Fashion Fun: Putting A $6 Outfit To Work!

First off, let me just apologize for these sucky photos!  I'm in the process of getting a another new camera so bare with me.  Anyhoo, yes, you heard me right! With the exception of the shoes and belt, this is a $6 outfit!  The Asian print jacket and the skirt were $3 a piece via my local thrift store.  The shoes and belt are from Forever 21 and didn't cost much either.

Life & Music: Floetry's "Feelings"

"We have to die a little bit yuh know?"
I love this song and I'm feeling this line a lot more these days.  I think we all go through a series of spiritual rebirths.  At least I do anyways.  You come to this realization that you've been living for others a lot more than for yourself.  Lately I've been questioning a lot of my who, whats and why's...and I'm learning a lot about the person that I am, the person I want to be and the person I refuse to be.  I am enjoying the journey thus far.  I've had to give up some things and even some people.  It hurt a little, but I know that it was essential for my spiritual growth.  I don't have it all figured out yet, but I'm determined to get as close as possible.


Not looking back!
"I'm not afraid of the pain"

Be Fearless!: My Kinky Hair Is Not Understood By Most, But So What!

(source)

Kink·ʿite

(coined by yours truly!)

 

kink-ahyt 

–noun 

a person who's hair is kinky and/or nappy in its natural state.

Recently I took my hair out of my twists.  Normally I rock twist outs or some other kinky style.  This time, I decided to flat iron it.  My hair hadn't been flat ironed for nearly a year, so it was a nice change for me.  What was interesting was the response I got from those that do not have curly kinky hair.  

Everyone complimented me on my straight hair.  Even went so far as to say things like " I like you hair like this better", or "nice to see you with your hair done".  Excuse me, but was my hair not nice in its natural state?  Was my hair not done when it was in its natural state?  I straightened my hair by choice and for myself, not to appease others that can't understand or appreciate my hair as it grows out of my head.

My boss, a non-kinkite, once asked, "bad hair day", on a day that I came in with an afro.  I took this moment to educate him. I explained to him that this is the way my hair grows out of my scalp. I further explained to him about chemical relaxers and the reason why lots of kinkites won't go natural is because of people that make statements like his and hold negative views on kinky hair.  He apologized and said that he wouldn't make comments like that again.  His ignorance didn't upset me.  I was glad that I had the opportunity to provide him with insight into my hair type.

All this is to say, be fearless!  Make choices that you want to make for you and not ones that are for the benefit of easing someone else.  I don't care if your hair is super kinky, loosely curled, or straight, do you!!  Because you can me damn sure that I'm gunna do me! 

All About Hair: I Want Yummy Smelling Hair!

Who doesn't want their hair to smell yummy???  I absolutely love when I catch a whiff of my hair and it smells sweet. I find myself walking a little faster or tossin' my hair to and fro, just so others can get a whiff of it too!  LOL!!

This hair perfume by Aquolina is Awesome!!  Love this stuff!!  Check out the description of the scent: Pink Sugar begins with sugary sweet notes of cotton candy, strawberry, raspberry and orange which fade to reveal sensual mid notes of lily of the valley, fig leaves, and barbe-a-papa. The scent finishes on rich, soft base notes of vanilla, amber, musk.  
How can you go wrong with that?  You can get it at ULTA for $15

You can spray a little in and it lasts all day!  If you don't like sweet scents, their are other hair fragrances on the market.  Some people even use a spritz of their own perfume or body wash.  This can be very drying if it contains alcohol, so be careful with that, or you can just make your own!


What You'll Need:                                                                                                                                                             
Your favorite carrier oil and favorite essential oil.  Examples of carrier oils: almond , olive, pecan, avocado, tea, cranberry seed, evening primrose, grapeseed, rose hip, coconut, jojoba, hazelnut, watermelon seed, etc.

Examples of essential oils: cinnamon, ginger, juniper berry, lavender, lemon, lime, mandarin, myrrh, peppermint, rose vanilla, etc,

Essential oils can irritate your skin if not used properly.  The following is a good rule of thumb to follow if you're going to try this:

A safe and effective dilution for most aromatherapy applications is 2% (2 drops of essential oil per 100 drops of carrier oil). There is no need to go beyond a 3% dilution for any purpose. Using more of an oil will not get you better results; in fact, it may cause adverse effects. Some oils, such as lavender, are sedating in low dilutions and stimulating in high dilutions. A 1% dilution should be used on children, pregnant women, the elderly and those with health concerns. 

When making blends for the first time, start with no more than two or three oils at a time. The more complicated blends require a bit more knowledge because the oils have synergistic effects (meaning that the combination of oils have properties greater than the um of the individual oils).

• 1% dilution: 5-6 drops essential oil per ounce of carrier oil
• 2% dilution: 7-14 drops essential oil per ounce of carrier oil
• 3% dilution: 15-18 drops essential oil per ounce of carrier oil

10 drops	1/10 tsp	1/60 oz.	1/8 dram	1/2 ml
12.5 drops	1/8 tsp	1/48 oz.	1/6 dram	5/8 ml
25 drops	1/4 tsp	1/24 oz.	1/3 dram	1 1/4 ml
50 drops	1/2 tsp	1/12 oz.	2/3 dram	2 1/2 ml
100 drops	1 tsp	1/6 oz.	1 1/3 dram	about 5 ml
150 drops	1 1/2 tsp	1/4 oz.	2 drams	13.5 ml
300 drops	3 tsp	1/2 oz.	4 drams	about 15 ml
600 drops	6 tsp	1 oz.	8 drams	about 30 ml
24 tsp	8 Tbs	4 oz.	1/2 cup	1/4 pint
48 tsp	16 Tbs	8 oz.	1 cup	1/2 pint
96 tsp	32 Tbs	16 oz.	2 cups	1 pint

All About Hair: My New Remedy For Dry Brittle Ends

I always like to have 3 faves of each product that I use.  Especially hair products!  You never know when one might get discontinued or not in stock.  One of my new faves for sealing my ends after moisturizing is Lanolin!  One of my closest friends/hairdresser recommended that I give it a try.  Boy was she right!  I put a little moisturizer on my ends and followed it up with some lanolin (100% pure lanolin) and in the morning my ends felt sooooooooooooooo soft!  This stuff is super thick and is a bit greasy, which is why I only apply it to my ends and I only use a little.  If you use a very small amount, you might be able to get away with using it on curly hair.  If  you have straight hair, I wouldn't recommend it.  Like I said, it is very greasy and may way your hair down.   It may not be for everyone, but I think it's definitely worth giving it a try.  You can purchase it online at Amazon, or give your neighborhood Target a try.  I found a small tube (my friend's suggestions) at Target in the nursing mother's section.  It cost me about $10.00 for a 2 or 3 ounce tube. Although it's a little pricey, I have a feeling that the stuff will last forever!  Here's some info I found on the net regarding lanolin.

What is lanolin?                                                                                                                                    
Lanolin is a very greasy material produced by the sebaceous glands of sheep. It acts as an excellent moisturizer for skin and hair and also functions as an effective water barrier.  In its natural state, lanolin contains about 25-30% water by weight. When applied to skin or hair, it is very effective at penetrating the surface and enhancing moisture retention. Lanolin is also beneficial because it continues to absorb moisture from the air, and can thus act as a humectant for the skin or hair.

Is it safe?                                                                                                                                              
Some people are allergic to lanolin, especially if it is not purified enough, and some people prefer to avoid animal products (although sheep are not killed to have their wool collected).

Can I use it on my skin?                                                                                                                       
It is often a key ingredient in chapsticks, creams, shaving lotions, and skin moisturizers. It is often used medically to soothe rashes, minor burns and abrasions. In these cases, it is very purified; less-refined lanolin can cause allergic reactions in some people.

Thriftstore Finds: Sexy Tops For Not A Lot

Black lace tank with lace-up eyelets

Don't cha just love my classic bathroom cell phone pics?  Ha Ha!  Well, Check out these sexy tops that I found while out on a thrifting run.  Each top set me back $3.50 .  I was in a rush, so I didn't have much time to shop around and on my way out, these 3 tops appeared out of nowhere!  I'm so happy I went!  Love these!

Asian inspired halter with satin Obi

Asian inspired traditional Indonesian shirt 

Easy Hairstlyles: How To Style Your Hair Without Heat

(I love this picture of her)

 My one concern about taking my hair out of my twists was maintenance.  I am a low-maintenance girl when it comes to doing hair.  I don't like to spend longer than 10 minutes or so on my hair in the morning.  Along with being low-maintenance,  I'm also against using excessive heat on my tresses, so typically my rule for myself is that once I take my hair out of a protective style, I get to apply heat to it once.  That means no flat irons, curling irons or blow dryers after my initial styling session.  It works for me because I never have my hair out of braids or twists for longer than a month.

Due to my choices, I've had to find ways to maximize the amount of time my flatirons last and find ways to style my hair that don't take up too much time in my busy mornings.

WHAT I DO BEFORE BED:                                                                                                                   

• Brush my hair using a pattle brush to rid it of any tangles and/or shed hair
• Rub 3 or 4 drops of  IC Hair Polisher(you can use your favorite product) into my hands and apply it to my ends only.
• I apply a very small amount of hair wax to my edges and brush them to lay them down
• This next step depends on the style I want to achieve for the next day.  If I want straight hair all over, which is rare, I will wrap my hair.  I like a little wave pattern to my hair, so I bring it all to the back like I'm going to make a low ponytail, but I just twist it into a bun, and secure it with a bobby pin. 
• I wrap my hair with silk scarf and I sleep on a satin pillow to help scarf from slipping off ( I hate when that happens!)

That is it!  It sounds like a lot but it takes me about 5 or 10 minutes at night.  In the morning I just take my scarf off and my roots are pretty straight and the hair is wavy.  It give me the option of wearing my hair down with a little finger coming or up in a messy bun or ponytail of some sort. Best of all, no trip to the salon and I can keep that money in my pocket!  Here are a few other styles that are cute and very easy to do using the method I use.

 

MY VERSION OF THESE STYLES: