"Soul" Food Mondays ... Er, A Day Late || Resilience As Your Best Friend

"No matter what or who has hurt you in this life, resilience must be your best friend.  Learn to rise each time you fall.  All will turn out well in the end." ~SOPHIA A. NELSON

Resilience.  An ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change (Merriam-Webster).  Make it your best friend for it will be there with you through and after adversity.  It may not prevent the inevitable but it will lessen the blow, keep you sane, and make you all the stronger.  Resilience must be your best friend.

The Basics to CHANGING a Hair Care Regimen || Part I

As we reach new lengths, sometimes our hair care regimens must change.  Our strands -- which may not only be longer now, but may also have changed slightly in coil/curl pattern -- may require different handling methods and products.  A change in our regimen may also be necessary when the ingredients listing on a staple product has been altered, our income has been adjusted, or the weather has varied significantly.  Whatever the reason for a change, it can be scary going from a familiar routine to a new one.  Let these quick tips be a guide and keep your fear at bay:

Look at what others with similar hair length, type, texture, AND density are doing.  It is not enough to just look at women with a similar hair type to yours.  Look for those with your length (or a length to which you aspire), texture (that is, fine, medium, or coarse strands - a measure of circumference), and density (that is, the number of strands on your head).  Use women with two to all four of these characteristics as a starting point for adjusting your routine. 

Find products with ingredients your hair loves.  This step is especially applicable if your staple product has new ingredients, is discontinued, or is now out of your budget.  Begin your search for a replacement by looking for a similar ingredients listings to your original staple product.  Look for generics - some of which may be carried at Sally's Beauty Supply (for U.S. readers) - for example, "Hair One" in place of "Wen".  Another option is to consider becoming a mixtress (that is, mixing your own product).

Use thicker, heavier products during colder weather.  Products that work just fine during the warmer months may lose their effectiveness in the colder months.  It may be necessary to incorporate or switch to heavier oils, conditioners, and butters.  They will better protect your strands and retain moisture in your hair during this time.

To be continued ...

Oldies, But Goodies

1. Protective Style Lookbook || 20+ Styles on Braids & Twists
2. Healthy Hair Feature: Ijeoma Eboh, aka KlassyKinks
3. Foods for Eye Health
4. Mixology || Natural Bubble Bath
5. Shedding Too Much Hair?

Protective Style Lookbook || Braided Crown Hairstyle

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

{Image Source}

Model: Ebony C.

Style description: Braid going around the crown. Can be done on stretched hair, twists, or box braids. 

Difficulty level: 3/5

Mixology, Skin Care || Elbow Softener

Are your elbows extra dry and hard this winter? Here is a natural homemade recipe for an elbow softener:

Ingredients
4 tbsp olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp honey

Instructions
Pour ingredients in sterilized jar, cover and shake well. Shake well before each use. Massage a little into each elbow for a few minutes. Rinse off, pat dry, and moisturize. (Use this recipe twice daily and your skin will be soft within one week. After that, use weekly.)

FOR MORE: 250 Bath Body Recipes

It Is 2013…What Are Your Health And Fitness Goals for This Year!?

By Stephanie of Infinite Life Fitness

Every year more and more people make goals to get healthy and fit.  On average do you know how long that motivation and drive last?  THREE WEEKS! And to be honest most people do not make it that long!

The key to YOUR health and fitness success is staying motivated, plan ahead, and find people to help keep you on track!

Those three things are VERY important and some of the hardest things to find (and keep) to those who are just starting their health and fitness journey. 

This is a great time of year to start thinking about spring break or your summer vacations!  If you want to be bikini ready you have to start NOW! Do not make any more excuses!

Create your plan:

What is the date you want to reach your goals?

What is your goal? (How much weight do you want to lose….or you want to get fit to run a race…)

How do you plan to eat right? (Creating menus, planning out your meal times and meals)

When are you going to work out?

What are you going to do when you work out?

Now…How are you going to stay motivated?

(You can always check out my blog infinitelifefitness.com  :-)

BUT there are DOZENS of other health and fitness blogs out there that also aim to motivate and encourage people who need it)

And who is going to be your Fitness buddy or Fitness counselor?

A fitness buddy can be someone who is trying to get fit with you.  Or they can just be there to help keep you on track.  You can use them when you are feeling weak and wanting to give up.  This person is so important and they have to be reliable! Cannot find a buddy?  I WOULD LOVE TO BE YOUR FITNESS BUDDY! Just contact me and we can chat about your goals and I can even offer you some advice.

A fitness counselor is someone to help you with your meals and workouts.  This can be a personal trainer, a friend who is a fitness junkie…or ME!

I am currently taking new clients and my prices are VERY reasonable.  I offer great packages that can fit into anyone’s budget.  I never want price to be an issue when it comes to health and fitness.  I even offer trades (currently I advertise on some websites/blogs in exchange for workouts and fitness advice! I am willing to bargain so YOU can start reaching your goals!) 

Don’t belong to a fitness gym? NO PROBLEM!

There are DOZENS of at-home exercise you can do to help you reach your goals!
Even if you are on a tight budget there are ways to still purchase healthy food and maintain a healthy diet.  It does take some planning but YOU CAN DO IT! ANYONE CAN!

The time to start is NOW! Not tomorrow…not next week…not next month…but TODAY!

The only person holding you back from your health and fitness goals is YOU!

What are you afraid of!  Yes it will be hard at times…and yes you will slip up and make some mistakes but that is OK!  We are all human and we all make mistakes.

2013 is YOUR year! So let’s start NOW on the new…healthier….MORE fit YOU!

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

Hair Diary || Messy Jumbo Twists for January

Flat-ironed and in jumbo twists.  I didn't have my usual products so I had to make do with what was available.  On hiatus for the next couple of weeks.  Until next time, ladies!

Box Braid Takedown:
-Took down box braids
-Finger detangled each section (previously lubricated)
-Followed up with a wide-tooth comb
-Put hair in several big plaits
-Washed with Creme of Nature conditioning shampoo
-Conditioned with VO5 Strengthening Conditioner (hydrolyzed collagen)
-Detangled (wide tooth comb) hair while soaked with conditioner
-Re-plaited then rinsed out 95% of the conditioner
-Sealed damp hair with Pura Naturals Cupuacu Butter
-Air dried hair in big plaits