Cute protective hairstyle for tweens/teens/adults natural hair.

 I just realized it's been awhile since I posted any hairstyles. (Shame on me, right?) My girls are participating in a protective hairstyle challenge over at KandyLandKurls, (One of my favorite blogs for children's hair, check it out if you haven't already) so for the next several weeks I will be giving you some (hopefully) great protective style ideas for all 3 of the major curly hair types.

Ally's protective hairstyle for this week is simple and super protective, because the ends are hidden in a bun. Finding styles that Ally likes has been difficult recently. She has been asking to wear her hair 'out' a lot, but as hard as she tries, she does not know how to properly care for her super curly hair (and I just don't have the time to do it every day), so after a few days of being out, her hair ends up dry and extremely tangled. (Main reason I was so grateful for this protective style challenge; her hair REALLY needs a styling break. And I bribed her with the possibility of winning stuff. Don't judge me, lol) Small braids and elaborate styles are totally out of the question right now; Ally does not like the attention she gets when her hair is SO different and beautiful and everyone loves it and stops her to compliment her on it. She says she does not want her hair to make a statement. So we have been keepin' it simple as of late. Here is this week's style:

Y'all know Venus. Lol, she was just getting some love. :)

Ally's hair type is 3B, but I think this style is great for any type of hair. It is so easy to do, and that is part of the reason I love it so much. I just did eight large corn rows. (You can style them however you'd like. Flat twists may also work here.) At the bottom, 2 cornrows are paired together and become 1 braid. So there are 8 corn rows on top, but only 4 braids on the bottom:

Eight cornrows become four large braids.

Here is what it looks like up close:



The merging of two braids into one. This doesn't have to look perfect for this style, its all going into a bun anyways. :)

Then I combined those 4 braids into a big 4 strand flat braid:

And I wrapped that baby around itself, tucked the ends inside, and pinned it into a bun:

And thats it! Ally will  sleep on her satin cap, and we will moisturize her scalp and braids as needed (daily or every other day) with Shea Moisture's Organic Shea Butter Reconstructive Elixer.

Here is a breakdown of the products I used:

• Selsun Blue shampoo(Ally has crazy dandruff as of late. I think her eczema has spread to her scalp. She has an appt coming up with her dermatologist, I will keep you all updated)
• Herbal Essense's Hello Hydration Conditioner (Completely rinsed out)
• My moisturizing spritz (distilled water with some of melted coconut oil and a wee bit of the Hello Hydration mixed in) Isprayed this liberally on her hair, all over, while it was still wet.
• Shea Moisture's Curl Enhancing Smoothie On each piece of hair that I sectioned, before I cornrowed.
• Kinky Curly's Curling Custard on top of the SM Smoothie, to provide extra hold and help seal that moisture in.

I love protective hairstyles because you can really layer the moisture. I am careful not to be too heavy handed with the products, her hair should still be PLENTY moisturized next weekend when we take her hair out to wash it.

Thats all for now, I hope everyone enjoys their Sundays!



Product Review: Blended Beauty's "Happy Nappy Styles"

I have seen this company's name all over the net, and I have noticed the great results people have acheived from using this line. So of course when I was contacted by Blended Beauty and asked to review a couple of their products and share my results with you all,  I was very excited to do so! I have been using these products as our primary hair care products over the last couple of weeks, do I feel comfortable enough to give a review of not just their immediate effects of our hair, but the short-term effects as well. 



Product: Blended Beauty's Happy Nappy Styles

Ingredients: Aqua (enriched with Aloe Barbadenses and Anthemis Nobolis (Chamomille)), Oryza sativa (rice) bran oil, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Behentrimonium Methosulfate (and) Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Methosulfate (and) Cetyl Alcohol (and) Butylene Glycol, Polysorbate 20, Glycerine, Capryl Isostearate, Soy Lecithin, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Vanilla planifolia, Preservative [Phenoxyethanol and Caprylyl Glycol and Sorbic Acid], Scent, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) leaf extract, SIlk Powder.

Decription (from packaging): A stlying cream moisturizer for highly textured curls and kinks. Defrizzes and defines. Enriched with Shea Butter.

Where to buy it: Blendedbeauty.com

First Impressions:
I was surprised at how quickly I received my package. As usual, Li'l Bit was with me (note: practically on top of me) when I opened the package; she loves when we get new products to try. I opened the jar, and handed it to her to smell. Immediate approval "Mama, this smells so good, like candy!" I look over at her, and her nose is covered in the stuff. (I wish I had've gotten pictures.) Yep, it smells THAT good. It is VERY thick, and silky-feeling.

On Ally (Type 3B):
I like to apply product to Ally's hair while it is almost soaking wet. Otherwise, her hair gets dry and difficult to manage, and her curls start to tangle. Well, for whatever the reason, there was a half hour time lapse between Ally getting out of the shower and her coming to me to 'do' her hair. That means her hair was over 50% dry, and her curls had indeed begun to wrap around themselves and tangle. I decided now was as good of a time as any to REALLY put this product to the test. And test I did.

WHOA!! is all I can say. The Happy Nappy Styles cream made Ally's hair melt, for lack of a better word. It immediately softened her hair, and her curls were shined and silkified. (Ok, I know that's not a word. But thats what it did: It silkified. :) ) Ally had a big function coming up, and we had decided that we would style her hair in a braidout. Pretty brave of me to use a new product on her hair with a major function approaching, right? Well, Blended Beauty did not dissapoint:

Close up of that definition!

This braidout lasted 3 whole days, a personal record for us! And yes, if feels as soft as it looks. (I told you, SILKIFIED!!)  We also used the Happy Nappy Styles cream for wash and gos, and the results were equally as amazing. It defined curls, reduced frizz and shrinkage, and left NO Crunch! This has definitely been added to the 'must have' list for Ally's haircare arsenal.

The Princess (Type 2b): I initially assumed the thickness of this cream would prove to be too much for The Princess's hair. I was right, and wrong. The Happy Nappy Styles cream weighed down her wavy hair and made it appear greasy when I used it to smooth ponytails and buns. No surprise there, the description does state that it is "for highly textured hair, curls and kinks." However, I used it for hold on a three strand twist into bantu knot-out, and the results were beautiful:

Li'l Bit (Type 4a/4b):The results on Li'l Bit's hair are why I never give reviews on immediate results. I initially used this product on Li'l Bit's type 4a natural coils for hold for twists. It provided us with beautiful twists, and a lovely twist-out:

Love that baby's face. :)

After about a week of using this product on Li'l Bit's hair, her scalp had begun to dry out and flake, and her hair had become noticeably drier. Of course, it would be impossible for me to pinpoint the exact reason, or ingredient, that caused these changes to her hair and scalp. But I know my baby's hair does not react well to products with alcohol in them, so I am assuming that is why her hair reacted badly to this product. We have discontinued use and gone back to our products with all natural ingredients, and her hair has returned to its usual soft state.

Summary: Blended Beauty's Happy Nappy styles worked VERY well as a holding product for braidouts, twistouts, and bantu knot outs on all of my children's natural hair. It created an amazing wash and go on Ally's Type 3B curls.

It did, however, prove to be too thick  for The Princess's thin, wavy hair to be used for daily styling. And something in the ingredients (I'm thinking alcohol something) dried out Li'l Bit's hair, and made her scalp flaky.

I would definitely recommend trying this product on curly or kinky hair that is not sensitive to any of the ingredients.

I want to thank Blended Beauty for allowing us to review this product.

Check out their website here.

And their Facebook page here.

Not-so-Wordless Wednesday...Li'l Bit's first time feeding herself. :)

Happy Wednesday!!

I found these pictures the other day, while I was scrap booking with Ally.

Li'l Bit was about 6 months old, and I decided that I was going to allow her to feed herself for the first time. I strapped her in, put her food on the table and left the room for all of 30 seconds to get my camera. This is what I found when I returned:

She also decided that she would feed herself for the first time that day. :)



Guess I placed the food a little bit too close to her.



But mmmmmm, it was sooo good!

I miss that. Sorry for the Not-so-Wordless Wednesday. I guess this was more for me than you. But I hope you enjoyed it too.

How old were your children when they started feeding themselves?



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Police Officers Arrested and Charged With Deprivation of Rights after Targeting Latinos.

Four police officers from East Haven, CT were arrested today in a federal racial profiling case. The indictment charges them with conspiracy against rights, deprivation of rights, and obstruction. According to NBCConnecticut.com, "The indictment says that some of the officers routinely kept patrol cars in front of Latino-owned businesses and stopped Latino customers who were entering or leaving the businesses, towed their cars and arrested or detained them."

I find this to be incredibly shameful and disheartening. This community has been putting up with this for a very long time, and many complaints were made, then ignored; evidence covered up.The very people that were supposed to serve and protect the residents of East Haven ended up being the ones that mistreated them and deprived them of their rights.  I hope this investigation helps draw to light an ugly truth that many of us face everyday: Racial Profiling is real. It does exist, and it is ugly, embarrassing, and harmful.

I want to make an important point that the actions of these officers certainly do not speak for the department as a whole. I have friends and acquaintances on the East Haven police department, and I know for sure that in this case, a few bad apples does not spoil the bunch.

Have you experienced racial profiling?

Feds fault East Haven police for discrimination: wtnh.com

Do you think racial profiling happens more often than it is recognized?

Lets talk about spanking.

 

Danielle of Happenings of the Harper Householdand Danielle of We Don’t Have It All Together, But Together We Have It All host a weekly blogging debate.

Wanna Play?

THIS WEEKS TOPIC

SPANKING!

Yay or Nay?

What do YOU say?

MY OPINION?

Yay.

 
I spank. But not all of my kids. It actually depends on which kid, and what they have done, that determines whether or not they will get spanked. Let me explain:
 
My oldest got her first spanking when she was 2. She pulled away from my hand and ran out into a parking lot as we were leaving Target. I dropped my bags, grabbed her up, and swatted her once on her bottom. My reasoning was simple; I wanted her to associate this very dangerous behavior (which, of course, we had spoken about before, and she knew was wrong) with pain. Because being hit by a car...is painful. More so than that spanking, I'm sure. Ally never ran out into a street/parking lot again. Danger=pain. Simple concept for a 2 year old to understand, and it works for us.
 
Let me explain what I mean when I say 'it depends on the kid'. My 7 year old does not get spanked. At all. I have spanked her in the past, but each time I did it, I ended up feeling extremely guilty afterward. Why? Because that child never, ever does anything wrong on purpose. NEVER. That time she wrote on the wall in blue magic marker? It was because she heard me talking about painting my walls, and she wanted to save me some time. My 4 year old, however, drew on the walls because she resented the fact that I put her in time out for drawing on the cabinets earlier in the day. And she will admit it. "I drew on the walls because I was mad at you." Spanking.
 
Yeah, yeah...I hear it coming. Some of you will disagree. What did I teach her by spanking her, right? I've read the articles. Spanking encourages violence, it makes your child fear you, yada yada yap. Well, guess what? I was spanked. And I love my momma. I do not fear her, I respect her. And I think I turned out kindof alright. :)
 
Besides, do I want my children to fear me? Kindof. What I really want is for them to respect me and my authority. But when you are 4 years old, it is very difficult to understand respect. I mean, REALLY understand it. So, yes, I guess I am OK with them fearing me...for now. I am OK with her fearing the consequences of her deliberately disobeying me. Note: I do not spank for mistakes. I do not spank for misunderstandings. I spank my kids when, after we have talked about it, I understand that their motives were to harm...they understand why they are getting spanked, I understand that they understood what they did wrong.
 
I had a conversation about this topic with my mother-in-law. She is Kittician,(from St. Kitts) and raised 14 children. (Yep, you read that right.) And guess what? She spanked them ALL. None of them have ever been in trouble; they are all gainfully employed, homeowners, married with children, and positive contributors to society. And they all love her to pieces.  

Some kids don't benefit from spankings. My oldest would learn from a time out. My 7 year old benefits from a good 'talking to'. The baby? Oh that child. That child is as hard headed as they come. She will flicker the lights on and off in a room, and when I tell her to stop, flicker them again and run...covering her behind. She will intentionally break her sister's toy and run, covering her behind.  She knows WHY she gets spanked, and WHEN to expect it. But then again, it doesn't appear to work very well. My husband does not spank. But when the baby gets in trouble and gets spanked, her only fear is "Please don't tell daddy. He will be sad at me." His disapproval is more frightening than my spanking. Go figure.

Do you spank?

Product Review: My True Nature

Product: My True Nature's Baby Bubble Bath

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Ingredients:
Purified water, aloe leaf juice*, decyl glucoside, sodium coco sulfate, lauryl lactyl lactate, plantago extract*, white peony tea extract*, natural scent, citric acid, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate


*Certified organic or Ecocert product
 
Description (from mytruenature.net):
This pure, natural formula combines plant-based cleansers and botanicals to create mountains of big bubbles for bath-time fun and relaxation. Organic aloe, plantagoextract, and white peony tea extract nourish the skin while the cleansers gently remove germs and dirt. Mild, fresh, and clean organic essential oils make the bath smell terrific! Reuse the bottle for a truly sustainable bath time experience.
 
Where to buy it:
http://www.mytruenature.net/
"Like" My True Nature on Facebook
 
Our thoughts:
This stuff smells great! The smell is reminiscent of the big name brand bubble baths, but much, much lighter; which I appreciate. I love that the natural ingredients left my girls' skin soft, and Ally's excema was not at all aggravated after her long soak in the tub. My little ones loved playing with the big bubbles. I definitely recommend this bubble bath. 
 
 
 
**My True Nature provided me with a sample of this product for review, all opinions are my own.**

THIS is the reason I dont introduce more than 1 variable to a hairstyle.

The Princess had a really, really good hair day today, and I wanted to blog about it. However, I am not really sure how to label this post. I am experimenting with different variables, so I'm not sure what made The Princess's hair so soft and shiny and manageable. And I did not orchestrate the three strand twist into bantu knot out very well; it was majorly scalpy.  But  I thought the condition of The Princess's hair was something worth blogging about. And I see that this style has definite potential to be AMAZING, so I thought I would share what I did, and what I will do differently next time. This blog is, after all, sort of hair diary for me. :)

The variables: (What I did differently, that is outside of our normal routine)

• I used an apple cider vinegar rinse for the first time on The Princess's hair. I will definitely be blogging about this more later, in greater detail. For those of you that are not familiar with the concept of apple cider vinegar (ACV) rinses, here is a brief article that sort of explains it. I used the rinse INSTEAD of shampoo, and after rinsing thoroughly the first time, I applied the mixture (3 cups water, 1/2 cup ACV) again, and rinsed about 50 percent of it out of her hair. Then I blasted her hair with cold water.
• I am reviewing new products from Blended Beauty. For this style, I used their Curly Cake Shake to moisturize/detangle and Happy Nappy Styles for hold. (links will take you directly to the Blended Beauty website, to the product descriptions.) Iwill be posting that review soon.
• The Princess just got a trim, about 2 inches worth of a trim. Her hair, therefore, is healthier than it was last time we did this style. That, of course, makes a big difference in how the style looks.

What I liked about the results:

• Her hair was soft, manageable, and ha lots of shine. ( I am almost certain the shine was mostly due to the ACV rinse, since her hair was incredibly shiny immediately after 'washing' it. )
• The three strand twist into bantu knot-out was gorgeous! It had body, but was not at all crunchy. The curls were the most defined I have ever gotten out of this style.

What the style left to be desired:

• The hold was not quite enough. While her hair was extremely soft, it got frizzy quite fast, and the curls fell faster than they normally do while in this style.
• There was definitely a 'scalpy' look. The parts were very noticeable, and I think  that is due to the bantu knots being too large...next time I do them, I will make them smaller. Also, I used straight parts, and I normally part on an angle. Note to self: Always part on an angle.

I have found that experimenting with hair is a lot like feeding a baby solid foods for the first few months; its best to change one thing at a time and note the reaction. If there is an allergy or sensitivity, you will be better able to quickly determine the cause if there is only one variable. The same thing can be said for a positive reaction; I have no idea what worked in my favor here because I did so many things differently. But for the most part, I love the results. Next time, I will experiment with using different amounts of the 'Happy Nappy Styles' product; maybe using more will provide more hold. And I will make the bantu knots smaller, and part on an angle. I hope this will help perfect this look. :)

 Have you ever used an apple cider vinegar rinse on either yours or your child's hair? What are your thoughts about it?

Eat This For Healthier Hair, Day 3-Spinach



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Had he not been bald, Popeye the Sailor Man would have probably had a head full of soft, gorgeous locks. Why? Because spinach and other green leafy vegetables are excellent sources of Vitamins A and C, both of which are necessary to produce sebum. Sebum is an oily substance secreted by your hair follicles. Sebum is the body's natural hair conditioner.

Spinach is also very high in iron, which helps red blood cells carry oxygen. Low iron levels can result in hair loss.




One of my favorite ways to eat spinach is in a salad; you can simply exchange your lettuce for spinach and add plenty of vitamins and minerals in the process.

Or you can try my favorite spinach salad:

• 6 cups spinach
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup strawberry slices
• Crumbled feta cheese (to taste, I just kindof throw it in there)
• Mandarin orange slices (ditto the feta.)

Toss it all together, and enjoy! I love this salad with a raspberry vinaigrette. Mmmmmm, so light and refreshing.

Here are some links to other great spinach recipes:

• Chicken Florentine Casserole
• Creamed Spinach
• Garlic Sauteed Spinach

This post is the third part of a series, 'Eat These! Best Foods for Healthy Hair'. Catch up on parts one and two:

Part One: Eat Eggs For Healthier Hair


Part Two: Eat Pork Loin For Healthier Hair


How do you eat your spinach?

Wordless Wednesday-Reading to Venus

Our puppy loves to snuggle up to a good book with her 'sisters'.


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Happy Wednesday!! :)

Please link up! Its a blog hop. :)

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Eat this for healthier hair, Day 2-Pork Loin

I have to first apologize, when I first posted this post highlighting 7 foods to eat for healthier hair, I promised to focus on one of those foods every day, end I did a post on the first food, eggs, and life got in the way and I haven't posted since. So, here is the second food in our "Eat this for healthier hair" series.

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Pork tenderloin is an excellent source of the vitamin B6 and the mineral zinc. Zinc is involved with tissue growth and repair, and it keeps the oil glands around the hair working properly. Low zinc levels can cause hair loss, dandruff, and slow growth. Low levels of the B vitamins can cause shedding, slow hair growth, and weak hair that is prone to breakage.

Here are some excellent recipes (with external links) using pork tenderloin. I have personally tried each of them, and found them to be quite delicious and simple to prepare:

• Roasted Pork Loin
• Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin
• Honey Garlic Pork Chops using tenderloin

If you don't eat pork, there are other foods that can provide you with the same beneficial vitamins and minerals found in pork tenderloin. Garbanzo beans, salmon, chicken breast, and bananas are all good sources of vitamin B6. Chicken, chick peas, peanut butter and crab contain high levels of the beneficial nutrient zinc.

**Giveaway** Win a FREE quart of Coconut oil from Tropical Traditions!

Yesterday, I shared with you all my review of Tropical Tradition's Gold label Virgin Coconut Oil. I told you how we used it for our hair, skin, and food. (LOVE an all natural product with many uses!)

I am pleased to announce that Tropical Traditions has offered to give one of our lucky readers a chance to win a quart of this great oil. There are only 2 mandatory entries in the Rafflecopter form below, but completing the optional entries will increase your chances of winning!

For more information about this amazing oil and all of its uses, or to purchase some for yourself, visit this website.

Please give Rafflecopter a moment to load. Good luck!

Product Review: Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil

Product: Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil

Ingredients: 100% Organic Virgin Coconut Oil

Description: Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil is certified organic according to strict USDA requirements. It is hand-made in the Philippines the traditional way.

 

Where to buy it:
You can purchase the oil from Healthybuyersclub.com, by using this link right here. If you are a first time buyer and use this link, you will receive a FREE Virgin coconut oil book with your first purchase.

First Impressions:
I have never used coconut oil before, so I was a bit intimidated by it when I opened it and it was solid. I was expecting an oil in liquid form, so I was quite surprised when I received what looks like a hard grease. I read the label, and noticed that it does say that coconut oil will solidify under 76 degrees.

I  found the smell to be pleasant, and, well, slightly coconutty. The coconut oil, once liquefied, feels lighter than the Extra Virgin Olive oil that we normally use in our hair.

On Ally' hair (3b):
I used the Virgin Coconut oil on Ally's hair first, as a moisturizer after washing and conditioning her hair. I spooned some of the hardened oil into a microwave safe dish and microwaved it on high for about 15 seconds, stirred and kept microwaving in 15 second intervals until it was liquefied.  
The coconut oil made her hair shiny and easy to manage. I attempted a braid out without using any additional product, but the results were less than satisfactory. It is an oil, though; not a holding product, so I didn't expect much hold, but I thought I would give it a try anyway. I was VERY pleased with how soft and manageable her hair was with just the oil in it. For 3 days, she wore her hair in a loose ponytail, just finger detangling the hair at night and braiding it in 3 or 4 big braids.  I did not need to add any additional product, and after I washed her hair it still had a softness and shine to it that we do not see with olive oil. 

On The Princess's hair (2a/2b):
I used the coconut oil as a pre-poo/hot oil treatment on her hair. We treat her hair with olive oil before every wash, so I was interested to see how well the coconut oil would work as a substitution. I applied the oil to her dry hair and combed it throughout her hair. Then she wore a plastic bag over her hair for 20 minutes.
Here is what The Princess's hair looked like immediately after applying the oil, before the bag was placed over her hair:

I washed The Princess's hair twice after using the oil (we normally only wash once), but I still felt the oil. I'm not sure why, because the oil does have a light feeling when it is in its liquid state, but it proved to be too heavy for her thin, fine hair. It almost felt as though the oil began to solidify in her hair. I braided her hair into this beaded style without using any additional product for moisture or conditioning, since there was still a residual greasy feel left from the coconut oil. Her braids looked healthy and shiny, so I think the oil may work for her  before protective styling. However, I will not be using it again for ponytails or 'down' styles on The Princess's hair.

On Li'l Bit's hair (4a/4b):

Just like with The Princess, I used the coconut oil as a pre-poo hot oil treatment for Li'l Bit. Unlike with The Princess, the heavy feeling the oil left behind was EXACTLY what her little coils needed. I washed her hair once, and conditioned it. Then I added more oil to her hair as a leave in, and I sealed in all that great moisture with a butter based product. Here is what her hair looked like:

 I absolutely LOVE the way her hair her hair looked and felt after using this oil. It was shiny and soft. And her curls were VERY well defined. After a few times using this coconut oil, I have noticed that Li'l Bit's hair is softer and easier to manage; and her curls look great!

Other ways we used it:

I like to try to get as much use as possible out of each product before I give a review. So I:

Cooked with it: I replaced olive oil with this virgin coconut oil while browning chicken for my coconut curry chicken. I didn't really notice a difference in the taste of the chicken; I guess its like olive oil in that aspect...the flavor is muted quite a bit once cooked.

I used it on my skin: My normal skin care routine is to mix lotion with the oil of my choice and apply it to my skin directly after showering, while my skin is still wet. I used Tropical Tradition' Virgin Coconut oil for this purpose, and I couldn't be happier with the results. My skin stayed moisturized all day, I didn't even need to add more lotion to my feet before bed. (A nightly routine of mine,  I HATE dry feet) It did not leave my skin feeling oily, and the faint smell that it did have was  did not overpower my  fragranced lotion.



For more information, or to purchase this amazing oil for yourself, head over to Tropical Tradition's Healthy Buyer's Club.

 Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.

Wordless Wednesday-Time with Grandma

We were camping, and I was fortunate enough to (secretly) snap these shots of my youngest daughter having a convesation with my mother. Tha last picture is my favorite. :)

:) Happy Wednesday!

Please link up with us!

Eat this for healthier hair, Day 1- Eggs

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Yesterday, I posted an article about 7 great foods to eat that will help increase the health of your hair. For the next 7 days, I will highlight one of those foods each day and provide your will helpful recipes, information, and ideas on how to easily incorporate these foods into your life. Today, we are talking about eggs.

Eggs are rich in the B vitamin Biotin, which is essential to hair growth and an overall healthy scalp. A biotin deficiency can lead to hair loss. Other foods that are rich in biotin include salmon, peanuts, almonds, and low-fat cheese. Eggs also have a high sulfur content, which is one of the many elements  responsible for maintaining the strength of hair. Other foods that are high in sulfur content include chicken, duck, nuts, seeds, cheese, milk, broccoli and cauliflower. (source)

The egg has many uses, as related to health and beauty. A few of those uses, with recipes, are as follows:
In the kitchen:

One of the simplest ways to prepare eggs is to hard boil them. Hard boiled eggs can be added to the top of salads, made into egg salad, or eaten as is. My children like them sliced and put on top of jelly toast for breakfast in the mornings.

How to cook hard boiled eggs

• Put the eggs in a pan, and add enough cold water to cover the eggs. (Water should be about an inch over the eggs.)
• Salt the water, just a pinch.
• Bring water to a boil, and boil for 3 minutes.
• Cover tightly and remove the pan from heat. Leave pan tightly covered for 11 minutes.
• Stop the cooking process by transferring the cooked eggs into a bowl full of cold water.

Another easy way to prepare eggs is to scramble them. There are many, many recipes for scrambling eggs, but I thought I would share one of my favorites with you. Easy, healthy, and hearty enough for dinner:

Turkish Scrambled Eggs 
 Ingredients:

 

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• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 large red bell peppers, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 pound ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 TBS chopped fresh parsley
• 6 eggs, beaten
• 4 whole grain pitas
• 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbed (optional)

In medium skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Add peppers and cook for about 4 minutes. Add onions and garlic, Cook until onions are translucent. Add tomatoes and red pepper flakes, and cook until the water from the tomatoes has evaporated some.

Add eggs and feta, salt and pepper, and scramble until eggs are fluffy. Remove from heat and stir in parsley.

Serve with pitas on the side.

For the Skin

All natural exfoliant/anti-aging skin remedy (borrowed from Dailyglow.com-Skin and Beauty)

Ingredients:
2 egg yolks
1 tsp sugar

Whisk egg yolks until firm.

Add sugar, mix well.

Smooth mixture onto face, leave for 25 minutes.

Wash off with warm water.

In the hair

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All natural protein treatment (Look here for an informative article that talks about how to check if your hair is protein sensitive.)

Ingredients:

2 eggs, beaten

2 TBS olive oil

Combine olive oil and eggs, and apply to hair.
Put cover hair in plastic wrap, or a plastic bag, for at least 30 minutes.
 Rinse with COOL water and washing and styling as usual.

Eat These! Best Foods for Healthy Hair

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Healthy hair starts from the inside out. If you are not experiencing the growth that you seek in your hair, or if your scalp is dry and flaky, or if your hair is prone to breakage and shedding, you may want to look at your diet before you switch hair care products (again).

 

Some foods are better for us than others, we all know that. We are also all aware that what we eat plays a major role in the health of our hair....but do you know which foods will help increase growth, decrease breakage, and keep those locks nice and shiny? Here are a few:

• Eggs: Eggs are rich in the B vitamin Biotin, which is essential to hair growth and an overall healthy scalp. A biotin deficiency can lead to hair loss. Other foods that are rich in biotin include salmon, peanuts, almonds, and low-fat cheese.
• Pork Tenderloin: Pork tenderloin is rich in the B vitamins folate, B6, and B12. Without enough of those B Vitamins, the cells in your body (including the scalp) do not get enough oxygen and can starve, causing shedding, slow growth, and weak hair.
• Spinach: Full folate and iron, spinach is especially important to women of childbearing years. Iron that is lost during menstruation is important to replenish, through vitamins and/or proper diet.



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• Lentils: Lentils contain lots of iron rich protein. Hair gets its strength from hardened proteins called keratin. If your body is lacking protein, your hair will lack keratin, causing the hair to grown more slowly and individual strands to be weaker.
• Bell Peppers: Bell peppers are a excellent source of Vitamin C, which is used to form collegen. Hair follicles, skin, and blood vessels all require collagen to stay healthy for optimal growth.
• Sweet Potatoes: Sweet Potaoes are loaded with Beta Carotene, which is coverted into Vitamin A. A lack of Vitamin A can lead to dry, dull, lifeless hair and dry skin, which can flake off into dandruff.
• Oysters: Zinc keeps the oil glands around the hair follicles working properly. Low levels of zinc can cause hair loss, slow growth, and dandruff. Not a fan of oysters? Other foods that are high in zinc include peanut butter, liver, lean beef, on-fat yogurt and cheese.

Over the next 7 days, I will be highlighting one of these foods daily, providing recipes and tips about how you can use each food to create a healthier lifestyle and improve the health of your hair.

For more information about these foods and their benefits, visit the link below:

Healthy Living-Best Foods for Healthy Hair

http://www.joybauer.com/photo-gallery/best-foods-for-hair-health.aspx

Notice: I am in no way affilliated with JoyBauer.com. I used this information in compliance with their terms of service and privacy policies.

Freestyle Beaded hairstyle...not sure I like it.

You have probably noticed that we do not do a lot of beaded styles in my home. I used to, then I realized the damage that beads do to those sensitive ends, so not we limit beaded styles for right before trims only. The ends are dead and about to be cut off anyway, so I figure they will do the least damage at this time. If you remember from the quick and easy corn row style The Princess sported over Christmas break, I noted that it is time for a trim. With that in mind, we decided that she will rock beads this week. I freestyled the style, (as usual) and this is what we ended up with:

The bottom half of this style consists of two rows of straight corn rows, braided down and beaded. The top half?! Not sure I like it. That's what happens sometimes when you freestyle; you never know what you are going to get, and sometimes its great, sometimes not so great. The Princess likes her hair, so I guess that's what really matters. It's not that I HATE it, I'm just not so sure. But its in, its done, we won't have to fuss with her hair for the week, so its staying. :) (Oh, and please excuse the dried pancake batter on my child's shirt. She helped make breakfast this morning, and somehow that happened. And somehow the camera picked it up when I did not notice it. I hate when that happens. )

Of course, hair was washed and conditioned before braiding. I used It's Perfectly Natural's Basil and Lemongrass Coil Glaze for hold.

Have you ever freestyled braids, or any hair style, and didn't like the results?

Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie, just $4.74

I stumbled upon this deal, and right away thought of you all. If you have been reading for any amount of time, you know that I LOVE Shea Moisture products. The Curl Enhancing smoothie is, without a doubt, the most used hair care product in my home. I use it for amazing braid outs, as a holding product for frizz free corn row styles, and as a heat protectant while straightening. (See my review of the product here.)

Shea Moisture's Curl Enhancing Smoothie normally retails for $9.99 each in store, and that does not include shipping costs. Right now, it is on temporary (that means hurry) price cut  on Target.com (direct link) for $4.99. If you use your Target Redcard to pay, you will get an additional 5% off, plus free shipping. That makes each product just $4.74! (Do the happy dance.)

If you do not have a Target Redcard, don't worry. You can use coupon code TTGHTT5C for 10% off of your entire order, no minimum required. If you are feeling really ambitious and spend $50 or more, you will get free shipping. I was not feeling so ambitious, and I do not have a Target Redcard (Note to self: get one!) and bought 4 products and paid $26 and change, shipped. Not too shabby. :)


Edited: I forgot to include the price of tax. I was just informed by a reader that she paid $5.43 including tax for one product. So expect to adjust your price by a few cents.