"Soul" Food Mondays || Help Your Being

With whom do you surround yourself?

Protective Style Lookbook || Faux Empress Bun with Marley Braid Hair

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

Model: Joulezy

Difficulty level: 3/5

Description: Fake empress bun created with Marley Braid Hair.

Mixology || Coconut Milk Shampoo

Liquid castile soap is generally made from olive oil (and/or other oils) and water. Though some naturals have shied away from it with all the talk of pH, the reality is that other naturals have faired fine using it in their shampoo recipes. If you are interested in giving liquid castile soap a try, the following mixture involves the addition of organic coconut milk (for dilution and additional lathering), distilled water (for further dilution), and safflower oil (for moisture).

Ingredients: 
1/4 cup liquid castile soap
3 tbsp organic coconut milk
1 tsp distilled water
1 tsp safflower oil (add more if you desire)

Instructions:
1. Mix all the ingredients together in a bottle. Shake the bottle well before use.
2. Save the remainder in a closed bottle for future use (up to a few weeks).
3. Follow up with an apple cider vinegar rinse (if necessary) for pH balance.

Hair Diary || Summer Regimen of Wash-n-gos and Braid-outs

(LEFT) Wash-n-go puffs.  No gel.
(RIGHT) Braid-out on flat-ironed hair.

Alright, so I want to wear my hair out this summer (after years of protective styling ~99% of the time).  I will largely wear a mix of braid-outs on low-heat flat-ironed hair AND wash-n-gos.  Here are more details:

MY WASH-N-GOS (inspired by long-haired type 4 Cynthiarf):
So I first tried Cynthiarf's method a few months ago, and was surprised at how little my hair became tangled from daily wash-n-gos.  And to think that after my hair grew past shoulder-length (years ago), that that was the end of wash-n-gos for me.  Well, I was wrong after having tried this lady's technique.

Here's my wash-n-go regimen for the summer:
- Pre-poo overnight with Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (EVCO)
- Shampoo weekly (Desert Essence Tea Tree Shampoo) followed by quick conditioner
- Co-wash daily (Suave, Tresemme)
- Finger comb while co-washing (view Cynthiarf's tutorial of this process)
- Shake and go

MY BRAID-OUTS ON STRAIGHT HAIR (inspired by long-haired type 4 JoStylin):
Now, JoStylin does her braid-outs on blow-dried hair, but I am not a fan of blow drying on my hair (more on this another time).  Instead, I will do my braid-outs on lightly flat-ironed hair (i.e., 300 degrees F).  Other than this change, I love her simple routine as well as how she leaves a few braids in the back.  (Read my previous post about JoStylin.)

Here's my braid-out regimen for the summer:
- Pre-poo overnight with EVCO
- Shampoo then deep condition (ORS Replenishing Pak, Tresemme Split Ends)
- Moisturize/seal with Shea Butter Mixture
- Air-dry in big braids/twists
- Flat-iron on low heat (300 degrees F, Proclaim Heat Protectant though I prefer Carol's Daughter)
- Put in 6-8 big braids for braid-out
- Re-braid nightly; Rock hair for 2-3 weeks

And that's it!  Now for more hair photos:

Wash-n-go puff with flash.  Cottony. 

Wash-n-go after air-drying throughout the day.
I swear I can enter a shrinkage contest.  Where's the application?

Flat-iron (~340 F) before my previous braid-out.  Future flat-iron jobs will be 300 F max.  This is because I plan to flat-iron a little more frequently this summer (for the braid-out regimen).

Oldies, But Goodies

1. Hair and Sun Damage
2. Black Skin and Sunscreen
3. More on Eggs ... Food for the Hair
4. Boar Brush = Damage to Your Edges?
5. To Buy Organic? That is the Question

Protective Style Lookbook || Glam 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: Mz_tammy

Difficulty level: 3/5

Skin Care || Eliminating Under Eye Bags

Do you have annoying bags under your eyes?  Well, depending on the cause of the bags, there may be a fix.  Here is a snippet of a few of these causes and fixes:

"Switch your sleep position. Your sleep position may be contributing to under-eye bags. Thanks to gravity, sleeping on your side or stomach can encourage fluids to collect under your eyes. If you're a side sleeper, you may notice a heavier bag on the side you sleep on. [Dermatologist Valerie Goldburt, MD, PhD, of NYU Langone Medical Center] advises her patients who wake up with puffy eyes to sleep on their back and add an extra pillow under their head. 
.... 

Other everyday habits, including rubbing your eyes frequently, going to bed with makeup on, and excessive drinking, can contribute to under-eye bags, too. "Sleeping in eye makeup can irritate your eyes, causing fluids to pool," Goldburt says. Heavy alcohol drinking causes dehydration. That weakens the delicate skin around the eyes, making it more likely to sink into a pouch.
.... 

Eye bags are very common, and are usually not related to your health. But if your bags appear suddenly and you're not suffering from allergies, a sinus infection, or a cold -- and they don't ease up when you try the lifestyle steps mentioned above -- it's a good idea to see your doctor. Some thyroid or kidney problems can cause under-eye fluid retention, notes New York dermatologist Craig Austin, MD."

For the remainder of the article, check out WEBMD.