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Relaxing Detox Bath
I always did take and love baths growing up. And then college came along I turned into a shower-head. Well like I had a choice. Anywho, while on the quest of having better health I ran across the benefits of detox baths and thought this would be a great escape. I quickly discovered that a detox bath is thought to assist your body in eliminating toxins as well as absorbing the minerals and nutrients that are in the water. But most importantly, it will leave you feeling refreshed, renewed and awakened. Even if it’s only for a little while.
Who knew? Our parents sure did (LOL). That’s why we slept so good after a hot bath from a long day of play. And if you grew up in the era I grew up in; We stayed outdoors. So light some candles and pour yourself a glass of wine. It’s time to relax & melt your cares away. All in the name of DETOX that is!
Practically Functional Detox Bath Recipe:
1/3 C Epsom salts
1/3 C sea salt
1/3 C baking soda
2 1/2 t ground ginger
1 C apple cider vinegar
I hope you all enjoy and let me know how the detox experience turned out for you? I know you are going to love it!
Love You Much, Sunshine =)
DIY Monday: Kool-Aid Lip Gloss
I’m one of those kinda girls that ALWAYS has some lip gloss with her! And I just don’t use any old kinda lip gloss either! I like mine to be flavored! So today I introduce to you the most easiest and fun-est do it yourself project ever, kool-aid lip balm. It’s just five ingredients and really simple to make.
Here’s What You Need
10 teaspoons Vaseline or a petroleum free alternative
4 teaspoons coconut oil
2 teaspoons shea butter
1 package unsweetened kool-aid or crystal light
1-2 packets of sweetner
microwave safe bowl or double boiler
spatula (spoon)
Old marinade injector (optional)
Lip gloss containers
Add Vaseline, coconut oil and shea butter in a microwave safe bowl or double boiler (if you have one)
Heat the mixture in the microwave on high in 30 second increments, stirring between each heating.
Keep repeating this step and make sure to stir, stir and stir some more in between each heating
Note that the mixture will be liquid when it is fully melted and VERY HOT!
Make sure you wear gloves or oven mitts and make sure children and clumpsy friends are being SUPERVISED!
Once melted take out of microwave.
Let mixture cool for just a few seconds and stir in the kool-aid a little at a time.
Make sure it starts to dissolve (keep stiring!)
The more kool-aid you add the darker it gets. So this is up to you what you want your lip gloss to look like.
Now if you use Crystal Light the flavor is so much better.
But since Kool-Aid is bitter just simply pour in a couple packets of sweetner to add a little sweetness for your lips.
If you see that the mixture is starting to solidify you can heat again for another 30 seconds – skip this step if it is still liquidy.
Use an old marinade injector or pour mixture into your lip gloss containers and leave to solidify – a couple hours
Let cool before using or giving as gifts.
And for something extra fancy use a custom sticker or even a sharpie to write on the lid.
Have fun, kisses!
* DESIGNER’S NOTE – This project calls for A LOT of stirring until the crystals are fully melted.
Otherwise your lip balm will be gritty.
DIY Monday: Silk Flower Hair Bows
Being a newly natural beauty and totally loving my TWA, accessories have become my new best friend. I mean from headbands to scarfs to BIG earrings I got it covered. Well I least I thought that I did. And then I discovered the love of silk flower bows. So if you haven’t quite mastered the bow making craze that is going on, this is a great tutorial to add some color and fun to your hair without breaking the bank.
Here’s What You Need:
Artificial Silk Flowers
A hairclip or pin
A hot glue gun
Embellishment for the center
Easy enough, right? So lets get started. First pick out any kind of artificial silk flowers you like.
The flat-ish versions seem to work best. The flowers that were used in this tutorial are large Gerber Daisies.
Time for decapitation! Pop off the flower of your choice and pull the plastic green piece off the back.
Now pull your flower off the little plastic stem thing. Important maintain the order of the petals of you liked what it looked like before.
Starting with the petal that was on the bottom and make sure you align the holes!
Dab some hot glue around the hole in the center and stack on the next petal. Hold for a count of 10.
Repeat with all the additional layers. Working your way to the top, the (smallest) layer.
Now It’s Bling time! Choose an embellishment for your flower center. Buttons, gems, rhinestones, try anything!
If you don’t have an embellishment, you can use the ‘center’ of the flower and that’ll give you a more ‘natural’ look.
Take your embellishment and glue it in the middle of the flower.
This tutorial gives you the option of being able to choose what you can use your flower for on a daily basis.
It will look great on your bag, in your hair, on a baby hat or even as brooch.
Rather than roping yourself into one way of using it. Glue down a strip of felt with a clear channel.
This will allow you to push a hair clip through it or pin it to whatever else needs a little daisy love!
*DESIGNER’S NOTE – Not crazy about daisies? Then use any type of flower that you like. Mix & match colors.
Be Creative but most importantly make it your own. If you would like a more fuller look, use two flowers instead of one.
Source: shannonmakesstuff.blogspot.com
Gabby Douglas Gets A Makeover
fueling more ridiculous debate about her hair
Whether it was badminton teams losing matches on purpose, dubious refereeing in the fencing competition or North Korean soccer players taking the field under the wrong flag, the London Games featured plenty of controversy.
None of it is more frivolous or absurd, however, than the flap about how U.S. gymnast Gabby Douglas wears her hair.
Critics first complained that Douglas’ ponytail looked unkempt when the 16-year-old was winning gold in both the women’s team and all-around competitions. Now she’s receiving backlash for bowing to public pressure and receiving a makeover from a celebrity stylist upon returning home from London.
Before she began a week-long publicity blitz that included appearances on the Tonight Show, The Late Show and America’s Got Talent, Douglas hired New York-based stylist Ted Gibson to do her hair. Gibson, who works with Angelina Jolie and Anne Hathaway and also appears on the reality series What Not To Wear, gave Douglas a new look with a middle part and waves that fall just below her shoulders.
That Douglas has received criticism for getting a highly publicized makeover this week is almost as laughable as the response to her hairstyle during competition.
What elite athlete would be more concerned with her hair than her performance during the Olympics? And what 16-year-old girl wouldn’t want to look her best before a week’s worth of appearances on reality TV and the late-night talk show circuit?
Douglas had it exactly right last week when she brushed off her critics by telling reporters she was more focused on winning Olympic gold than looking perfect during every routine. And she’ll have it exactly right again this week if she explains she got a haircut to look her best on camera.
This is a 16-year-old girl who has handled Olympic pressure and media scrutiny with poise and grace so far. How about we stop paying so much attention to her hair and start giving her more credit for that?
Source: By Jeff Eisenberg | Fourth-Place Medal
Oprah Winfrey Shows Off Her Natural Hair
Oprah Winfrey is going au naturel … or at least her hair is.
While she’s always got a perfectly done-up ‘do while out in public, she’s gracing the September Issue of O, The Oprah Magazine with her hair “in its natural state” for the first time.
In the mag, Winfrey opens up about her follicles … and says she almost chopped them all off!
“I wanted to wear it close-cropped a la Camille Cosby but her husband Bill convinced me otherwise. ‘Don’t do it,’ he said. ‘You’ve got the wrong head shape and you’ll disappoint yourself.’ I took his advice,” she says.
In The Makeover Issue, O also says the only beauty changes that really work are “those in which something inside the receiver clicks, aligning with that which is being received. The only way to real transformation is through the mind.”
The latest issue of O hit the newsstands on August 7.
Source: toofab.com
10 Hair Tools Every Natural Should Have
Whether relaxed bone straight, 137% natural, transitioning, texturized, kinky, curly, colored or cut, there are some supplies every woman should have in her haircare arsenal. The great news? None of the tools cost over 3 bucks (if you do it the right way). Oh, now you’re excited! Read on…
10. Tattered Rags
Whether they be old towels you bleached to kingdom come that one time on accident, or old faded t-shirts from an ex, having cloths you don’t care about are beneficial to any regimen. From drying hair post-shampoo, to protecting your sink/floor during a messy henna treatment, these tattered rags come in super handy — because you don’t care if they get dirty or discolored.
9. Plastic Caps/Grocery Bags
Clear plastic caps are great for protecting a style in the shower, and holding in moisture for a deep or overnight conditioning. They are usually no more than $2 a pack, and hold up pretty well. Cool bonus: recycle your plastic grocery bags! They work just the same as plastic caps, if not better. Just pile your hair in, use the handles to tie the bag closed, and ta-da!
8. Butterfly Clamps/Clips
These clips are a lifesaver when its time to detangle, separate, or style hair. They’re cheap (around $2 bucks for a 12 pack at Sally’s), easy to use, and easy to clean.
7. Banana Clip
Super throwback, right? I have recently fallen in love with this hair blast from the past all over again. The banana clip has officially replaced my scrunchie for buns, ponytails, and other styles. They are easy to use, secure hair well without tension, and are incredibly versatile. Cop yours at Wal-Mart for $3 for a 3-pack.
6. Applicator Bottle
Sure, you could use it for its original intended purpose; mixing and applying hair color. It’s also a great tool for moisturizing your scalp. If you tend to get heavy handed with the oils like me, a narrow tipped applicator bottle will become your saving grace. It allows for precise application of oils to your scalp or hair, which is a bonus while rocking a straightened style (bye bye greasies). Just remember: the harder you squeeze the bottle, the more your product comes out!
5. Spray Bottle
Cue the soul glow! Nah, I’m kidding. Sometimes, products come in packages that are more of a pain than purposeful (like Infusium 23 Repair & Renew Leave-In). Or maybe you want to moisten your hair with water, without dunking your head in the sink. Or maybe you think a certain product is too thick, and you need a way to water it down and disseminate it evenly throughout your hair. All of the above and more are great uses for the spray bottle. Grab yours at Sally’s or Target (in the travel sized bottle section) for a few pennies over $1.
4. Bobby Pins
You can never, ever, EVER have too many bobby pins. Large, small, colored or not, these little fellas are a life saver. From faux hawk sculpting, to bun securing or just keeping my growing out bangs in place, bobby pins add dimension and variety to any style. I am known to have bobby pin stashes in my house, car, work bag, gym bag, and purse if I am carrying one (I hate purses… especially big ones. All they do is allow you to carry around unnecessary junk. Tell me I’m lying!). But the point is, bobby pins are incredibly useful and multifaceted.
3. Wide Tooth Comb
Once your hair reaches an inch long, a wide tooth comb becomes somewhat of a staple in your arsenal. I know, most short hair ladies use rat tail or fine tooth combs. I’m not knocking you if you do but, how much of your hair ends up in the sink? At least use a wide tooth comb to prep your hair for whatever you’re doing…before reaching for that denman or rat tail comb. Right now, I’m rolling with my Target special aka Conair wide tooth comb that hit me for around $3.
2. Satin Scarf/Bonnet
Do I really need to explain why sleeping on anything less than satin is a bad idea? Didn’t think so.
And theeeee most important tool of all……… Drumroll, please!
1. A Hair Journal
Huh? What? How is this #1? Let me explain. If you’re anything like me, you can’t remember what you wore to work yesterday….let alone what combination of products and procedures you used on your hair last week. So keep a journal. Put an app like colornote on your phone, keep a literal journal, or heck, keep a blog! This blog is just as much for me as it is y’all. The point is for you to record what products your hair loved, hated, and everything inbetween. No need in making the same mistake twice, or forgetting how to do that dope style from two Mondays ago.
Are there any tools you can’t live without?
Source: blackgirllonghair.com
5 Hair Care Mistakes Most Naturals Make
1. Joining Bandwagons– What’s a bandwagon? It’s going out and trying techniques and new hair tools just because others are doing it. Every month there is a new bandwagon; co-washing, no-poo, baggying, Tangle Teezer, and others are all bandwagons. While these techniques can be beneficial; if what you’re doing isn’t broken don’t try to fix it. Try only following techniques that solve a problem you currently have with your hair.
2.Hair Typing– Yes, it’s nice to feel like you’re a part of a group but honestly, hair typing is purely aesthetic. Yes your curls can look like someone elses but, it takes more than knowing your hair type to really figure out what your hair likes and doesn’t like. You can learn a lot from people who don’t have the same hair type as you do.
3. Throwing Away Products That Work– Don’t go and throwaway that “tried and true” leave-in just because, you’ve now learned about mineral oil. Trust me, when you’re having a bad hair day, you’re going to be looking for that tried and true product. Again, if it isn’t broken don’t fix it.
4. Black People, Black Hair, Black Products– Please, kick this notion to the curb. You may have more in common hairwise with someone who is not the same color as you and actually learn some great tips from other curlies. Lots of natural hair ladies use Dove, Suave, Loreal, Aussie Moist, Garnier Fructis, with muchsuccess and these aren’t marketed for “black hair”. Just find products that solve the problems you’re facing with your hair.
5. Natural Is Easy As 1-2-3– No, natural hair doesn’t have to be difficult but, we all have our days. Don’t go natural thinking that you won’t have any bad hair days or even months! Natural hair has it’s learning curves.
By keeping the 5 tips above in mind while on your journey it will save you a lot of frustration, there’s is nothing like experiencing excessive breakage or slit ends and having no idea where they came from and how to stop them. If you keep your regimen consistent, you will get consistent results.
Are you guilty of any of the above?
4 Major Causes Of Hair Breakage
Healthy hair is important to women regardless of hair type or texture. Do you know any woman who wants to walk around with bald spots or hair that is falling out and/or shedding excessively? Chances are you don’t. If not taken seriously, breakage can cause lasting affects on your hair’s health.
1. Hairstyles – If there is tightness or tension on your scalp from any style chances are you will suffer from severe breakage. Although hair is comprised of protein, keratin to be exact – it is fragile especially around the nape and crown. If there is tugging, pulling, pressure, tightness this can lead to bald patches.
From my own personal experience I can tell you that the way you choose to style your hair is important in preventing and/or minimizing breakage. Recently, I wore synthetic extensions styled in braids for two months. At the time, I had them done I was wincing in pain at the tightness of the braids on my scalp. I suffered major breakage at the crown of my head as a result.
2. Styling Tools – Excessive use of heat related tools like blow dryers, flat irons, curling irons, hot rollers, etc will weaken your hair’s cuticle. Limit the frequency of usage and minimize the length of time the heat is in contact with your hair. If you are using heating tools excessively make sure to deep condition your hair on a weekly basis.
3. Manipulating Wet Hair – If your hair is wet try to minimize its manipulation. Wet hair is more susceptible to breakage than dry hair. Use a detangler to reduce tangles and knots. Also, use a wide tooth comb to section and detangle. If a brush must be used, make sure to start at the ends and work your way up while holding your hair taut at the base.
4. Styling Products – The excessive use of chemical processes like coloring, straightening, and bleaching will dry your hair out if not maintained properly which will in turn cause, brittle, vulnerable hair susceptible to breakage. Limit the use of these products and be sure to condition accordingly when necessary.
Of course there are other factors that also contribute to hair breakage – such as illness and/or nutrition. However, these four factors are controllable by you. If you are able to minimize these causes you will be doing you and your hair a great service.
What was the culprit?
What are you doing to remedy things?
DIY Monday: “No Sew” T-Shirt Necklace
The last time you made a necklace, it probably involved macaroni. Well here’s an idea inspired by a project on the blog aprettypennyblog.com: Turn an old shirt into a piece of wearable art that’s quite grown-up.
Read more to find out how to make one of your very own!
Here’s What You Need:
an unwanted cotton t-shirt
a pair of sharp scissors
about half an hour
Lay the shirt on a flat surface and smooth it out with your hands. Start by cutting off and discarding the hem.
Beginning at the bottom of the shirt and working your way up, cut 1-inch strips to make loops. Vary the width of your strips based on your desired necklace thickness. I wanted a lot of tubes, so I kept my strips small.
You can also cut a variety of sizes for one necklace if you want a less-uniform texture.
Stretch out the loops you just made so the cotton curls in on itself and forms long tubes.
Double up each tube, matching up the seams at one end.
If you break a loop at the seam while you’re stretching it out, just tie it back together with a simple knot and trim the excess.
{This really is a fool-proof project}
Group all of your tubes by size, keeping the seams together at one end.
The illustration shown here uses a women’s tee, so the tapered fit resulted in a great variation of tube sizes.
If you’re using a men’s tee, you can cut the tubes into various sizes and tie them back together as shown above.
Gather them all together, with the longest tubes on the bottom and the shortest on the top, but save one!
Cut the tube you saved in half to make it a long string. Tie the string in a knot near one end of the section of seams. Tightly wrap the string around all of the seams to cover them. Be careful not to get the tubes twisted or tangled as you’re wrapping.
When everything is smooth and covered, tie off the other end of the string in a knot (using one of the necklace loops if you need to).
That’s it! A Fabulous Necklace. Hand made in about 30 minutes flat!
*DESIGNER’S NOTE: Want to turn this necklace from fabulous to Fan-Tabulous?
Show off your wild side by Mixing & Matching other colors.
Happy Now? Gabby Douglas’ hair is styled.
It is shameful that many people in the African American community have overshadowed Gabby’s success by criticizing her hair. Yes, she was on television for the entire world to see, but people there is more to life than hair and there is definitely more to life than appearances. All this chatter around “Gabby Douglas gotta do something with this hair! These clips and this brown gel residue aint it” and “Gabby Douglas needs to tame the beady beads in the back of her hair.” is unnecessary and just highlights how shallow and superficial many of us are.
How about focusing more on fitness than hair. There are thousands of African Americans suffering from illnesses brought on my poor diets and lack of exercise. Many women are constricted by their hair refusing to swim or exercise because of the effect it may have on their hair. What were you doing when Gabby was practicing for the Olympics? Sitting on the couch eating a bag of Cheetos, while looking up the latest natural hair YouTube video? Your hair looks great, but your dying from poor lifestyle choices? You don’t want to exercise because you don’t want to sweat out your perm or wear a headscarf to the gym?Would you prefer to be in shape like Gabby Douglas or have a killer blow out or twist out?
For decades we have forgone extracurricular activities like swimming, camping and hiking because we just can’t get our hair messed up. Although many of us have joined #teamnatural, we still have a defeatist attitude where what we do is controlled by our hair. If Gabby were like the average woman she may not have won two gold metals because she would be too concerned that all that flipping, jumping and sweating may interfere with her hair. Many Olympic female athletes wear their hair in ponytails with clips. Why are we only focusing on Gabby?
We praise those crazy Basketball Wives and Love & Hip Hop reality stars because they wear Louboutins with weaves down to their backsides-paid for by laying on their back. But we criticize a woman who is magnificent and made her country proud because of her passion for a sport? Not every woman is going to be a glamour girl, we just need to accept that. It is OK to be who you are, flaws and all. Let’s stop all this negativity and give Gabby the praise and recognition she deserves.
In the words of Gabby: “What’s wrong with my hair? I’m like, ‘I just made history and people are focused on my hair?’ It can be bald or short; it doesn’t matter about [my] hair.”
I Am Lady Fab 