Topic of the Day || Dry Hair

Here are some previous posts addressing "dry hair":

1. Reader's Question: More on Moisture ... Dry Ends
2. No Poo Review: Baking Soda with Conditioner
3. Chapt. 6: Moisture, Moisture, Moisture
4. Oh Honey, Honey ... Deep Conditioner Recipes
5. Winterize Your Conditioner!

For more, check out the labels "Dry Hair" and "Moisture".

Protective Style Lookbook || Vintage Updo on Stretched Hair

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

Model: MsVaughn

Style description: Updo incorporating side flat twists into a vintage roll.  Pinned side bang.

Difficulty level: 2/5

 

Healthy Eating || Bananas and Lowering Blood Pressure

Lately my blood pressure has been lower than usual, which isn't a bad thing at all in this case.  The systolic pressure normally ranges between 101 and 110 while the diastolic pressure between 65 and 80.  However, my two most recent tests were 91/60 and 93/57. I don't recall my blood pressure ever being this low ... at least not in recent years.

So, I thought to myself, "What have I been doing differently?"  And then it occurred to me, "Well, I've been eating a lot of bananas [in smoothies].  Could that be it?"  Then I went to the internet, did some digging, and learned that there are dozens of references to the high potassium in bananas helping to lower blood pressure.  Here are a couple of abstracts worth reading:

ROLE OF POTASSIUM IN REGULATING BLOOD PRESSURE
EFFECT OF BANANA ON COLD-STRESS INDUCED HYPERTENSION

MORE READS:
BLOOD PRESSURE CHART AND TIPS

DISCLAIMER: Please speak with your doctor before changing your diet.

2013 Plans for My Hair, Body, and Soul || Part I

(Left) Stretched puff in 2009. (Right) Braid-out on flat-ironed hair in mid-2012.

This year flew by sooo fast!  With a new year quickly approaching, it's that time (again) to map out some plans.  Here I go:

2013 HAIR PLANS:

Show more length.  I'm officially going the heat route because I want to enjoy my length more.  February will make it five years that I've been natural, and a huge majority of that time, my hair has looked shoulder-length (and sometimes, neck-length) because of major shrinkage.  I didn't have a problem with that, but I'm just ready to enjoy (and show) my length now.  From January through February, I will wear box braid extensions again.  Then from February through December, I plan to heat style monthly (or bi-monthly) and wear a mix of jumbo twists and braidout updos.  This will obviously impact the running of my usual 3in6 Challenge ... more on this later.

Maintenance over length.  Up until now, I've been focused on growing my hair to it's maximum length potential.  After grazing waist-length for some time, I believe that I'm approaching (or have reached) my terminal length.  Also, after almost five years of being natural, I've grown less obsessed with length.  That being said, I'm going into this heat routine knowing that length retention and heat usage may not mix well.  So, 2013 will be more about maintaining the length that I do have.  If I can also add to my length, that will be great, but it is not my priority.

Maintaining my kinks.  I want to make it clear that I am not going into this heat routine with the intention of changing my coil pattern.  I love my "kinks" and still want to wear them from time to time next year.  The challenge will be using heat without altering my pattern too much.  

To be continued ....

Do you have any hair plans or resolutions for the New Year?

Mixology || Baking Soda and Avocado Shampoo Recipe for Dry Hair

Looking for a simple, homemade natural shampoo that is cleansing but non-drying?  Check out this recipe:

Ingredients:
avocado
baking soda
distilled water

Directions:

1. Skin an avocado, remove the pit and mash it in a bowl;
2. Add 2 teaspoons of baking soda;
3. Add 1/4 cup of hot distilled water; and
4. Mix the ingredients into a paste and massage the homemade moisturizing shampoo into your hair and scalp.
5. (Optional) You may or may not want to follow up with an apple cider vinegar rinse for pH balance.

Remember to refrigerate the unused mixture. To customize this or any of the other recipes, add a few drops of essential oil for a pleasant scent. Popular oils include lavender, sandalwood, jasmine and rosemary.

For more moisturizing shampoos, check out Suite101: Shampoo Recipes for Dry Hair and Scalp.

Considering Heat Usage? Heat Training?

In this video, Longhairdontcare2011 illustrates her coil pattern change after years of "responsible" heat usage:

NOTE: Longhairdontcare2011 does not intentionally use heat to change her coil pattern.

HILARIOUS Hair Tutorial || Throw-It-On Method

It gets funnier and funnier as the video progresses ... :-)