I've been featured!

Check out this awesome feature on The Good Hair Blog! Thanks so much to Alexandra for the feature!

Autumn Head Scarves and Animal Print

(thought I was putting the timer on my camera for 10 seconds. Somehow the camera ended up snapping 10 pictures back to back. Goofiness galore. Anywho, this was my frizzy hair before before the scarf up-do.)

The weather today did not agree with my braidout at all. Tossed it up into a messy bun, left the front section out, tied a scarf around my head into a bow, and I was out the door!

Maybe I will do my second YouTube video on this quick and easy style. Until next time, Later ladies!

My First YouTube Video!!

I have always said that I am better writing with my hands to express myself than speaking with my mouth. That's why I am a blogger rather than a vlogger. But I have been thinking of doing a couple of hair style and hair guide videos because sometimes the video visual is better than reading the description. It's like reading the book vs. going to see the movie. Some prefer one over the other!

Without further ado, here is my very first YouTube video. I was nervous. I hope I become less camera shy in my next video. And please excuse my appearance!  The video was very impromptu!

Those Dog Days of Summer

Four Braid Braid-Out. Video Coming Soon...

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Insanity, Did It Work?

Insanity was truly insane. Insane as it was, I had never felt more motivated, energized, and seen great results from any other fitness program. And I stuck with it for longer than I thought I would: four straight weeks! 

I did not finish out the program unfortunately. Once the beginning of the school year started up, my energy was far too wiped out to even think about exercising after work. I am hoping to start up again in October to either finish the second half of the program or to start over from the beginning. 

My hard work did not go without progress!

In four weeks I lost 5 inches off of my waist and lost 7 pounds!!

Though I am not exercising daily, I am still eating green smoothies every morning and watching my food intake throughout the day/evening. 

Stay tuned for Insanity Round 2.

Jamaican Black Castor Oil Review

I'm officially a product junky.

Everytime that I read about a product that the rest of the natural hair world raves about, I'm jumping online or into a store to purchase it for myself. My newest product purchase this week was Jamaican Black Castor Oil.

This stuff is the truth.

I have been using this product every night since I have bought it. The first night I used it on my ends only. I wasn't sold on the product after I put it on. The smell turned me all the way off. It smelled like I had rolled around in circles in a tobacco field. The smell eventually faded away and when I took my locsoc off that morning...it was like cotton candy at the carnival! My hair was super soft all day long.

I started researching how to use the Jamaican Black Castor Oil and found out that it is actually good for hair growth and thickness. NaturallyCurly.com mentions how to use the product for hair growth and moisture:

How to Use JBCO for Hair Growth and Moisture
1. Apply small amounts of Jamaican Black Castor Oil daily to your hair roots and scalp. Then massage the oil into your scalp using your fingertips. You may leave the oil on your scalp overnight. The oil will not soil your pillow as it is easily absorbed into your scalp.
2. Once per week, use Jamaican Black Castor oil as a hot oil treatment, preferably on the weekends. Use generous amount and really massage it into your scalp and hair.
3. After applying JBCO to your scalp and hair, cover your hair with a plastic cap and go under the dryer for 15 to 30 minutes.
You should begin to see results in two weeks after original date of usage.

Even if I don't see results, the way this product makes my hair feel is enough of a reason for me to use it! It's a keeper!

(Amazon is currently selling the 4 oz. size for 7.55 and 10.99 for the 8 oz. size under the company: Tropical Isle Living)

Nupur Mehndi

Stopped by the store that I usually go to for my Henna, Castor Oil, Almond Oil..and while browsing the aisles I came across Nupur Mehndi. I do not consider myself to be following a strict Ayurvedic Hair Regimen, but I use herbs and oils like Neem, Alma, and Henna in my deep conditioners occasionally. The Nupur stood out to me because A. The powder is mixed with nine herbs that essentially benefit the hair and B. A friend of mine mentioned using a powder like this and had fabulous results.

The product description on Godrej Nupur's website reads:

Nupur brings to you the best quality Rajasthani Mehendi with 9 carefully chosen natural herbs. The ingredients are added in perfect proportions to give your hair the fabulous shiny & silky feel that you desire every single day. 
Following are herbs used in Godrej Nupur Mehendi with their benefits.

• Brahmi - Promotes hair growth.
• Shikakai - Leaves hair clean & shining.
• Aloe Vera - Maoisturises hair & makes it silky.
• Methi - Conditions, nourishes & revitalises hair.
• Bhringraj - Makes hair luxuriant.
• Amla - Darkens hair colours, adds shine & luster.
• Neem - Fights scalp infection & prevents dandruff.
• Hibiscus - Rejuvenates hair making it shiny & silky.
• Jatamansi - Prevents graying of hair.

 The company recommends mixing the product this way:

Soak Nupur Mehendi in water for 2-3 hours. You may add curd/oil for extra softness. Apply paste evenly from root to tip of the hair. Leave for 3-4 hours. Rince thoroughly with water.

Now...I'm not one for patience. So of course I did not soak the Nupur Mehndi in water for 2-3 hours. Let's try...2-3 minutes? It was late and I didn't feel like waiting until the morning to try this product. Next time I will be sure to soak it for 2-3 hours though.

I added 1 cup of water, 1/4 cup of Coconut Oil and 1 cup Aussie Moist Conditioner to this product.

I loved the results! I cowashed the product out of my hair with Suave Conditioner and followed up with a Deep Conditioner mix. I noticed far less breakage so far. My hair is much softer and stronger as a result of this product. I will be using this again before the month ends.

Product Grade: A+ 

Sidebar: I did not realize that the product would stain my hands (Mehndi=Henna). Doh! I'm walking around with orange fingers/nails as a result. Lesson learned. 

The Fro-Hawk

Old wash n go + banana clip + hair combs + bobby pins...and a rock star was born.

Eat Your Veggies!

Eating vegetables used to be torture. Couldn't get up from the table until I ate mine. Most went to the dog underneath the table. Now that I'm older and wiser...I've realized that my parents weren't trying to torture me. They were actually my personal nutritionists at a young age.

And I have also finally found out that vegetables aren't my enemy.

Vegetables can help to:

• Reduce risk for type 2 diabetes
• Decrease risk of heart disease
• Lower calorie intake
• Decrease risk of stroke and cardio-vascular disease

The reality about vegetables is that not all vegetables are ranked the same. Not all vegetables have high nutritional value. Honestly I was shocked to learn this! I always believed that all vegetables were healthy and "good for you". This list proves otherwise. 

Commonsensehealth.com has provided a list ranking vegetables into three categories.

Category A - Highest in nutritional value, fiber, and protein.

Category B - Good vegetables but not the best

Category C - high glycemic, starchy, or high in calories. 

Below I have listed the vegetables that I commonly eat according to the A, B, and C categories. You can visit the link below to check out the rest of the list to see how some of your favorite vegetables rank!

Category A - 

Avocado
Bean Sprouts
Bell Peppers
Black Beans
Broccoli
Broccoflower
Cabbage
Carrots
Collard Greens
Garlic
Greens
Kale
Lettuce (red or green)
Onions
Parsley
Pepers
Spinach
Summer Squash
Sweet Potato and yam
Tomato
Turnip Greens
Winter Squash

Category B -

Artichoke
Chile Peppers
Cucumber (I'm shocked!)
Egg plant
Green Beans (another shocker!)
Turnips
Zucchini

Category C - 

Corn
Lettuce (iceberg)
Mushrooms
Potato
Water chestnuts

Eat up those vegetables and check out CommonSenseHealth.com for the complete list and other great articles on health!