Baby, it's cold outside.

It sure is, but the sad thing is that the worst is yet to come. So by now, I'm sure that you have (or at least plan to in the near future) winterized your car, and prepared your home for the cold winter nights ahead. But, what have you done to protect your skin from the elements?

 I don't know about you, but my whole skin care regimen changes in the winter time. I go from using lotions and creams to using rich body butters and from using only concealer in my trouble spots to putting on a full face of foundation for better protection.

I also kick up my body exfoliation process to once a week instead of the every other week that I would do during the summer months. So since I go thru my fave body scrubs so quickly, here's a recipe I use for my emergency body scrub. It's super simple and something that most people have in their cupboards anyway.

Brown Sugar Body Scrub

1/8 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup oil (almond, grapeseed or even olive oil will work)                         

3-4 drops fragrance oil or body spray of your choice

1. Place salt in a wide mouthed jar and add in oil. Scent with oil and stir well.

2. To use, dampen body and gently massage the scrub mixture into the skin. Be careful to avoid any scratches or wounded areas.

3. Rinse well with warm water, pat dry with a towel and moisturize skin with favorite lotion or cream.

What do you do to winterize?

Me and my hair: My hair story

One thing that people are always complimenting me on is my hair. I like to change my hairstyle up, alot. And my friends always commend me on not being afraid to try new things. When I told everybody I was going to beauty school, they just knew it was to become a hairdresser. Although playing in my hair is one of my loves, I wouldn't dare take the same risks that I do with my hair in someone elses. I instead went into skin care for now, but there may be a future in natural hair care for me. So, I thought it would be fun to tell my hair story through some cute and hilarious pics.

I was pretty much bald headed as a child. My mama always jokes that she doesn't know how she got a bow to stay in my head. She said it must have been some Velcro or something. But, eventually, it grew.



Me and my Daddy. I'm about 2. 80's baby all day.



Me and my brother. I'm about 6 or 7.



ROFL. 6th grade.

Fast forward to high school and I was always in some form of braids. From casamas to latch hook, I had it down pack. It would take me about a day to wash and braid my hair, but I enjoyed the finished look. I was getting a relaxer at this time from my aunt who did my hair when I wasn't wearing braids. Even back then, I was trying different things. My mama wouldn't let me color or cut my hair until I turned 16, so I had to be creative.

Latch hook braids, 11th grade- '98.





My very first weave. Homecoming 11th grade.
Hubby is going to kill me :)



Don't hate on the 3 french rolls, side swept bangs and hair down in the back. You know you love it.
Homecoming 12th grade.

My second year of college brought about a change in me. I had always seen myself as somewhat of a tomboy, but that year I got rid of the latchhook braids, the huge men sweaters and I started carrying a purse (gasp) and decided that it was time to get in touch with my feminine side but at the same time, still be myself. My first straw set was so on point. I remember the reaction from everybody the first time they saw it. I did some flat twists in the front and the back was the cutest curls I ever seen. This was in 2001 and I had seen it in a hair magazine and just tried it on a whim. At this time I was doing my hair full time because of my work, school and choir schedule I couldn't make it to see my aunt and couldn't afford any other hairdresser. The straw set became my signature style for a minute and I rocked it to the fullest.

I was doing my own relaxers and color and the results were just what I wanted for a while. Then, low and behold I got the "crunch". The chemical burn crunch that made my hair feel, look and smell like a burnt piece of leather. It was awful. My hair would not hold a curl and literally just laid their. I was pretty much color treating and relaxing my hair too close together and I was covering the whole head with color instead of doing touch ups. Big whoops! But, you live and you learn.

Straw set. 2004. Can't tell but I have highlights.

Probably a couple weeks after above pic. You can see the highlights better.
The "crunch" came soon after.

Two years after graduation college, I found myself married and with a newborn. I had stopped coloring and up until my pregnancy had only gotten relaxers twice a year. I went natural pretty much on accident. I didn't have time to get my hair done and I just didn't want to relax my hair. Plus, I had found a hairdresser who could press my hair so straight everybody thought it was a relaxer (thanks Crystal). And I had found a new love: half wigs. When I didn't feel like getting my hair done, I would flat iron the front and put a wig on it. And eventually, I taught myself, how to make wigs out of stocking caps. I learned how to do a closure via YouTube.

Ponytail with some flat twists/rolls in the front.
Summer on 2004, I was prego.

At the baby shower of course. I did a flexi rod set.



After having my son in 2005, I kept my hair chin length for awhile.
I loved my bob with wings.



This was Sept. 2009. This was the longest I let it grow.

But, little did I know that I was still causing a lot of heat damage by flat ironing almost everyday. It wasn't until I was in the esthetician program that I started leaving the flat irons alone too. I did a lot of protective styles like two strand twists and a whole lot of wigs and sew-in's.


Wanted some color, so I did a full weave.

Valentines Day 2010. 

This is one of my half wigs. This was summer 2009.





From October 2009 until October 2010, I went without putting any direct heat to my head. No blow drying and no flat irons. It wasn't until that October that I tried out the InStyler flat irons. But, slick ends and thick roots is not a good look so I put it away real quick.

So my family was used to me wearing natural hairstyles, but when I basically rebuked any type of heat source, I think they got a little nervous. I remember rocking my curly fro one time and my grandma said, "Ohh, the way you had your hair last time was so pretty." Last time. What she mean "last time?" Mind you, the style she was referring to was a wig, but I didn't trip.



Twist Out. April 2010. Original pic on my business cards.



Twist Out. Mothers Day 2011

Flexi Rod Set. Our 5th Anniversary, 2010



Twist and curl. Summer of 2011.





But, in April of this year my husband said he wanted to see my real hair worn straight, so I blow dried it and flat ironed it, and it looked cute, but by the next day, it was all puff. So, I asked my Avon rep, Angela to flat iron it for me and let me tell you, she is real business with her tools. Even though she said I had the thickest head of hair she had seen and my hair was very resistant, it was sooo cute. It had bounce and laid just right. I hate that I didn't get a picture of it, but it probably would have had hubby's hand in it somewhere.

After flat iron.



During flat iron

And that brings me to today. Currently, I'm rocking a straw set, but since the cold weather is a'coming, I will be doing more protective styles. My friend bought this really cute short wig and I'm thinking about jocking. I've always wanted one, but never found one that didn't make me either look like somebody grandma or like Salt-N-Peppa. But, the choices are endless so I'm just gonna have fun with it.

So, let me tell you about my current regimen. I wash and deep condition every 7-10 days. I have 4ish hair. I only say that because I used to be a 4b/c, but after my first (and possible my last) henna experience, my curl has definitely changed. The jury is still out on whether I want to continue with it or not. And I do everything from twist outs, straw sets, puffs, rod sets, flat twists, mini twists, and Senegalese twists. Styles that I hope to conquer are wash and go's (only had one successful one), three strand twists and a Curlformers set that lasts more than a day.




My one day wash-n-go. Week end before last.

 


The infamous straw set. Day 1 on last Monday.
This style can last over a week. Love when it gets all big.

 



Senegalese twists. August 2011.


 

And here are the products that I keep in heavy rotation. Please believe that there are more, I am a product junkie, but these are the ones I reach for most often.

Shampoos:
Pantene Pro-V Relaxed & Natural- Dry to Moisturized

Shea Moisture Organic Raw Shea Butter Moisture Retention
Miss Jessie's Creme de la Curl Cleansing Cream

Conditioners:

Pantene Pro-V Relaxed & Natural- Dry to Moisturized
Miss Jessie's Creme de la Creme Conditioner
Moroccanoil Intense Hydrating Mask (use this as my deep conditioning at every wash)

Styling products:
Miss Jessie's Curly Pudding and Curly Butter Creme
The Original Moroccanoil Oil Treatment
Carol's Daughter Healthy Hair Butter and Tui Moisturizing Hair Oil
Organic Coconut Oil
Raw Shea Butter mixed with Jojoba and Grapeseed Oil

Styling tools:
Hair Pins are a must
I use old stockings to form my puffs
Curlformers (I love the curls I get, but I'm still only getting results that last a day or two)

Hair inspirations:

Web sites like naturallycurly.com, curlynikki.com, youtube videos,
Books, Thank God I'm Natural
Magazines, Hype Hair, Sophisticates Black Hairstyles and Essence.
Women and groups around me- Naturally Flyy Detroit









Dare to be . . . a go getter.

My husband often tells me that I don't know how to to relax. I am constantly moving, if not physically, than mentally. I'm constantly thinking of the next step. But, sometimes because I can tend to over think some things, I go back and forth and sometimes I never make a final decision. It just ends.

But, the last couple of years have been some trying times for me and I decided that life was too short. If I wanted to experience things that I never have I had to start doing things that I've never done. I'm still not one for snap decisions, but I have set a couple of rules for myself when it comes to making up my mind regarding things like big purchases, business ventures and education opportunities. Of course, these rules may not apply to every situation and I don't recommend using them for something that you already know is immoral, illegal or dishonest. (I'm just saying.)

-Weigh the options. I am a list person. I make lists for everything: grocery list, to-do list, wish list. I have so many sticky notes in my planners and calendars I can't see the dates. But, one thing I often do is make a pros and cons list. If the cons list is longer than the pros list, than I scrap it. But, if it's not, I move on to the next step.
- Confirm with a higher power. I believe that prayer works. I may not get down on my knees and bow my head every time I'm faced with a tough decision, but I do pray silently to myself. When I was sitting at the car dealership and they asked me if I was interested in the car, I silently prayed and told myself that I'm going to just open my mouth and whatever came out, that was it. Needless to say, I love my new car.
- Don't let other's opinions influence your decision. When I opened my business this month, it was a surprise to a lot of people. I told everybody that I was thinking about it, but never told them when the decision was finally made. Not because I didn't want to share the moment with them or didn't want to hear their opinion, but I already felt that my mind was made up.
- Give yourself a time limit. My husband is an impulse buyer and I often tell him, "next time, sleep on it." And that's something I do for myself as well. It used to take me forever to make up my mind on something, but now I sleep on it and if I still fell the same way about it the next day, I go for it.
-Once you make the decision, stick with it. Even if it doesn't go exactly as you planned, see it through. There are always bumps in the road, but it's how you recover from those bumps that determines your true strength. Living your life not having to wonder "what if" is so much more satisfying.

What have you done in your life to be a go getter?

Dare to be . . . fabulous

The dictionary defines fabulous as being "almost impossible to believe, incredible; told about in fables." Basically, "fabulous" is something that people can't stop talking about. To me being fabulous is not just about fashion icons or rocking the best styles, it is a state of mind. It's about attitude. Not the stuck up kind, but the kind that makes you get up every morning with a smile on your face, do your job well, love hard, play hard and know at the end of the day that you did your best.

I'm fabulous because despite my hardships, I keep pressing on. There are moments when I take life one day at a time, one moment at a time, one breath at a time. But, the important thing is to keep moving forward. Letting life pass you by not only is not fabulous, it ain't cute. Letting other people's opinion of you stop you from fulfilling your dream- also not fabulous. But, being yourself and moving towards your destiny despite the obstacles around you is one of the most fabulous things you can do.

So don't let your fabulous stop at your knee high boots or your hobo bag. Carry your fabulous with you every where you go. Be impossible to believe. Be incredible and most of all be that person who people talk about for years to come. Go out and show the world what it really means to be fabulous.

Free Skin Care Analysis

Do you know your skin type? Do you know the best skin care products to use for your type? Do you have a skin care specialist that you trust to advise you towards healthy skin? If your answer to any of these is "no", then you need to take advantage of this special oppurtunity:

On Saturday, November 6th, from 3:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., I am offering free skin care analysis. It will be a 15-20 minute skin consultation to discover skin type and skin conditions and also help you to come up with a healthy skin care regimen.

You don't want to pass up this oppurtunity. Make the first step towards healthy, radiant skin. Space is limited, so contact me today. For more information about me or my business, go to Soul Deep Beauty Skin Therapy on the web.