Oldies, But Goodies

1. Hair Issues || High Porosity (and Low Porosity)
2. Another Case for Organic: The Sweet Potato Project
3. Healthy Eating || Best and Worst Juices
4. Twist Series: Strong vs. Weak Twists
5. Shedding Too Much Hair?

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Underrated || Grapefruit Essential Oil for Hair

DISCLAIMER: Essential oils are very potent. Please consult your doctor before using them, especially if you are pregnant, breast feeding, or have a medical condition.

First off, grapefruit essential oil should not be confused with grapeseed oil.  The former is an essential oil and pressed from the grapefruit.  The latter is a carrier oil and pressed from the seeds of grapes.  Grapeseed oil is growing in popularity in hair care, but grapefruit essential oil is relatively less known.  Now for why this particular essential oil is underrated ...

WHY GRAPEFRUIT ESSENTIAL OIL IS GREAT:

1.  It has a sweet, light fragrance.  While peppermint essential oil can be a bit strong in aroma and lavender a bit weak, on this scale, grapefruit essential oil sits relatively close to lavender.  Grapefruit is almost in the realm of lemongrass essential oil, but weaker and much sweeter in terms of scent.  

2.  It blends well with other essential oils.  Grapefruit essential oil can be mixed with many other essential oils to create interesting blends.  It blends especially well with lavender essential oil.  Some also state that grapefruit blends really well with the essential oils of bergamot and basil.

HOW TO USE GRAPEFRUIT ESSENTIAL OIL:

1. As a hair deodorizer/perfume.  Add several drops of grapefruit essential oil to a few ounces of water in a spray bottle.  Spritz your hair and scalp to hold off on wash day a bit longer.  Grapefruit essential oil has the right intensity of aroma to leave your hair smelling fresh and sweet without being overpowering.

2. As a moisturizer fragrance.  Add several drops of this essential oil to give your moisturizer a sweet, citrusy scent that is subtle.

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Mixology || Homemade Banana Conditioner (by Loo)

Another natural deep conditioner.  This one softens and infuses the hair with moisture for detangling.

Homemade Banana Conditioner -

Ingredients:
1 medium/large overripe banana (sliced)
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (for lubrication, moisture while detangling)
2 tbsp glycerin (humectant, moisture)
2 tbsp honey (humectant, moisture)

Instructions:
Place sliced bananas, extra virgin olive oil, glycerin, and honey all in a blender. Blend the ingredients thoroughly making sure no lumps or banana bits remain. (Depending on your blender quality, you may or may not have to then sieve the mixture with a fine sieve.  Another option is to use banana baby food.) Apply to hair and let sit for 30-45 minutes under a shower cap. Detangle, rinse thoroughly, and style as usual.  (If not rinsed out thoroughly, your hair may be left hard and with mixture remnants once dry.)

Hair after detangling. If you've been following me for some time, you will be wondering how these "curls" appeared considering that I have no natural curl pattern whatsoever.  Well, it looks to be the conditioner.  The last time I used a similar concoction (transitioning days), my hair did the same thing. 

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Do I Have Any Loc'ers?

Would you be interested in posts related to healthy locs?  Natural or homemade hair care recipes for locs?  How to start locs on your own?  Do you want to be featured or see any loc features?  Etc.

If so, comment below (with your questions) or leave a reaction.

Fitness Bucket List

By Stephanie of Infinite Life Fitness

When talking with clients, the first and main reason they want to get healthier and fit is so that they can look and feel good. There is NOTHING wrong with that…BUT why not set some other goals to go along with that?

I encourage people to create a “Fitness Bucket List”. This list is fitness and health tasks that they would like to work towards completing.

For example: Run a marathon (this can include a 5K or 10K or any other types of marathons that can be offered). Some people want to be a part of these kinds of competitions so they have something to work towards when they are in the gym. Working to complete a race like this is great motivation! Being able to train and set a time you would like to finish allows you to push yourself through training and also through the event when you get there!

Your bucket list can include ANYTHING health and fitness related that you would like.

What was on my bucket list? To give up fast food. And YES I have been fast food free for almost 3 years now! I was tired of being lazy and not caring about the food I was putting into my body. I was able to be more self-conscious of the food I was eating. AND it allowed me to save more money! Creating and planning my meals for the week allow me to shop smart at the grocery store so it cut my food budget almost in half when I stopped eating out so much!

You can create goals like “Not drinking carbonated beverages for a month” or “Only having Starbucks once a week”. YOU can set the limits and the rules on your bucket list! This is a great way for you to take control of your health and fitness habits and it also allows you to stay accountable for the things you want to achieve!

Need more ideas?

Here are a few others that may be great for you to add to your list:

• Do a swim race
• Learn to surf
• Run a triathlon
• Compete in an iron man competition (or half competition)
• Compete in charity races
• Compete in charity athletic events (like football or basketball or any other sport)
• To be able to fit in your old wedding…prom…or any other dress you have hidden in the back of your closet
• Go on a fitness cruise
• Kayak down a river
• Do a fitness competition
• Walk part of the Appalachian Trail
• Be able to run 1…2…3 miles
• Be able to do multiple pull ups (because they are VERY hard to do!)
• Go rock climbing
• Go running on the beach
• Be able to do 25…50..100 push ups
• Master some yoga poses without falling
• Be able to hike on trails (Like in Yellow stone national park or the Grand Canyon!)
• Complete a spin class

Like I said, your Bucket List can contain ANYTHING you have wanted to do physically that you know you cannot do now. All it takes it a little motivation and a lot of hard work! If you stay focused and stay motivated you can achieve your health and fitness goals!

This is Stephanie from Infinite Life Fitness. Please feel free to stop by my blog for more health and fitness tips!

Protective Style Lookbook || Double Dose Twist Updo (Short Hair)

By popular demand, this is a series showcasing various protective hair styles.  Protective styling does not have to be boring. :o)

**This segment contains two styles.**

Model: Iknowlee

Style description: Style #1 - twist updo with pompadour.  Style #2 - twist updo with classy roll.

Difficulty level: Style #1 - 3/5. Style #2 - 3/5.

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Summer Skin and Anti-Acne Regimen

DISCLAIMER: See a dermatologist if you have severe acne or extremely sensitive skin.  

Summer is here and you are noticing more pimples and blackheads than usual.  You also don't feel like purchasing expensive, over-the-counter skin products that may or may not eliminate the acne ...  OR maybe you want a more natural alternative to commercial products that are loaded with chemicals.  Well, here is a regimen I drafted that worked well for me; I've also included additional steps for the more stubborn pimples and blackheads.

You will need:
olive oil (makeup remover)
grapeseed oil (blackhead zapper)
baking soda (dirt & oil remover)
brown sugar (exfoliant)
honey (anti-bacterial)
witch hazel (toner)
cotton balls
washcloth (1-2)
cleanser (of your choice)
light moisturizer (of your choice)

PRE-CLEANSING (if wearing makeup):
1. Drench a cotton ball with olive oil and proceed to wipe face and eye area to remove any makeup.
2. If necessary, repeat step #1 until most of the makeup dissolves.
3. Wipe away any excess oil with a damp washcloth.

CLEANSING:
1. Wash face with your usual cleanser mixed with a teaspoon of baking soda.
2. Rinse then massage the brown sugar scrub onto damp face for 5 minutes avoiding the eye area.  (Brown sugar scrub: two tablespoons of brown sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon of honey and 1 teaspoon of water.)
3. Rinse face with warm water or wipe with a second warm, wet washcloth.

POST-CLEANSING:
1. Moisten a cotton ball with witch hazel, and proceed to gently brush the face paying close attention to acne areas and avoiding the eye area.
2. Wait 2-3 minutes before applying the moisturizer of your choice.
3. (Optional) Moisten a cotton swab with grapeseed oil and apply to any blackheads on the face.

CHEMICAL PEEL:
For the more stubborn acne, you may want to try a homemade chemical peel after washing your face (in place of the scrub).  Read my earlier post for recipes and instructions.

READS:
GRAPESEED OIL & ACNE STUDY

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