What I Wish I Knew Before Going Natural

I’ve been natural for a total of three years and I love it! However, if I could do it all over again there are so many things that I change or do differently. For some reason, a lot of women with relaxed hair tried to educate me on natural hair when they discovered that I […]

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Working Out? Make Sure You Do This to Supercharge Your Hair Growth

I'm back and ready to discuss a wild theory.  I've been thinking a lot about this and wanted to share with you all.  The topic today is related to an article I wrote long ago.

Basically, I discussed the premise of how physical exercise could spark hair growth.  When the idea first crossed my mind,  I tried to validate it by searching for the personal experiences of others.  Sure enough, I read multiple accounts of folks who claimed to have experienced increased hair growth once these started working out regularly.

Heck, even Adriana Lima attested to it.

In researching the experiences of others, it was evident that some reaped the healthy hair rewards of exercise while others didn't.  Genetics is sometimes blamed as the culprit for the disparity. And they could be right. But I think there's another factor at play.
The weather is getting a bit warmer which means that a large number of you will be starting to prep for spring and summer.  You might be planning to start working out again.

That's great!  Soon, you'll experience higher energy levels and greater health.  But you know what else?  You might be setting yourself up to gain extra inches.  Yes, some people experienced an increase in growth rate once they started exercising regularly.

Here's a sample of what a few people had to say:

 "During my transition, I had some pretty good growth, I also happened to be working at a gym and worked out for an hour instead of taking a lunch break. I ate so much healthier too. Well those days are long gone and my hair is just inching along now."

"I'm back in the gym too and noticed a growth spurt. I got .5 inch in a little under 3 wks."

"Yea, when I was losing weight for the military my hair grew like no other, but then I wasn't take my vitamins, and not eating enough, and starting losing more calories, and not putting in nutrition, and my hair started thinning, but now I know what to do and what not to do...."

"It makes so much sense prior to my hair journey, I would exercise like a mad woman combined with fruits and vegetables and my hair was growing out of control versus, my roommate that exercised and didn't care about diet. I have to get on the diet part. It makes sense, in the summer, I eat right and the hair spurts." 

 Exercise and hair growth go hand in hand, IF you make sure to supply your body with a diet high in nutrients.  This sounds like basic information, but let me explain further.

When you're working out, your body practically breaks itself down to build back up again.  This is especially true if you're doing a lot of resistance training and toning up.  Obviously, the body needs access to a steady stream of nutrients to rebuild.  Meanwhile, we're cutting calories and eating less because we're trying to lose weight. Or, worse yet, we keep our diet the same thinking that working out will make up for it.

If you aren't careful, you might not be able to fully provide your body what it needs.  When that happens, you don't get access to the hair growing potential of exercise.  Or, you could get to the place where you actually experience some hair loss.  Why? Because your body allocates what little nutrients it gets towards the muscle and tissue.  Your hair will have to take a back seat.

On the flip side, if you make an effort to eat a highly nutritious diet, your body will have the resources to fuel muscles and have enough left over to feed the hair follicles.   This is just a theory but doesn't it make sense?

 We're already experiencing increased blood flow to the scalp, why not ensure that our body has adequate nutrition to deliver the nutrients to the scalp instead of having to ration it for other, more important, tasks.  We want to make sure there's enough nutrition to go around.

So if you're planning on being more active in the near future, make sure to you're boosting up your diet as well.  Add healthy fats like avocado and nuts.  Be sure to get enough protein. Load up on large green salads and hydrate with beverages that also nourish your strands like bamboo tea.  Instead of focusing mainly on cutting calories, make it your aim to give your body a surplus of nutrients and see what you can experience in return.

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Diddy and I both do this before bed. And it's changed my life.

It began about a month ago.  Cold temperatures meant that I had the heater on full blast.  An unintended side effect was extremely dry air.  The job of any good heater, or AC unit, is to control humidity.  This isn't a bad thing during summer.  But, when humidity levels are already low, plucking what's left of it out of the air is disastrous for the skin.

There were nights when I'd wake up extremely uncomfortable.  I thought that removing layers of clothing was the solution to help improve my rest.  But that wasn't the answer.  What I was dealing with was an onset of dehydration as I slept.  And it was pretty bad. 

To solve the problem, I implemented a simple solution and have experienced a multitude of benefits ever since.

Around that same time, I was brainstorming small actions I could take, that created the feeling of abundance.  One easy idea that came to mind was to purchase a pack of those small 500ml Fiji Water bottles.  I'd proudly display them in my newly organized fridge kinda like a celebrity filming an episode of MTV Cribs. 

I thought bought those mineral waters were for show, but they ended up helping me create a new habit which has paid off big time.

Whenever I'd wake up feeling parched, I'd quickly down a full bottle and doze right back to sleep.  I did that for a few days back to back.  Each time I'd awaken, I'd simply reach for the little bottle sitting next to my bed.  Within a few days, I decided to take a more preemptive approach and drink a bottle prior to bed.  Doing so prevented me from waking up seeking rehydration.

It wasn't long before I noticed additional benefits. 

The first, and most obvious is how much drinking water at night stimulated my digestion.  Every time I drank ample amounts of water either before bed or during the night, I noticed the positive impact to my digestion.  I also woke up feeling well rested and ready to take on the new day.

**side note, keeping several bottles of Fiji water by my bedside made my room feel like high-end hotel.  Except that I wasn't scared to actually open up a bottle.**

Once I implemented my "nightly hydration routine," my excessive seasonal dryness seemed to go away.  For instance, my scalp dermatitis always flares up this time of year, but hydrating before bed seemed to make a huge difference.  The skin on my face also isn't as dry.

From an internal perspective, drinking adequate amounts of water before bed can benefit your body in so many ways.  We all know that while we're asleep, our internal system is wide awake, working diligently. Especially the functions of our body responsible for cleansing and detox.   It makes sense to supply our bodies with the fuel it needs to properly conduct an overnight cleanse. 

Yes, drinking more water before bed might mean extra trips to the restroom at night.  But after being consistent, my body sorta got used to it and now I sleep through the night even if I drink prior to bed.  Also drinking before bed doesn't necessarily mean guzzling down water right before you hit the sack.  I just make sure to up my water intake at least an hour or so before bed.  This gives me time to use the restroom prior to falling asleep.

The other day, I was reading about Diddy's nightly beauty routine. It turns out that he too consumes a large bottle of water prior to calling it a night. He's a businessman who needs to wake up ready to tackle a new day, even after a night of partying.  Keeping your body hydrated while you sleep is a surefire way to make sure you don't skip a beat.  I also read online that pre-sleep hydration will help you wake up earlier.  If you don't wake up overnight to use the restroom, your body will send the signal to you early morning.  For those of you who have trouble waking up early, you might want to give this a try.

**Second side note: 500ml is the amount of water used in the study to determine that water boosts metabolism.  So anytime, I wanted to stimulate my metabolism, I grabbed one of the small Fiji bottles and drank up. **

This is now officially a part of my daily detox routine.  I don't have a solid nightly beauty routine in place yet but I'm building one starting from the ground up.  First I focus on the internal beautification then work on the external. 

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The Basics about the Brazilian Keratin Treatment

What is a Brazilian Keratin Treatment?  Often abbreviated as BKT, it is a thermal straightening system that promises to result in frizz and curl-free voluminous hair.  It utilizes keratin (a protein) to temporarily straighten the hair.  Depending on the amount of kink or curl your hair has, it will not necessarily give you 100% pin-straight […]

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"Skin Snacking" What I'm munching on to create healthy, glowing skin

I'm a compulsive snacker.  When I'm bored, I'll reach for whatever's available.  Typically that means something sugary and devoid of nutrition.  But now I'm thinking about spring skin goals and I've made the conscious decision snack on foods that'll feed my skin from within.

I'm trying to keep everything easy & effortless. So basically, I plan to keep snack options around that I can feast on knowing that they'll bring me closer to my skin goals.  Here's the list I've compiled so far.


Goji Berries: Vitamin C, Protein, Amino Acids.
First and foremost, I'm stocking up on goji berries.  There are a myriad of reasons why goji berries top my list of snacks that'll feed my skin.  First, these berries are loaded with vitamin C, trace minerals, and antioxidants.  A lot of fruits have similar qualities but goji berries are one of the few fruits with a high protein and high amino acid content. You know what that means? Because they're rich in protein and amino acids, goji berries could classify as a healthy hair snack.  Also, the protein content helps make it a satisfying snack that helps curb my hunger. What I love most about goji berries is that they're not too sweet like dried cranberries or raisins.  This probably means that they don't spike my blood sugar as much their dried fruit counterparts.

Honestly, if you aren't hip to the goodness of the amazing goji berry, it's time that you're finally let in on the secret.

Japanese Sweet Potatoes: Hyaluronic Acid
Another of my healthy skin snacks is the wonderful Japanese sweet potato. They're cheap and highly nutritious. And compared to your typical sweet potato, they have fewer carbs and lower calories. These sweet potatoes supply our skin with valuable hyaluronic acid.  To refresh your memory, hyaluronic acid provides internal lubrication for the skin and body.  The more of it we have, the more "moisturized" we become.  There are a million serums on the market with this necessary ingredient.  Yes, I'll continue to slather HA serums on every day but if I can give my body direct access to HA via my diet, why not?

Also, I've enjoyed these potatoes in the past and they are very filling.  Perfect if you want a mid-day snack but want to save all of your calories for dinner.

Sunflower Seeds: Vitamin E
I don't take a vitamin E supplement. But I probably should because vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant.  The alternative is to up my vitamin E intake via my snack options.  This will be pretty easy because I love munching on almonds, sunflower seeds, olives and such.  I just have to keep more of it around.

Dark Chocolate: Flavonoids, Antioxidants
When my sweet tooth kicks in, my secret weapon is 85% pure dark chocolate.  Enjoying a piece of dark chocolate feels like a treat but I'm also rewarding myself with skin loving flavanoids. From a healthy skin standpoint, we already know that the active ingredient in pure chocolate has a positive influence on the skin's elastin.  A high-quality piece of dark chocolate satisfies our sweet tooth but isn't obnoxiously sweet.  It's great for when you're trying to retrain your taste buds away from sugary snacks.  The higher the percentage of dark chocolate, the better.

Seaweed Sheets: Vitamins & Minerals
Another snack that I plan to have laying around are crispy seaweed sheets.  Not only do I love the way they taste, but I appreciate the fact that they contain vitmain C, A, E, calcium, and B vitamins.  They also have a lot of sodium which means that I have to increase my water intake.
......................................

We've already established that sometimes our body will trick us into eating when we're actually hungry.  So I'm making a conscious effort to drink liquids that support glowing, beautiful skin.  I'm pretty much going to focus on consuming several cups of green tea + bamboo tea on a daily basis.  I've also reinstituted chlorophyll water to help facilitate detoxing from the inside out.

This is the list I came up with after a quick brainstorm session. If these foods aren't your cup of tea, feel free to come up with your own roster of nutritionally dense snacks that contribute to your overall beauty goals.  Again, the purpose is to achieve our ideal outcome with as little effort as possible.  Eating nutritious foods that we love is the epitmone of effortless. Let's keep plenty of these healthy snacks around so we can feed our skin a little bit each and every day.



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The Baggy Method – Ultra Moisture Fix For Your Dry Hair

The Baggy Method Defined Put simply the baggy method or baggying is a technique used to lock in moisture for an extended period of time using conditioner, oil and a plastic cap or bag. Baggying can be done on the entire head or it can be done on a ponytail. In unusually cold weather your hair […]

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Henna for Black Hair – Natural Strengthener Or Stay Away?

As a woman who happily relaxes her hair and loves the ease and versatility of it, I do sometimes feel limited by that choice.  Why?  Because I thoroughly believe that one should choose only one chemical process for their hair to maintain the healthiest mane possible.  So because I choose to relax, I do not […]

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