Healthy Recipes || Avocado Parfait + More for Diabetics and Clean Eaters

So through vlogger Jasmine Rose, I learned about (and immediately subscribed to) Alain's channel entitled "Health Reset Meals".  His channel is intriguing because it doesn't simply feature recipes; it features recipes targeted to diabetics and clean eaters.  In short, there are some really healthy meals he cooks up on his channel.  This chef also has a funny personality to go along with it all.

Check out his recipes for an avocado parfait, avocado pudding, and avocado yogurt in the following video.  I can't wait to actually try some of these desserts! ...

How to Preserve "Out" Styles - An Alternative to the Pineapple

Having trouble maintaining your twist-out, braid-out, bantu knot-out, or natural curls over night?  Check out this video on how to preserve your curls while you sleep:

 

The Top Dozen Pesticide-Laden Produce + The Top Fifteen Cleanest Produce

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) recently released a list of produce containing the most pesticides (yuck!) ... and the least.  Do you want to know which of these foods are going into your body?  Check out the below list.  (For more information, including details on certain produce, check out this EWG page.)

THE 2014 "DIRTY DOZEN PLUS"
Apples
Strawberries
Grapes
Celery
Peaches
Spinach
Sweet bell peppers
Nectarines (imported)
Cucumbers
Cherry tomatoes
Snap peas (imported)
Potatoes
Hot Peppers
Kale

THE 2014 "CLEAN FIFTEEN" 
Avocados
Sweet corn
Pineapples
Cabbage
Sweet peas (frozen)
Onions
Asparagus
Mangoes
Papayas
Kiwi
Eggplant
Grapefruit
Cantaloupe
Cauliflower
Sweet potatoes

For more information, including details on certain produce, check out this EWG page.

Protective Style Lookbook || Banana Clip Updo

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

Model: Chrissy

Difficulty level: 1/5

Description: Roll and tuck style with a banana clip.

Product Review || Organix Renewing Moroccan Argan Oil Conditioner

NOTE:  This product was purchased at Walgreens.

Purpose: "... creates softness and strength while protecting your hair from harmful styling heat and UV damage ..."

Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Chloride, Glycerin, Argania Spinosa (Argan) Kernel Oil, Hydrolyzed Keratin, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycol Stearate, Glycol Distearate, Ceteareth-20, Isopropyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Cyclotetrasiloxane, Citric Acid, Cyclopentasiloxane, Panthenol, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Tetrasodium EDTA, DMDM Hydantoin, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Yellow 5 (Cl 19140), Red 40 (Cl 16035), Fragrance (Parfum).

Number of trials: ~3-4

How I used it:

Applied to the ends (the last few inches) of freshly washed hair.
Waited for 3-5 minutes (as instructed).
Then rinsed.

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THE REVIEW:

This conditioner was okay.  It did not leave me blown away or wanting to purchase more.  I get the same (or probably a bit more) softness and strength from my ORS Replenishing Conditioner and ApHogee 2-Minute Keratin Reconstructor. 

___________________

PROS: pleasant smell, nice consistency (not runny or watery), pretty bottle

CONS: over-priced (~$6.99 for 13 fl. oz.)

RATING: Overall, I give the Organix Renewing Moroccan Argan Oil Conditioner 2.5 out of 5 stars.  

This product is ideal for those who:

- experience a little (but not severe) breakage and splits

Hair Diary || A Month of Chunky Twists to Hair Boredom

Throwback pic (Dec. 2013).

Okay, it has been a while since I've posted in the "Hair Diary" ... largely because I've been bored with my hair as of late and do not want to think about it.  My thoughts have gone from cutting my hair down to neck-length to putting in some highlights to loc-ing to relaxing it ...

*Gasps from the readers*

Yep, for the first time in years I've thought about relaxing.  Why?  For ease of care.  The detangling process on my natural hair really gets on my nerves sometimes, and I start to reminisce on the relaxer days when fingers and combs would glide effortlessly through my hair.

At the end of the day, though, I do not miss the regular application of relaxer just to keep those roots straight, the breakage, the scalp burns, the relaxer smell, and the permanent straightness.  After all, if I want straight hair, I can always pull out the flat iron (which I eventually did do recently) on my natural hair.  What's so funny is that the "straight" phase always passes within a couple of weeks because flat-ironed hair is so boring to me after a while.

Agh, anyway, as I figure out how to spice up my hair boredom without doing something drastic, here are some more hair pics from last month:

First set of chunky twists.  Overall, I had to re-twist my hair weekly (as expected) which is too much manipulation for me. Back to my usual smaller twists.

The front of that set.

This was more of a big/medium size set of twists.  In the following week, I did some actual chunky twists.  (No pics for that unfortunately.)

Other angles of the above look.

Study || Herbal Oils as a Natural Sunscreen?

According to quite a few studies, certain herbal oils can provide a level of protection from the sun.  The calculated SPF values range from 0.248 to 7.549.  Olive oil and coconut oil are among the highest ranking ones.

Now, though these oils provide some sun protection, I would not go so far as to use them in place of a regular sunscreen.  After all, many dermatologists recommend that women of color wear a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or even 30.  Olive oil and coconut oil have an SPF of only 7.5 and 7.1, respectively.  Some of these oils, however, can decelerate damage caused to the skin after sun exposure ... which is something that sunscreens generally do not do.   (Check out my earlier post on olive oil after UVB-exposure.)  Additionally, these oils can provide our hair with a level of sun protection. :o)

SOURCES
SPF DETERMINATION OF HERBAL OILS IN COSMETICS (2010)
OLIVE OIL ON UV-INDUCED CANCER (2000)
EFFECT OF ALMOND OIL ON UVB-INDUCED PHOTOAGING (2007)