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Friday, January 28, 2011

Hair Sweet Hair

I think I just about fell in love when I discovered the depth of knowledge and resources there are out today on natural hair care!  For so long, I have bored my husband to death talking about skin and hair care.  He patiently endured these hair gabbing sessions with me and then encouraged me to create this blog to share all that I have learned and love to discuss.  

I got my first relaxer at the age of 12.  Believe it or not it was introduced to me all because of my fifth grade class trip to Washington d.c.  The year before when I went away for a few days to rock eagle, my hair was in the same french braid for three days.  Needless to say, it looked bad my mother was not going to let that happen again and said that I would need to get a relaxer so that I could manage my own hair during my trip away from home.  

Having had a relaxer for so long, I was always curious about how my natural hair actually looked and felt.  I attempted to grow the relaxer out but I was never particularly determined to have it natural so after a while I would just get it relaxed again and again.  Until, the day I found out that I was pregnant in October 2008.  Having heard that getting a relaxer was not good to do while you are pregnant I chose to err on the side of caution and just stop!  Thankfully, I truly never had a problem transitioning.  In short, thanks to my daughter I have now discovered the beauty of my natural hair and am learning how to take care of mine and hers!

Get your sexy on!


To me nothing is sexier than smooth flawless skin...but wanting it and actually having it are two completely different stories.  Who doesn’t want that freedom to confidently walk out the door with a naked face?  Well, this quest has been quite a journey for me.  Ever since my teenage years I have been plagued with some sort of acne.  In the beginning, it was mild and was just on my back but luckily my face was clear.  But sometime after entering college, away from home, with an erratic schedule and eating habits suddenly it disappeared from my back and was prevalent on my face( T-zone to be exact).  And for years, I can count how many times my face has just been completely clear and smooth to the touch.  And when you talk about having tried it all...I am definitely in that category.  From prescriptions, to OTC medicine, vitamins, dermatologist, to holistic clinics.  I was willing to try it all just to achieve clear skin.  After everything that I have gone through over the years, I have learned how important it is to know yourself.  Do you know your body, what are your triggers, what you need the most?  For me, I must drink lots of water, stick to a solid skin care routine, steer clear of sugary foods and drinks(which is my vice by the way!) and get sufficient rest.  For so long, all I have been doing is trying to prevent acne instead of truly learning how to take good care of my skin from head-to-toe!  

Your skin will reflect your health and it is important to start taking care of yourself from the inside out.  I am challenging myself to achieve completely clear skin in 6 months.

here are a few tips  I learned the hard way:
  • Opt for water as your drink of choice!  Whenever, where ever, however!  It is your best bet to choose water.  If you do choose to indulge in something sweet try to limit it to 4-8oz.
  • Always be very gentle on your skin...I have heard that you should never rub your skin harder than you would a baby.  Scrubbing your skin will not make the blemishes go away any faster!  Trust me I know this from experience.
  • Be patient and don’t stress!  This is a hard one but it is vital to healing your skin.  What you do today may not be reflected immediately but in time it will show and you will be so grateful!


That’s it for now.  I am going to take my own advice and truly work at achieving completely clear skin by my daughter’s second birthday in June!  And keeping it that way!

p.s. I am currently using the proactiv system to cleanse my face.  I am beginning to feel like it is too abbrasive for my sensitive skin and I plan to transition into the oil cleansing method soon.  I’ll keep you posted on the progress.