make sure to follow me on twitter!!

apple cider vinegar for hair!!

Hey everyone, I hope your having a great week!
we had a great time Saturday my hubby and I went to the all white affair
it was hosted my Gabrielle union, a lot of our friends joined us up there as well.
We had a wonderful time. She was a really nice lady she looked like a regular female,
she didn't have a face full of makeup, she was her self and took time to speak to people and take pictures and even got on the microphone,we had a great time!


I took this picture of her she was posing for me =o)




well today I'm going to talk about my apple cider vinegar wash in detail,
I told you in my last post that every now and then, I do acv washes,
acv washes are a great way to cleanse your hair naturally.

Some facts and benefits of apple cider vinegar:

*Hair is on the mildly acidic side of the pH scale and has an ideal pH of 4.5 to 5.5,
apple cider vinegar has a pH of 2.9

*many of the hair care products we use, such as soap-based shampoos, bleaches, hair colors, and permanents are strongly alkaline.

*Rinsing with apple cider vinegar will help balance the pH of your hair and remove the buildup that can result from the use of these styling products and inexpensive shampoos.

*Rinsing will also close the numerous cuticle scales which covers and protect the surface of each hair shaft. Using acv helps to make your hair smoother on the surface, which reflects more light and leaves your hair shinier, smoother and easier to manage.

*Apple cider vinegar is made from fresh ripe apples.
It goes through a fermentation process that creates the final product. There are many uses for apple cider vinegar. Don't worry about the vinegar smell ladies you will not notice it after rinsing your hair I promise. cross my heart =o)

*Acv is a excellent for dandruff and other scalp irritation
The enzymes and acids in apple cider vinegar help to kill bacteria and fungus,
that are known to be the cause scalp issues.

*if your scalp is dry and crusty, try applying full strength apple cider vinegar to the scalp.
Massage it in. Leave it on for an hour before washing it out,
this really does help.
it is way cheaper then selsum blue lol!

How I make my ACV mixture.
I add 2 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar into 1 cup of warm filtered tap water.
which i then pour in to my spray bottle, i drench my hair with the mixture then i put a shower cap on for at least 30mins once the time is up, i wash it out and it gets my hair very clean!
after wards I deep condition my hair, but you don't have too, =o)

Remember ladies this product is 100% natural you can wash your hair with this once or twice a week.
I also add 2 teaspoons of baking soda to the mix, on the days that I want to clarify my hair naturally.
i won't lie to you, it does take some time to get used to,
not having the suds and the foam in your hair.
but once you get the hang of it, you will be pleased with the results.

I do this every other month when, I want to try something different
or switch up my hair routine.

have a great week everyone!!

being cheap is not so bad =o)

Hey everyone hope all is well! Today is a beautiful southern day glad to be here to witness it.
Today was my day off, so I made sure to enjoyed it to the fullest! Ok so I went to my Wal-Mart,
smh Am I the only person who can't just walk in to Wal-Mart and get the one thing I came for?
I went to buy some more cheapie conditioner for my co washes and of course I ended up spending about $40 in other stuff that I had no intention of originally purchasing lol.

Well today I’m going to talk about co washing I get this question a lot, on you tube
I talk about co washing a bit, but a lot of people still don't really understand why or what the point of it is. So I’m going to break it down ;)


What is Co washing ??

co washing is when you wash your hair with a cheapie conditioner like suave, rain or v05 basically these conditioners are replacing the need for shampoos.


Reasons for cowashing!!
Coarse, kinky and curly hair benefit the most from CO washing.
Shampoo can really roughs up the cuticle and these types of hair are very susceptible to this. CO washing doesn’t rough it up at all, leaving it smooth, soft and frizz free!

But does it clean the hair?

That is a question I am frequently asked,
The answer is yes, conditioners do contain a very small amount of detergent.
It's not enough to dry your hair out, but enough to clean it gently.

Remember ladies Not all conditioners are suited for co washing.
You will need cheap, 99-cent conditioners.
The great thing is you can find these cheapies at many stores including the dollar store.
And they all smell really good there is a wide variety to choose from the one I am using currently is vo5 pomegranate protein conditioner it smell delicious =)
I also love suave's coconut milk!

Directions you can follow:

Ok so the main thing to remember ladies is that first of all, you don’t use this conditioner like a conditioner, you are going to use it like shampoo.

1-Wet your hair, and start shampooing with the conditioner. Use gobs of it. Don’t worry about using too much, you almost can’t plus it's a $1.oo =o)

2-Use about a quarter size in the front, the top and on each side and the back.

concentrate on rubbing it on to your scalp and along your hair shaft, your scalp should be slick and entirely covered with conditioner.

3- Enjoy your nice hot shower and rinse your hair out, do not forget to RINSE VERY WELL!
So you don't get a lot of conditioner build up.

4-you can also do a deep conditioner after this as well,
I have done it several times before with out any build up what so ever.
Just make sure to rinse thoroughly.


Ahhhh the final results:

Your hair will feel really soft, even when it’s wet.
If you have thick or coarse hair, you might be really happy about this.
Eventually your hair will be just as clean as it would with shampoo, but will be so much healthier and softer!

Tips:
I always make sure to clarify my hair once a month, to get rid of any builds up.
I usually make my clarifying treatment correspond with my henna wash days.
You want to always clarify your hair at least once a month to get rid of any build up from conditioner, dirt, oil, grease ECT.

I clarify with a clarifying shampoo or else I do a apple cider vinegar wash and I will blog about that another time for those of you who may be curious about it =o).

I co wash at least 2x a week, but I recommend that you try it at least once a week...

try it and see if you like it, it definitely can't hurt!

shampoo....why so many choices??

Hey everyone hope all is well!!
just got off of work a few hours ago, cooked dinner and now I’m on here blogging, I’m trying to keep the blogs coming so please be patient with me =o)
I’m taking some time away from you tube, so I can focus on a few others things including my blog.

well today target, was having a great sale on huge bottles of herbal essence shampoos and conditioners, as you know I rarely shampoo my hair with regular shampoo,
I mainly co-wash at this point in my life, so I bought the conditioner.
I am co washing 2x a week, I henna 2x a month so the weeks that I henna I drop a co-wash day, I hope your following me =)

Ok so I wash my hair at least 8x a month, some months more depending on the weather,
I believe the frequent washes have really helped my hair turn around.
what I have found out especially now that I am transitioning, a lot of products that were ok for my relaxed hair are no longer ok for my natural hair, my hair doesn’t really agree with regular shampoo any more, so I mainly cowash, and if I shampoo I use a sodium sulfate free shampoo, the days I henna, I have to wash my hair a min of 5x with a sls free shampoo, a lot of sls free shampoos, do not lather as well so this is why I have to do a few more washing,
where as when I used regular shampoo, I could get all the henna out in 3 washes.

the main thing especially after doing a henna treatment is to deep condition, I deep condition for min 2hrs because henna can dry your hair out, so I make sure to d.c. every time, I used to d.c. every week after I used shampoo, but now that I mainly co wash, I do not have to d.c. as much as I used too. I d.c. 2x a month now.


Ok ladies that was just a update about me and my hair follicle lol
I know a lot of you may not be in to the natural stuff or could care less about sulfates,
So I wanted to compile a list of good sulfate shampoo for you, and good sulfate free shampoos for those who may be interested.




The Best Sulfate Shampoos

There are numerous shampoos geared towards women of color. Some of them work and some are crap they leave our hair worse then when we started =(
Here are some shampoos to look for when choosing a shampoo for relaxed and/or natural black hair.these are listed all over the net as the top the five shampoos for african america women.
I have used most of these myself and I had never had any issues with the ones that I tired.

Crème of Nature Regular Shampoo• sls free =)
Why it works: It detangles extremely well and leaves your hair soft and super conditioned. This shampoo has been around since the 1970s and works great.
It's a two-in-one shampoo and conditioner, so no conditioner is needed at all.
It’s inexpensive, too. You can find Crème of Nature Shampoo at your local beauty supply retailer.



Mizani BotaniFying Conditioning Shampoo•
I love this stuff, as you ladies know, I am a huge fan of mizani products!!
this particular shampoo is gentle enough to be used everyday, it cleanses the hair and scalp while restoring a natural moisture balance. The aromatic blend of botanicals nourishes, soothes and massages the scalp. The lubricating emollients of the shampoo linger in the hair long after the rich lather is gone.”•
Why it works: This shampoo smells amazing, and while that obviously isn’t a good enough reason to use a shampoo, it definitely adds to the experience. Mizani products are great for women of color! Their products makes your hair more manageable, softer, and shinier.
This shampoo is slightly more expensive than drug store brands and can be found at select Mizani salons. I used their relaxer for 4 year straight, and I loved it,!
mizani worked well on my hair so no complaints over "hair" lol
if you relax your hair, mizani is a great product to use....see i don't knock anyone, you want to relax, then do what makes you happy, but use good products that wont cause as much damage to your hair.



Pantene Pro-V Relaxed and Natural Shampoo•
The claim: “This rich Pantene Pro-vitamin shampoo has moisturizing conditioners that hydrate hair and help relieve the scalp's dryness with every wash.
It can help dry, brittle hair look healthy and irresistibly shiny.”
• Why it works: This ultra-creamy shampoo is amazing because it really cleans your hair without drying it. Your hair will feel remarkably softer after just one wash.
It works just as great on relaxed or natural hair. You can find Pantene Pro-V products at your local drug store. I have heard rave reveiws from plenty of ladies, on this product.
before I stopped using sulfates, I never got a chance to try this shampoo,
but I have heard great things about it... so fee free to try it!




Nexxus Therapee Shampoo
• The claim: “This luxuriously lathering, beautifully scented, and lavishly opalescent formula was created to help restore and maintain hair’s vital moisture balance. Intensely moisturizing and nourishing, you will notice the difference in just one shampoo.”
• Why it works: This shampoo detangles hair wonderfully and is also extremely hydrating.
This shampoo uses scientific technology to make your hair noticeably more pliable.
It includes such naturally moisturizing ingredients such as Avocado Oil and Wheat Flour.
You can find Nexxus products at your local salon.
Nexxus products are the bomb! I have used a few of their products,
they smell great and I have no complaints!




Joico Moisture Recovery Shampoo•
the claim: “This hair-quenching shampoo provides gentle cleansing while restoring hair's moisture level. Moisture Recovery's exclusive Hydramine Sea Complex, combined with Joico's Quadramine Complex repairs and reconstructs, restores vital fluids and provides intense moisturization.”
Why it works: The Hydramine Sea Complex, which is a blend of “moisture-loving ingredients from the sea that quenches overly dry hair attributed to the environment, chemical services or genetics,” really does do something to repair the hair. It’s a little pricier than the other shampoos, but it’s definitely worth it. You can purchase Joico products at your local salon or beauty supply retailer. I have never tried this, but it is revered as one of the top shampoos!
if you use it, let us know what you think about it!!


Why some people choose to go the sulfate free way...

Scalp problems such as itching and flaking affect millions of people across the world.
If you have an itchy or flaky scalp, one of the simplest things you can try is washing your hair with an SLS-free shampoo. SLS-free shampoo do not contain the chemical Sodium Lauryl Sulphate, which is a foaming agent used by many of the big brands. In fact, the next time you are in your local supermarket, take a look at the ingredients listed on the shampoo bottles.
You’ll be surprised at how many have SLS in them.

Why is SLS used in shampoos?
There are two main reasons that SLS is such a popular ingredient in shampoos. Firstly, it is cheap as it is produced synthetically, making it ideal for low-cost brands. Secondly, it is a very effective foaming agent; that is to say it creates lots of foam when mixed with water. In addition, as well as making shampoos foam, SLS also helps them to cleanse the hair of oil and dirt.
As can be seen here, there are a number of good reasons why so many manufacturers choose to use SLS.

What else can SLS do?
SLS is a pretty powerful chemical which has several functions in shampoos.
Unfortunately, not all of its effects are good, which is why it is sometimes causes to scalp problems.
SLS is a known to be irritating to the skin and is even used as a standard skin irritant in clinical studies!
It is not surprising, therefore, that it can cause scalp problems when frequently applied as part of a shampoo. It is recognised as being one of the most irritating chemicals of its kind which are used in shampoos.
Its irritating effects can create an itchy, flaky scalp in some people and manufacturers are slowly realising that SLS in shampoos is affecting their customers in this way. There is a gradual move to using less irritating chemicals in its place but SLS-free shampoos are still not that commonplace on supermarket shelves.

SLS has also been found to have some other undesirable effects. One such effect is its ability to penetrate the cornea of the eye, even if absorbed through the skin, where it can accumulate and then be released slowly. This is particularly a concern for babies and children, where the effects are greater.

SLS-free shampoo
Green People offers a range of SLS-free shampoos for different hair types. Instead of SLS, we use gentler foaming agents such as Ammonium Lauryl Sulphate and Decyl Glucoside which are less likely to cause scalp problems.

ok so these were just a few of the reasons I decided to go sulfate free.
more mainstream shampoos are starting to go sls free mode!
L'Oreal is one of them, here is the description:

L'Oreal has introduced EverPure, a complete sulfate-free color care system that takes out the harsh ingredients that can dull color-treated hair and cause damage. Research shows that harsh sulfates, surfactants and salts can strip and fade color, as well as dry hair. New EverPure uses gentle ingredients and natural botanicals to deliver rich lather without stripping shine.

Here go's a list of a few sulfate free shampoos

Pureology
Queen Helene Mint Julep Shampoo With Protein
Qhemet Biologics Egyptian Wheatgrass Cleansing Tea
Dr. Bronner's Pure Castile
J/A/S/O/N (Not all formulas are sulfate-free)
Morrocco Method
MyHoneyChild Cleansers
Organix
Dudu-Osum Herbal Shampoo
Creme of Nature
Burt's Bees
Carol's Daughter
Back to Basics
Aubrey Organics

How ever you decide to wash your hair,
make sure to use the best products,
this will help to prevent any damage,
and save you a lot of hair trouble in the future,
email me with any questions!
be blessed,
ti

what shades fit your face?

Hey everyone hope all is well, just coming on to blog about
sunglasses! it is getting hotter and hotter all over the country,
today was 88 degrees=D
the best way to help protect your eyes from the harmful uv rays are to wear sunglasses.
sunglasses come in many styles and shapes so let's find out what pair of sunglasses
will work best for your face.


Some facts about sunglasses:

-Wearing sunglasses help to protect the health of your eyes.

-Sunglasses protect the delicate skin in the eye area from premature signs of aging due to UV rays and sun damage.

-Your eyes can get damaged by the sun just like your skin. However, you can't protect your eyes with sunscreen like you do your skin. Your only defense is to wear protective UV blocking sunglasses.

-Eyes regularly exposed to too much sun can develop serious and sometimes permanent damage.

-Opthomalogists recommend wearing UV blocking sunglasses whenever you are in the sun long enough to get a sunburn or tan.

- The lenses in most low priced sunglasses purchased at the drugstore or from a street vendor do not offer sufficient UV protection.Large wraparound sunglasses help to protect the eyes from the wind, as well as the sand, dirt and pollen sometimes carried by the wind.

-Sunglasses also help keep you safe while driving or playing sports in bright sun.
Glare from the sun reflecting off snow, water, or other objects can be blinding and very hazardous while driving.

How to determin the shape of your face:

1. Determine your face shape. Pull your hair back and look in a mirror. Look at the general outline shape of your face, and the angle of your face relative to your chin. If your jaw seems square or rounded, you have a square or round face, respectively. If your face is longer than wide, it’s oval shaped. Compare your face with the pictures of face shapes. Your face shape may change with weight loss or gain.

2.
Determine which styles and frames complement the shape of your face. Your frame shape should be the opposite of your face shape in order to complement and soften your natural shape.Round face – Squarish or rectangular frames balance this shape.Square face – Rounded or oval frames that are wider than tall are ideal.Oval face – If you're lucky enough to have an oval face, you can wear any style of sunglasses.Heart-shaped face – Rimless and semi-rimless frames complement this shape.Oblong face – Square sunglasses, wide frames that are fairly tall look best.Long – Semi-rimless are the best choice for faces that are longer than wide.
3.
It’s best to try on the sunglasses in person before buying so you can be sure they fit comfortably and look good.

Your face shape:

. Round Face
you should look for sunglasses equal to or slightly wider than the broadest part of the face. Minimize the curves and add definition with soft, angular, rectangular styles or double brow styles. Higher temples will create a longer profile.





· Square Face
this face shape consists of a strong jawline, a broad forehead and wide cheekbones. Reduce the angles with soft, curvy styles that will give the face some definition such as cat-eye styles. The classic ovals also works well for this face shape.
Frame suggestion: Oval, Round, Cat Eyes




· Oval Face
If you have an oval face like beyonce or halle you are in luck. Almost any style works for oval face. Experiment with the latest looks, such as wraparounds or shields. Square shaped frames with gently rounded edges and higher temples also look good on an oval face.Frame suggestion: Any frame shape




· Oblong Face
should widen and shorten the face with sunglass styles that do not extend beyond the widest part of the face. Round or square shapes will look great on this face. Frames with short horizontal and long vertical lines also work. Decorative or contrasting temples add width to the face.
Frame suggestion: Round, Square





· Diamond Face
You have wide or high cheekbones with a narrow forehead and chin. Oval sunglasses will soften the contour of the face, although softly curved square frames will work as well.
Make sure the styles are no wider than the top of the cheekbones.
Frame suggestion: Oval, Square, Rimless



·Heart-Shaped Face
You have a narrow jaw and a wide forehead. Soften the lower portion of the face by accenting the eye area. Styles such as cat-eyes should angle outward at the top corner and be wide enough to balance the jawline. You can also try metal frames with rimless bottoms.
Frame suggestion: Frames with a Straight Top Line, Cat Eyes

So ladies, once you find a perfect pair of frames....
don't forget to enjoy,enjoy,enjoy!