Curl Training: The Secret To Defined, Frizz-Free Hair

The secret to having defined, frizz-free curls is through curl training. This method slowly restores curl memory, which clumps your hair strands from uncoordinated frizz, into the curls that you were born with. The key to this method is to find a deep conditioner that already produces these results while the product is in your Click to continue...

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THIS is What's Causing Your Hair Damage.

by Sabrina Perkins of SeriouslyNatural.org

We are naturals right? We are conscious about everything that we do, so much so that we feast on all forms of advice and information we can find that will give us the edge we need for healthier, longer, shinier tresses. The problem with that is, we do not all have the same problems, needs or techniques that actually work and will benefit us.

Even the so-called experts have problems or make dire mistakes in their journeys and the honest and smart ones will share their failures to help educate others. My motto is nothing is a mistake if you learn from it, so I share in hopes of saving someone else the grief I have put upon myself.

So, despite all of our best intentions, we do deal with some damage and many times it is our own misinformation that causes it. All we need is a little guidance to make us aware and figure out how to stop it before it causes any more damage. Here are some common mistakes many are making which are doing us no favors and causing tons of damage.

Not using a heat protectant
Believe it or not but there are still some out there that feel a heat protectant is not necessary because they never used one before and their hair is not damaged. *sigh*. Heat protectants are products that protect your hair from the direct heat of blow dryers, curling wands, flat irons and other heated styling tools.

Heat protectants will form a protective barrier between your hair and the heat appliance, they will add shine and they fight off heat damage. No if, ands, or buts about it. Use the protectant if you do not want heat damage...period.

Not washing your hair enough
There are some of us out here still thinking they only need to wash their hair monthly. When you leave product build-up, dirt, sweat and pollutants in too long you can clog the pores so much that it could even keep it from growing. Hair grows in a clean scalp and environment and can only thrive that way.

Washing or cleansing your hair too often
Washing too often (especially with harsh ingredients in your shampoo like SLS) can be too drying and can strip the natural oils from your tresses that you actually need. Squeaky clean hair is not necessary and more damaging to textured hair than straight hair. Incorporate co-washes or use a sulfate-free shampoo if you feel you must wash more than once a week.

Not deep conditioning regularly or at all
Regular conditioners or daily conditioners are just surface conditioners which are just for absorbing ingredients into the surface of your hair. They only do part of the job of conditioning your tresses. Deep conditioners or pack conditioners that have ingredients with low molecular weight. "These ingredients penetrate the hair, nourishing between the cuticles, within the cuticle layers and/or within the cortex." Naturallycurly.com

The deep penetrating effects allow proteins, amino acids and oils, etc. to replenish and restore the hair from it's damaged state longer than regular conditioners. This is a necessary step after every wash and missing it can detrimental to the moisture levels in your hair. If the hair is brittle, dry and easily snapping, then you probably have been missing on your deep conditionings!

Washing and rinsing hair with hot water
Hair should never be washed or rinsed with hot water as the hot water dehydrates your hair just like it does with our skin. This can lead to dry, brittle hair that will easier to snap off and break.

Holding onto split ends
Some naturals are not trimming your ends regularly or whenever they see raggedy ends. This is not allowing your hair to grow or retain length because slpit ends never go away and can actually travel up your hair shaft splitting even more and giving your hair see-through sections and frayed ends.

If your hair needs trimming then either seek a professional or watch Naptural85 below on how to do it without heat.

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Class Time! – 10 Bad Ingredients To Look Out For When Purchasing Hair Products

Have you ever been browsing the natural hair products aisle, come across a new product with a fancy label that reads for natural hair, and then buy it without thinking? Many times the drive for our purchases is a pretty label with a yummy smell. This is called awesome marketing on the manufactures behalf, but Click to continue...

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I Stopped Washing Out My Deep Conditioner, and Loved It!

When it comes to taking care of natural hair, I’ve found that the standard rules for everyone else’s hair just don’t work for me. I don’t use shampoo on my hair, instead I engage in water-only washing. I use a clay mask (Bentonite Clay) on my hair once a month, which removes dirt and product Click to continue...

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Monday Motivation | How quickly do you want to experience your goals?

Happy February 29th!  Since today is somewhat special, I'd like to discuss a topic that you should pay special attention to.  It's the subject of speed and how it acts as a fuel to ignite your dreams into reality.

The instant you're inspired to make an intention real, you have a choice.  You can either start the creation process or you can allow time to pass.  As we discussed last week, the more time passes, the more we allow our inspiration to settle.  Allowing time to pass can come in many forms. Procrastination, excessive research and taking tiny baby steps are just a few.

Instead of allowing time to rob you of your momentum, leverage the high powered fuel of speed to make your dreams come true.  

Speed is perfection.

The faster you run in the direction of your dreams, the sooner it takes form.  This works in pretty much every scenario.  The faster you move into action, the faster the manifestation process begins.  And when you begin to manifest, you get a rush of momentum to lead you to the next milestone.  Without speed, there is no forward movement.

You know how some people talk about what they desire and, a year later, they are still talking about doing the same thing.  This is an example of no forward movement. No intensity and no urgency in making it actually happen.

I joined a coaching program last year lead by two successful entrepreneurs.  On one of the calls, one of them says "even though I've been doing this business longer, Dave has experienced much more success than me because of his speed in implementation."  Dave, loves fast action.  On every coaching call, he urges us to implement quickly. When people ask questions in the form of concerns, he calls them out on their questions being veiled forms of resistance.  Resistance engages the brake pedal. Moving quickly is like pressing on the gas.

One small example of using speed is implementing micro-actions.  Give yourself ultra-tight deadlines to get into action and do it quickly.  Once you develop the habit of moving quickly into action, you soon develop a skill that others will marvel at.   The skill I'm referring to is the ability to manifest at a high level.  You'll be one of those people that seem to achieve anything you put your mind to.  People will think you're so lucky, but in reality, you are leveraging the power of speed to create massive results.

Just be aware.  When you say you will do something, move quickly!  That's thee most powerful way to break up the power of resistance.  This is one area where I'd like to focus my energy.  At my previous place of employment, fast action was part of our culture.  The company has experienced exceptional growth year over year and I'm 100% certain this has to do with their fast action, high intensity culture.

Let's think of this as a muscle that needs to be worked steadily.  Start small (with micro-actions) then apply the speed force to everything you do.  Time is the most valuable resource we posses to make things happen.  Let's do it quickly.






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Diamond Foundry: A Sustainable Line That Is Changing the Diamond Industry In A Revolutionary Way

Photos: Sandra Arenas
 
 

Step into a realm called Diamond Foundry where diamonds do not bear the mark of hardships and turmoil caused by human mining. Where diamonds are manmade and in no way is the quality diminished because of it. Where award winning jewelry designers create eco-friendly designer diamond jewelry. No this is not an alternate universe or an episode from Quantum Leap. Diamond Foundry is a sustainable line that is changing the diamond industry in a revolutionary way by eradicating the negative toil of industrially mined diamonds and cultivating small quantities of manmade diamonds without sacrificing quality. You know the exact origin of these diamonds and how they are produced. The beauty of a diamond, whether it be for an engagement or various special occasions, should never be tarnished by the hardships and torment caused by human mining nor the physical and emotional toil.
 

 
Foundry diamonds have natural lineage. At the San Francisco foundry, the process begins by placing a thin slice of diamond into a reactor as hot as the outer layer of the sun. Then atoms are added to grow the crystal along the same exact crystal lattice of an original earth extracted diamond. Atom by atom, layer by layer, it forms a pure, jewelry-grade diamond of gem size. The starting material can then be sliced off and re-used. The beauty of a diamond is not only its cut but its journey. Diamond Foundry ensures it will be a beautiful one in every way.

 

 
Diamond Foundry is re-imagining the diamond industry from “mine to finger” by operating a responsible, honest, and transparent business. The diamond industry has long been associated with human-rights abuses, child labor, ecological destruction and cartel pricing. Diamond Foundry believes it is time to create and offer a better choice. The founding team of M.I.T, Princeton and Stanford engineers previously developed pioneering breakthroughs in solar energy.
 

 
Leonardo DiCaprio is one of the many backers of this innovative company and comments, “I’m proud to invest in Diamond Foundry Inc. — reducing the human and environmental toll of the diamond industry by sustainably culturing diamonds without the destructive use of mining.”
 
We couldn’t agree more! Visit DiamondFoundry.com today for more info and see exactly why this is the future of diamonds.
 

 
 
*Sponsored by Diamond Foundry

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Is It Okay To Use Adult Hair Products On Kids Hair?

I was out and about running errands the other day when a nice woman complimented me on my curly fro. After I thanked her, she then proceeded to ask me for suggestions of products for her child’s curly hair and if I think it’s okay to use “adult” products on her hair. While I’m no Click to continue...

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GUESS Originals x A$AP Rocky Collection

Photos: Diego Villarreal 
 
 
Welcome to the world of Guess and A$AP Rocky where naturally denim and you can’t help but think the best part of the 90′s reign supreme. The 90′s stamp of approval is solidified by A$AP’s own validation when commenting on the collection he remarked: “I think this is dope because hip-hop hasn’t seen these colorways and patterns since the early 90′s.” Guess Originals launches it’s debut collaboration with A$AP Rocky and we interpret looks from the collection with photographer Diego Villarreal.
 
 

View the entire collaboration here

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Why The Maximum Hydration Method Failed For Me The Second Time Around

This past week I tried the Maximum Hydration Method, whose rave reviews on YouTube and impressive following drew my attention, regardless of the intensely time consuming process. The method involves a long series of steps which include the Cherry Lola Caramel Treatment, a bentonite clay mask, overnight deep conditioning, and finally an apple cider vinegar Click to continue...

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Your Pre-Night Out Perfect Skin Ritual (part 1).

During awards season, you often of celebrities' pre-red carpet ritual.  It's what the stars do to make sure they look their absolute best.  Our red carpet equivalent is a night out.  It's one of the many opportunities to look amazing.  Shouldn't we also have a specific routine made for those special moments?

Last night, I was invited to a casual social event with a group of people.  No big deal, except these people were old high school classmates.  It's been quite a while since we all graduated and there have been lots of physical transformations over the years.  I really wanted to look like the best version of myself so I started thinking about what I could do to boost my overall look just a little.

Then it hit me. Why not do a sheet mask ceremony before heading out?  The premise is that perhaps the mask could give my skin an added glow beyond my typical products.  Prior to cleansing, I did a quick facial massage with coconut oil.  This is to promote blood flow to the face while lifting up dirt from the pores.  Next, I cleansed using the Clarisonic pro and Phace cleanser.

Once my skin was dry, I pulled out a sheet mask that I was able to pick up from a local Asian market.  This brand caught my eye because it contained mandelic acid.  Let me warn you all that this brand completely saturates it's masks with product.  Even when I pull out their heavily coated sheet, the packet still contains excess product at the bottom.  Because of their generosity in soaking this mask with serum, I have to wear the mask while in a reclined position.  Even while laying down, excess product eventually starts to drip from the sheet.

The moment this happened, I simply removed the mask and placed it gently back into its package for a second use.  Once removed, my face was covered in serum.  Suddenly, I didn't know what to do. Do wipe it off with a paper towel or cleanse again with a gentle cleanser?  The instant I stopped panicking and started thinking logically, the answer came to me.  "Massage it in, you fool!"  

Immediately, I started massaging the gooey serum in.  Within seconds, most of it was absorbed leaving behind highly moisturized skin.  My face looked like it received a weeks worth of skin loving serum in one short session (but without looking greasy).  I couldn't get over how amazing my skin looked.

When I pulled out of the driveway, I had one intention......to have some old classmate look at me and say "wow you look so young....did you go to school with us?" Call it vain, but I had a mission to accomplish.

The night was fun. Lots of getting reconnected with people from the long lost past.  At one point, this guy walks up to me and introduces himself.  I responded by sharing my name and confirming that I attended the same school. After a second of contemplation, he says, "you look kinda young to be in the same class as us."  #missionaccomplished   It was at that point that I revealed my intention to him and congratulated him for helping me to achieve it.

Overall it was a good night. Not only did I catch up with old friends, but I discovered this little trick that'll change all my night outs from this day forward.  The next experiment to try is indulging in consecutive sheet mask rituals for several nights in a row in preparation for more substantial events.  Hopefully, this is just part one of the "pre-night out" beauty ritual series.  Looking forward to doing more of these posts.

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