Life revelation

Good morning divine creation! I hope your weekend was enjoyable.

Life is full of ups and downs – no way around that! And the truth has a way of exposing itself to each individual. At times, I get a word at a certain moment that really causes me to stop and take note of its truth. I will begin to share with you some monumental insight that I receive on occasion. I have to realize that the revelation I receive may also be intended for another. It may not be for me to keep to myself, but to be a messenger to benefit someone else. This is not going to turn into a planned or scheduled format on this blog – when it hits me, I’ll post on it. This way, I can give a positive word to my readers AND keep it fresh in my own mind and spirit. We tend to go through life having to learn and re-learning valid truths. So this morning, on my way to work, this is the revelation I received:

When someone speaks negativity into your life, you have a CHOICE to believe what they say or to dismiss it and replace it with positive.

Thanks for reading. Be blessed!

CallaLily

Back to Basics: Pre-poo (A Hair Regimen Series)

On my natural hair journey, I am learning how uncomplicated a solid hair regimen can be. Often times we seek out information, products, and hair methods that further confuse us. I wanted to do a 6 part series spelling out the basic foundation to giving our tresses the care they crave.

Step 1: Pre-poo

What: Pre-pooing is applying a product (oil, conditioner or a combination of the two) to the hair and leaving it on for a period of time before you cleanse.

When: Before cleansing

Why: The purpose of pre-pooing is to condition and protect the hair.

How: Here are your options – Method #1 – You can start with dry or damp hair. Apply heated or unheated carrier oil (such as olive, coconut, etc) to hair and/or scalp. Cover hair with plastic cap and scarf/towel/cap. Wait at least 20 minutes before rinsing out (you can also make this an overnight treatment, rinsing it out the next day).

OR

Method #2 – You can start with dry or damp hair. Apply conditioner (or conditioner/oil combination) to hair only. Cover hair with plastic cap and scarf/towel/cap. Wait at least 20 minutes before rinsing out. It is NOT recommended to do this method overnight.

With either method, if you are doing a 20-30 minute session, you can incorporate heat from a dryer or heat cap.

Other notes: Honey and molasses are also popular pre-poo ingredients. They can be used alone or added to your oil and/or conditioner.

Thanks for reading. Be blessed!

CallaLily

Friday’s Formula/Tasty Tresses: Apples (ongoing contest)

Hope everyone has had a wonderful week. This week’s Tasty Tresses is apples. The beverage we drink internally from this fruit is said to have numerous health benefits. As for hair, I’m sure that we’ve all read about the advantages of using apple cider vinegar for our hair (build up remover, cuticle closer, pH balancer, etc). There are countless concoctions that use this ingredient in hair rinses.

What’s on the menu for your mane #3 – Apples

APPLES: This fruit contains malic acid, an alpha hydroxy acid, which works as an exfoliant and emollient to lift dandruff away from the scalp. Used in small quantities, malic acid is moisturizing; in higher quantities, it is exfoliating.

Here is an apple cider hair recipe:

Apple Cider Dandruff Treatment
1/2 cup apple cider (preferably organic)
Massage the cider into the scalp area with your fingertips. Repeat after every shampoo; you will see significant results after several applications. Repeat treatment whenever outbreaks of dandruff occur.

I’ve also seen where you can add apple juice to your homemade shampoo recipes.

~Ongoing contest (click here for details and rules)~

Can you guess what next week’s hair food (or drink) will be?

Leave your entry below in the comment section. Enjoy your weekend!

Thanks for reading. Be blessed!

CallaLily

* Other recipes can be found in the "hair recipe" category to the right

Study Hall: Information Overload

Short and sweet - just wanted to quickly pop in to share two great sites.

Check them out!

A New Era in African Hair

From Grandma's Kitchen

Thanks for reading. Be blessed!

CallaLily

More kitchen experiments

This weekend I’ve been creating more hair potions. Pictured from left to right: conditioning spritz, herbal acv, herbal hair oil.

Conditioning Spritz: water infusion of the same herbs used in my oil. To this was added, aloe vera gel, vegetable glycerin, grapefruit seed extract, sage essential oil and tea tree essential oil.

Herbal ACV: I put herbs in a glass jar, poured the apple cider vinegar over the herbs and stirred it. The herbs will need to steep in the vinegar for at least 3 weeks. I will stir or shake the jar once a day for the first week. After I strain the herbs, I will use this for hair rinses (diluted in plain water or an herbal infusion). NOTE: You MUST use a plastic lid or put a plastic barrier between the opening and lid if you are using a metal lid!

I used these herbs:

Mint – Wonderfully fragrant, mint is refreshing, stimulating, and invigorating. It is antiseptic and anesthetic in nature, creating a cooling, soothing effect.

Lavender – The flowering tops of this herb have a delightful aroma. Lavender has cleansing and astringent qualities. It is also very beneficial as a cellular regenerator for the skin.

Oregano – This aromatic herb is stimulating, antiseptic, and astringent (having good cleansing properties). Oregano is effective as a hair detangler and softener.

Rosemary (see oil post for info)

Nettle (see oil post for info)

Herbal Hair Oil: This is the result of my infused olive oil from two weeks ago. I wanted to let it infuse for another week but was getting impatient. After I strained the oil, I added vitamin E, peppermint essential oil and lemongrass essential oil.

I am really having fun with the various herbs I’ve purchased for hair concoctions. Hubby teases me when he walks in on my experiments – refers to me as a mad scientist (sinister laugh and all) :-). Hope this will inspire you to whip up a batch of tonic for your tresses.

Thanks for reading. Be blessed!

CallaLily

* Information was referenced from Naturally Healthy Hair

Friday’s Formula/Tasty Tresses: Aloe Vera (ongoing contest)

I had one entry for the first contest. However, this is an ongoing venture so I’m optimistic that it will ignite more involvement. Having said that, this week’s Tasty Tresses is aloe vera. This may be a strange one to see here but aloe vera can be used internally as well as externally. Many people choose aloe vera as a health tonic.

What’s on the menu for your mane #2 – Aloe Vera

ALOE VERA: The gel found within the leaves of this plant has remarkable properties, including healing, soothing, antibacterial, antiseptic, emollient, and moisturizing qualities. Studies have shown aloe enhances cellular regeneration. The juice from aloe vera has been used as a shampoo, hair setting lotion, and condition, with remarkable results for both the hair and the scalp. Diseases of the scalp are often treated directly with aloe vera juice.

Here is an aloe vera hair recipe I found that uses common ingredients:

Tress Rescue Conditioner
2 ounces aloe vera gel
1/2 teaspoon olive, avocado, or jojoba oil
2 ounces organic apple cider vinegar
1 ounce powdered milk
Combine ingredients in a bowl, stirring to blend. Apply to freshly-washed damp hair. Allow to remain on hair for 10-30 minutes, then rinse thoroughly. Makes enough for one treatment. Discard leftovers.

I’ve also seen countless recipes that use dietary aloe vera as an ingredient in shampoos, hair spritzes, hair butter creams and hair gels. . . way too many to post here!

~Ongoing contest (click here for details and rules)~

Can you guess what next week’s hair food (or drink) will be?

Leave your entry below in the comment section.

Thanks for reading. Be blessed!

CallaLily

* Other recipes can be found in the "hair recipe" category to the right