Disclaimer

Disclaimer:

Please be advised that the content found within my blog (kindnaturalyou.blogspot.com) is purely based on my own opinion and cannot and should not be relied upon as fact or absolute truth. I am not medical doctor/physician, nutritionist, or cosmetologist nor am I an expert in the medical field.

I will not held accountable for any actions taken or any consequences that may result from anyone who visits or reads the content contained within this blog or takes any action as a result of reading this blog. I will not be held liable for any consequences that may result from anyone who uses what they interpret to be advice, recommendations, tips, methods, techniques, tricks, or ideas. Furthermore, I do not intend to cause harm, insult, injure/hurt, defame, or offend anyone with any of the content I have written and I will not be held responsible for the interpretation, misinterpretation, use, or misuse of any of this blog's content.

The views expressed in this blog do not represent or reflect the views of the website's web host (Google Blogger), anyone who visits this blog, or anyone related to or acquainted with the author of the blog postings. Finally, I do not represent anyone who comments on this blog and I will not be held liable for any comments. Those who comment do so voluntarily and at their own legal and personal risk.

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Rapid review: Rihanna ft. Calvin Harris: "We found Love."

This song literally sucked me in the moment I first heard it on the radio. Last night and earlier this morning, I had this thing on constant repeat on YouTube. It's just so catchy! It makes you feel liberated and motivated. It is definitely dance-worthy and I give it 5/5 stars. Rihanna's subtle but sultry accent meshes well with the funky disco/pop beat in the background. Oddly, it called to mind Chris Brown jamming to the sound with some of the techno moves he displayed in the studio scene of his "Beautiful People" music video. "We found Love" is supremely repetitive, but nonetheless electric, and will keep you bobbing your head until the end.

Cocoa powder as a hair styling product

It's getting colder out and I'm definitely not feeling this weather, so today I'm wrapped in a blanket on my couch writing this post for all the hair junkies out there, who want to try a more natural, chemical-free method when styling your hair. Cocoa powder is the topic of choice today. I wanted to tell everyone that I dabbed some cocoa powder on my roots last week, when I hadn't washed my hair, and found the results to be note-worthy. I used it as a substitute for commercial dry shampoo. I guess it really wouldn't technically qualify as a "dry shampoo" given that it doesn't cleanse the hair. Therefore, a more appropriate description would be: hair powder. It's perfect, particularly when your hair is unwashed and needs a quick pick-me-up. Here's my DIY recipe:

Step 1: Ensure your hair is completely dry.

Step 2: Part your hair. You can part it in various sections or just part it in the middle. Along the part-line, dab the cocoa powder. You can use as much as you'd like.

Step 3: If you have curly hair like mine, you can kind of scrunch your hair and pump up your roots with your hand.

End result: Less oily roots and cool "dirty" hair.

I think using cocoa powder creates a cool effect. In my opinion, the added benefits to using cocoa powder instead of commercial styling products are as follows:

1) The scent is delightful and won't irritate the sinuses of those who are particularly fragrance-sensitive

2) In contrast to most dry shampoos on the market, it does not create a white cast on the roots, but rather a chesnut brown colored tone, which is easily concealed if you have dark brown hair like mine

3) It's cheap

4) It's natural (so natural that it's safe to eat; how often can you say that about your styling products?)

NYC fun, here I come!

I'm taking two day trips to NYC this week and thus, am in full-planning mode right now. The truth is, I'm more of the whimsical type when it comes to traveling, and I'd prefer to allow someone else to do the planning while I merely relax and enjoy the ride. However, this time I'm the one planning the itinerary. I feel it's something I need to do for myself; to map out where I'm going and go ahead and explore. I've actually been dreaming up this venture for quite some time. I've visited "the City" before but wasn't as passionate about what it had to offer as I am now. I'm older and wise and now more purposeful with regard to what I hope to take from this experience. I want to revel in the vibrant culture, diversity, and european flair and reflect on its brilliance.

Getting back to the planning aspect, I must admit that I'm getting a bit antsy as the formal plan yas yet to be formulated. The fact that I have T minus two days to prepare gives you an idea of how dire the situation is. However, I know what I need to do now is get down to brass taxes and plan ahead so as to ensure that I have enough time to see as many beautiful sites as possible. My mom will be accompanying me and I already know it's going to be fun times! So far, the list of my definite must-sees (& dos) includes:

1. 9/11 Memorial

2. High Line Park

3. Central Park / John Lennon Memorial

4. Battery Park

5. Staten Island Ferry / Statue of Liberty / Manhattan Skyline

6. Little Italy

7. Greenwich Village

8. Brooklyn - not sure specifically which spots in Brooklyn but I'm definitely heading over there!

9. SoHo

10. 5th Avenue

I'm so excited. Once the plan is fully executed, I'll come back to report on the details. For now, feel free to share with regard to your short-excursion experiences. If you've ever planned a day trip to NYC before, even better! Any tips? What did you find most memorable? Where are the best places to eat? There are so many good-eats to choose from, it's insane. Help me out if you will.

5th day shampoo-less

Today was the fifth day of my no-shampoo experiment. I woke up, showered (water-only on the hair), and got dressed and went to work as usual. I dabbed a bit of oat flour on my roots once my hair was dry and wore my hair in a half-up half-down style and I was good to go. To be honest, I loved the way my hair looked today. I'm actually surprised that it looked as good as it did. It looked very moisturized and not greasy or unkempt.

I felt like I might be able to actually make it an entire week and not have to use shampoo until this Saturday. However, then I realized that I have two pimples forming, both near my hairline. One is situated in the temple area of my face and the other is near the upper left side of my forehead. I kinda freaked out inside a bit when I noticed these pimples because they are rather large in size, compared to the random small zit that I'll get on occasion.

I'm not sure if they resulted from the oils from my scalp or from remnants of the oat flour. Maybe they aren't at all related to not having washed my hair for the past five days. I can't be absolutely certain as to the cause. However, I was worried that the oat flour, no-shampoo combination might be the culprit. Therefore, I caved tonight and shampooed my hair.

I made sure to use a lot of shampoo too, to get rid of any oat flour build-up. I will say that the texture of my strands felt rather silky and smooth as I was coating them with shampoo. It oddly felt like I had used conditioner. That led me to think that my natural oils really did work their magic in adding moisture back into my strands. I'm pretty pleased about that.

I'm definitely going to hesitate with regard to using oat flour in the near future on my scalp, as I'm not sure if it's best for me, given that it's possible it led to my breaking out a bit. There is a strong likelihood that I will continue to shampoo much less, given the positive effect it's had with regard to reducing dryness. I just need to figure out to keep the oiliness at bay in a non-comedogenic manner. Any ideas?

Experiment: Washing hair less

I'm doing my own little experiment in which I cut back on my usage of shampoo so as not to deprive my curly hair of the moisture it so desires. The reason I'm trying to cut back on shampoo is because I feel like it creates frizz and severely dries out my ends and the top layer of my hair in particular. Rather than attempt to restore moisture artificially, by coating my strands with commercial conditioners or masques, I decided to go with a more natural approach. My main concern with using conditioners is that I feel like they merely mask the problem. Also, for me, commercial products, and conditioner in particular, tend to cause me to break out.

I thought that the least harmful approach to attempt to restore some of my hair's natural lustre would be to reduce the frequency with which I shampoo my hair on a weekly basis. I'm aiming for 1-2 times per week. While I've tried this experiment in the past and did make it to about the fifth day before shampooing at one time, the experience was not pleasant. I've made some changes this time around to try to lengthen the time period of no-shampoo without having to sacrifice with regard to my hair's appearance. When I tried shampooing less before, I lasted until the fifth day, and by that time my hair did not look pretty. My roots were very greasy/oily and my hair as a whole, didn't look good.

This time around, I'm combing my hair at night and I'm using a natural substitute for dry shampoo (ie. oat flour) on my roots. While I do shower each day, my hair is only rinsed with water and no other cleansing product. It's been four days since I last used shampoo on my hair. I must admit that my hair doesn't feel unbearable or look as unpleasant as the last time I tried this. Whereas before I was desperate to shampoo my hair by the fifth day because my scalp had accumulated so much oil, it's now only slightly oily at the roots, and this is easily concealed with my natural dry-shampoo.

What I have noticed is that the top layer of my hair is much less frizzy and more shiny than normal. My curls are also more pronounced. I do think the fact that I have been combing my hair as a nightly ritual is also beneficial in that it distributes some of the oil from my scalp through my hair and to my ends, where I need it the most. Rather than dreading the thought of going another day without shampoo, I am actually looking forward to it and may just wear my hair down tomorrow. We'll see how it goes.

Interestingly, I did go to the gym on Monday as well as tonight and even though I did break a sweat, this really hasn't had any ill-effect on my hair. Can I make it a full week without shampoo? I'm not sure yet. I will say that I'm taking it day by day. However, I'm looking forward to see how long I can make it and if shampooing my hair 1-2x per week for an entire month with have a lasting difference on the overall quality of my hair. I'll keep you posted.

It's okay to indulge every now and again.

There are times when, out of pure laziness, I don't feel like loading up on greens or eliminating sugary foods or other trigger foods, even though I know that this method works best in terms of expediting the skin's healing process. In other words, I'll deviate from the proper skin regimen which in part, involves getting a sufficient amount of sleep and eating certain foods. Instead of getting the recommended 8-9 hours, I'll procrastinate having to rise early for the work day grind and stay up past midnight when I have to get up at 7 a.m. I'll eat handfuls of dark chocolate almonds like they are going out of style. I will crave pizza for dinner, and come hell or high water, that's what I am going to be having.

The point I'm trying to make is that it's okay to purposely or inadvertently fall off the skin-health wagon from time to time. I listen to what my body is telling me and if I feel the need to indulge, I go for it.