Daily Archives: September 10, 2012
DIY Monday: Bath Bomb Fizzies
If you are as old as I am I’m quite sure you remember the all famous line of “Calgon take me AWAY!” Well today my friends I have just the thing for you, BATH BOMBS. Everybody loves bath bombs. It’s like taking a bath in champagne, only without the show tunes and chorus boys. They are fairly simple to make and are the perfect gift for that special someone. Or just simply use them as a special treat for yourself.
For this recipe, the ingredients are pretty common and easy to find in most areas. Essential oils can be found in small amounts at places like health food stores and craft stores. Just make sure, if you buy fragrance oil, that you are buying “body safe” oils and not the stuff for candles or oil warmers. So get the music playing, the candles lit and the wine poured. It’s time to get pampered.
Here’s What You Need:
6 Tablespoon citric acid
2 Tablespoon cornstarch
3 Cup baking soda
1 teaspoon fragrance or essential oil
4 drops food color
5 Tablespoon vegetable oil
Circular Mould, Optional
Storage Container
Mixing Bowl
Waxed Paper
Tiny Cup or Bowl
HAND SHAPE METHOD
1. Mix all dry ingredients listed in Things You’ll Need (citric acid, cornstarch, baking soda) in a bowl.
2. Mix some vegetable oil, fragrance and coloring together in a different bowl or cup.
3. Slowly pour the oil mixture into the dry ingredients. Mix well.
4. Create the ball shapes. When all ingredients are well mixed, roll the mixture into 1″ balls, and set them on waxed paper to dry.
5. Allow to harden. The bath balls/bombs will be semi-hard within 2-3 hours, but require a full 24 to 48 hours before they’re fully dry and ready for storage.
6. Store bath balls/bombs in a sealed container, away from moisture.
7. Add a few to the bath and enjoy! For gift giving, the balls/bombs may be placed in individual candy cups. Or wrap in cellophane with a satin ribbon for a more sensuous look.
MOULD METHOD
1. Mix together some citric acid powder and baking soda. Mix them together really well.
2. Add a colouring of your choice.
3. If you want it to be fragranced, add whichever fragrance you want. For example, you could make a purple bath bomb with a lavender scent.
4. Put your mixture into circular moulds.
5. After a few minutes take the bath bombs out and leave them to dry. This usually takes 3 or 4 hours.
6. Then your bath bombs will be finished and ready to use!
*Designer’s Note(s) –
1) Either fragrance and/or coloring is optional. or use vinegar!
2) Suggested vegetable oils include coconut oil, avocado oil, apricot kernel oil, sweet almond oil, or olive oil, although any emollient oil is good!
3) Use small molds to make three-dimensional fizzy bath shapes.
Source: wikiHow
Train Your Natural Hair With These Edible Conditioners
Oh, the woes of dry, natural hair! If your hair is lacking moisture, hydration, then cooperation is not happening. Does your natural hair seem to soak up moisture in a few hours as if the other twenty doesn’t need to be accounted for? Dry, brittle, unmanageable, frizzy is in your frame of reference when describing your hair? It probably can benefit from a deep conditioner. To remedy dry hair, try working with ten natural foods, like ripe, yummy avocados and golden, sweet bananas, both full of natural oils straight from the pantry. Why? Not anti-product, but weed out the best products that actually work and not pay so much to achieve beautiful, manageable hair. While avocados are pricey, the benefit of getting 100% avocado chock full of nutrients, and not a hybrid of 30 other ingredients, is priceless!
Here are ten edible items that can be use as an natural deep conditioner and their benefits for hair:
1. Apple Cider Vinegar: Smooths hair shafts over time, preventing split ends.
2. Avocado: Helps hydrate hair, natural oils repairs split ends.
3. Banana: Rich in potassium, natural oils, vitamins that softens hair.
4. Coconut oil: Essential proteins to rebuild damage hair.
5. Eggs: Protein rich, makes hair more manageable.
6. Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Controls frizzy hair, full of good fats.
7. Honey: Natural humectant, provides impeccable shine.
8. Mayonnaise: Another form of eggs, providing shiny, soft hair.
9. Molasses: Full of proteins, minerals helps to relieve hair of stress.
10. Plain Yogurt: Great protein supplier leaves hair shiny, soft.
Homemade Deep Conditioner Recipes:
Recipe #1
1 Whole Avocado
1 cup real Mayonaise
3 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Oil
3 tablespoons Coconut Oil
Recipe #2
1 Avocado
1/2 Can of Coconut Milk
2-3 tablespoon each of Coconut Oil, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and Honey
Recipe #3
1/2 cup of Plain Yogurt
1/4 Cup of Molasses
1/3 Cup of Apple Cider Vinegar
1/3 Cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 jars of Banana baby food (Some like the baby food better because of less messiness than a whole banana)
Recipe #4
1 jar of Banana baby food
1/4-1/2cup Coconut Cream or Milk
2 tablespoons of Honey
2 tablespoons of Coconut and Avocado (or the oil)
Recipe #5
1/2 cup of Plain Yogurt
2 Egg Yolks
1/3 cup of Apple Cider Vinegar
1/3 cup of Mayonnaise
3 jars of Banana baby food
It’s best to blend all items in a blender to ensure a well-blended mix. Feel free to add drops of natural oils like lavender or rose for an invigorating scent and know you aren’t marry to the exact specifications of these formulas! Try them all—add or deduct what works best for your hair. After all, all hair is not created equal.
Copyright 2011 – 2012 Popular Critic
Tips For Moisturizing Dry Hair | Natural Hair Care
Re-Blogged From: Naptural85
“How can I repair my dry hair? I can’t get it to retain moisture!?”
Dry curly hair, especially dry African-American curly hair, is normal! Our hair is naturally curly, coarse and dry, it’s just how it grows out of our heads. With straight hair, it’s easy for the natural oils to travel down the hair shaft, keeping it moisturized. But with curly, coily hair, it’s a lot harder for the oils to navigate, which causes the hair to remain dry, especially towards the ends. So don’t assume that because your hair is dry, it’s always an indication of how well you care for your hair, or signs of neglect. Most of the time it’s just a characteristic of our hair! I can moisturize the heck out of my hair and still have it be dry by the end of the day.
With that being said, there are ways that we can return the moisture to our hair! There are solutions, but know that they wont be permanent. Since our hair is naturally dry, you’ll need to repeat these processes daily and weekly in order for your hair to remain moisturized. Similar to drinking water to keep hydrated, and plants that need to be watered every single day, our hair needs the same treatment or it will return to it’s natural dry state.
Personally, my hair is really thirsty and get’s dry really fast. In order to keep my hair moisturized I do the following “regimen.” I’m not perfect in doing the same thing every single month, but I always do some variation of the following:
Daily Moisture Treatments:
One of the most simple solutions to combating dry hair on a daily basis is to apply water on your hair day and night. In my experience, it’s not enough to just apply products or oils to your dry hair, it needs water first. The water is the moisture, while the oils and products are what seals the moisture in.
I fill my spray bottle with two-thirds water and one-third aloe vera juice. Then give my hair a light spritz every morning and night, just enough to penetrate my strands, but not enough to make my hair soaking wet, so it doesn’t ruin my style. I add the aloe vera juice because of it’s amazing healing properties. It also helps to ease frizz and calms the ends of your hair.
After lightly spritzing with water, follow up with a bit of your favorite oil-based hair product to seal the moisture in. My favorite sealing product is my homemade shea butter cream.
This method works well on any style you’re wearing: wash and go, twist out, bantu knot out, etc.. The only style you won’t want to do this to is a silky, smooth flat- ironed style, as the water might revert your straight hair.
Weekly Moisture Treatments:
Once-per-week or once-every-two-weeks, a deep conditioning treatment is really helpful. Two of my favorite deep conditioning treatments are my Homemade Mayo Deep Conditioner and my Homemade Greek Yogurt Deep Conditioner, both uploaded to my Naptural85 Youtube Channel. They’re both packed with protein, so they’re extremely helpful in helping to strengthen your strands.
Give them a try if you’re not protein sensitive! Otherwise, use any deep conditioner of your choice at least once per week in order to infuse moisture and beneficial minerals and vitamins to your hair.
After your deep conditioning treatment, while your hair is wet, be sure to seal in the moisture with your favorite oil-based hair product.
Anytime Moisture Treatments:
“Water Bagging“
If you’re hanging around the house with nothing to do, why not condition your hair! A really quick way to infuse moisture into your hair without a lot of fuss, is to “water bag”.
Spritz your hair with water (and aloe vera juice if you like) and throw on a plastic cap! Keep it on for as long as you want. You can even sleep with it on if you want to! When you take the plastic cap off, your hair will be extremely soft, and the best part, there’s nothing to wash out! Just follow up with your favorite oil-based hair product to seal the moisture in.
“Conditioning on The Go”
This is one of my favorite things to do, especially in the extreme cold of winter and extreme heat of summer. I uploaded a video of this to my Youtube Channel, but I’ll also attach it here!
So that’s basically all I do to retain the moisture in my hair. Again, my hair is naturally very dry, but these simple daily and weekly treatments really help me maintain the moisture. There’s a lot of products out there that promise to help you retain your moisture, but for me, water, shea butter, and various oils has done wonders for the structure of my strands.
Again, not everyone’s hair is the same, but I believe that water is the best moisturizer you can use. I think what makes the difference is the product that you use to seal the water in. If your hair has a looser curl pattern, you can get away with lighter products to seal the moisture in, like light oils. But if you have a tighter curl pattern, you’ll want to stick to heavier creamier products, like butters (shea, mango, etc…) to really help the hair absorb the moisture.
So I hope this post helped guys! Have a great week and I’ll talk to you soon!
XoXo Whit
Click Link To Visit Naptural85 Youtube Channel.
Fla. Officer Struck In Obama Motorcade Dies
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A motorcycle police officer escorting President Barack Obama’s motorcade has died after being hit by a pickup truck.
Palm Beach County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Teri Barbera says the Jupiter police officer was on Interstate 95 Sunday afternoon preparing to shut the roadway down when he was struck by a Ford F-150.
He was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. His identity has not been released.
Barbera says an investigation is ongoing and no charges have yet been filed against the driver.
Obama made a campaign appearance at the Palm Beach County Convention Center.
White House press secretary Jay Carney says the president was notified of the officer’s death and “our thoughts and prayers are with the officer’s family.”
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Obama Gets A Rise Out Of A Fla. Supporter
FORT PIERCE, Fla. (AP) — If President Barack Obama was looking for a lift in Florida, he got one from Scott Van Duzer.
The 46-year-old, six-foot-three Republican gave Obama a bear hug, raising him off the ground as Obama marveled at the man’s strength — and enthusiasm.
Van Duzer owns the Big Apple Pizza and Pasta Italian Restaurant where Obama stopped on Sunday during a Florida bus swing. He also runs a foundation that helps collect blood for the ill; he has received White House commendations for his work.
As he entered, Obama admired Van Duzer’s biceps, saying “Look at these guns!”
Said Obama: “The guy’s just got a big heart, along with big pecs.”
Of his embrace, Van Duzer said: “I was overwhelmed when I saw him.”
He said Obama had his vote.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney says he likes parts of ‘Obamacare’
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, who promised early in his campaign to repeal President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul, says he would keep several important parts of the overhaul.
“Of course there are a number of things that I like in health care reform that I’m going to put in place,” he said in an interview broadcast Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “One is to make sure that those with pre-existing conditions can get coverage.”
Romney also said he would allow young adults to keep their coverage under their parents’ health-insurance.
Those provisions have been two of the more popular parts of Obama’s Affordable Care Act.
“I say we’re going to replace Obamacare. And I’m replacing it with my own plan,” Romney said. “And even in Massachusetts when I was governor, our plan there deals with pre-existing conditions and with young people.”
In the interview, Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, also said he would offset his proposed tax cuts by closing loopholes for high income taxpayers.
“We’re not going to have high-income people pay less of the tax burden than they pay today. That’s not what’s going to happen,” he said.
When pressed, however, Romney declined to provide an example of a loophole he would close.
“I can tell you that people at the high end, high-income taxpayers, are going to have fewer deductions and exemptions. Those numbers are going to come down. Otherwise they’d get a tax break. And I want to make sure people understand, despite what the Democrats said at their convention, I am not reducing taxes on high-income taxpayers,” Romney said.
Romney also defended his decision to say nothing about the war in Afghanistan or the U.S. troops serving there during his acceptance speech last month at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla.
He said that he’d been to Afghanistan and the troops “know of my commitment.”
“I have some differences on policy with the president. I happen to think those are more important than what word I mention in each speech,” he said.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Our Daily Bread – Giving Directions
Read: Matthew 28:16-20
Not long ago my wife’s car needed to be towed. When I explained to the man at the towing company how to find our home, I instructed him to tell the driver not to follow his global positioning system (GPS). Because another street with the same name as ours was separated from our home address by a field, special instructions were necessary. He assured me he would pass on my directions.
As I stood in the driveway wondering where the tow truck was, the driver called and said he had followed his GPS but couldn’t find my street number. Hmmmm. I repeated the directions I had given before, and the tow truck was there in no time.
Christians have a responsibility to give accurate directions for how a person can get to heaven by having a relationship with Christ (see John 3:16; 1 Cor. 15:1-5). We need to help people see that following their own religious “global positioning system,” such as good works or hoping to be good enough, won’t get them to heaven. While being sensitive to people’s beliefs, we need to share the true gospel of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.
Jesus said it best, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).
words show Your loving grace. You’ve told us that
Jesus is the way of salvation. Help us to share
the gospel with love and truth.
Our Daily Bread – Lesson Of The Horse Mask
Read: Psalm 119:33-40
Not far from where my husband and I live is a farm with a lot of horses. During certain seasons, some of the horses have masks over their eyes. For a long time I felt sorry for the horses who weren’t allowed to see. But then I learned that my assumption about the masks was wrong. The masks are made of mesh, so horses can see through them. But flies, which cause eye disease, can’t get through them. The masks don’t keep the horses from seeing; they keep them from going blind!
Non-Christians often make conclusions about the Bible similar to the one I made about the mask. They think of it as something God puts over our eyes to keep us from seeing all the fun we could be having. They feel sorry for Christians because they think the Lord keeps us from enjoying life. What I didn’t know about the horse mask, they don’t know about the Bible. It doesn’t keep us from seeing all that is good; it keeps us from being infected by lies that cause spiritual blindness. The Bible doesn’t keep us from enjoying life; it makes true enjoyment possible.
The Bible doesn’t keep us from knowing truth; it prevents us from believing lies.
That He may touch my eyes and make me see;
Show me the truth concealed within Thy Word,
And in Thy Book revealed I see Thee, Lord. —Lathbury
Our Daily Bread -Your Heart
Read: Nehemiah 1
I loved Malcom’s prayer at church the other day. Only 7 years old, he stood in front of 100 other kids and prayed: “Jesus, thank You that some of us get to play football and go to church, and for safety on the ride here, and for forgiveness of our sins, and for eternal life. We love You, Jesus. Please don’t ever forget how much we love You!”
It brought tears to my eyes as he expressed his heart to God. As adults, we may tend to try to polish our prayers a little, thinking that it will sound better to God’s ears or to those around us who might hear us. But I think God must delight in hearing just what’s on His child’s heart.
Nehemiah’s heart was filled with concern for the welfare of Jerusalem, his homeland, when he heard that the people were in great distress and that the wall around the city was broken down (Neh. 1:3). Wanting to do something, he talked to God about it. He praised God for who He is (v.5), requested forgiveness for sin (v.6), reminded Him of His promise (v.9), and asked for mercy from the king (v.11). God watched over Nehemiah and His people through the whole rebuilding process.
What is on your mind? Thanks or burdens? Whatever it is, your loving God wants to hear your heart.
There’s a loving and kind Father there
Who offers release and comfort and peace
In the silent communion of prayer. —Anon.
I Am Lady Fab 