L'amour NaturELLE

Although healthy chemical free natural hair may not require trimming as often as when using harmful products or chemicals, it is something that is essential to maintaining healhty beautiful hair. If you would perfer to remove your split ends yourself rather than allowing a professional stylist to trim your hair, you can use the dusting method to do so. Dusting is great way of removing split or damaged ends from yor hair without removing too much or trimming unevenly. If your ends are severly damaged or split, we suggest letting a professional styist remove them.

The dusting method:

* You can dust on wet or dry hair, but damp or wet may work best.* To dust your ends, you would begin by twisting (two strand twisting works well) all of your hair down to the ends. After twisting, take your hair shears and trim the fuzzy or split ends from each twist. Every trim on each end of every twist can be up to about 1/4 of an inch, and the exact amount should be removed from each.

This process is very simple and helpful, especially when you aren’t able to get to a salon right away. After dusting, your ends should feel soft and healthy. Trimming or dusting can be done as little as 3 times a year or as often as needed.

So I henna’d my hair this weekend for the first time .. and can I say the results were AMAZING!

OK, so here’s what I did…

Products used for Henna mixing

• One box of 100 gram Afshan Mehndi Henna powder
• One teaspoon of Organic Honey
• One tablespoon of ACV
• One cup of hot water( After boiling)

**I mixed all my ingredients to create my thick pancake batter-like paste

STEPS 

I applied my Henna paste to my hair and baggy’d (Yes.. I had to improvise lol) and allowed it to penetrate for about 7-8 hours. I placed a warm towel over my hair several times during this process.

Next, I rinsed out the henna with room temp. water several times until the Henna was completely out. After rinsing,  I used Vatika oil which is a blend of many oils as my deep conditioner. I warmed the oil, baggy’d, and allowed it to sit for 30 min. After my deep condition I shampooed, conditioned, rinsed, and cocnut oil to my hair. My hair felt amazing afterwards.

Applying Henna treatments can benefit in many ways. I chose to do my treatment for strengthening and thickening. Amazingly my hair already feels stronger, healthier, and it has definitely helped with adding luster and shine. I am very pleased with my Henna treatment results, and will definitely try and make it a priority to Henna at least once or twice a month!

My next powder treatment will be Brahmi and I can’t wait to see how the results will turn out!

(pic post my Henna treatment and Styling)

Castile soap is a natural and chemical-free soap that can be used for just about anything. It is a vegetable-based product containing oils such as olive oil, coconut, almond, and more. Castile soap can be used as a cleaning agent for skin, hair, and brushing your teeth! It is very gentle on the skin and can be used in the place of harsh detergents. This natural soap can also save you money and a little goes a LONG way!

Health Benefits

Replacing your typical cleaning products with castile soap can also benefit your health because of the following:

• It is chemical-free

• Main ingredient is olive oil

• Environmental friendly

• Can improve skin

Skin:

As mentioned previously, castile soap’s natural main ingredient is olive oil. Using olive oil for the skin is very beneficial. It is said to substitute skin lotions (that are not 100% natural) for extra virgin olive oil. Because this is the main ingredient in castile soap, it is highly recommended to use. Castile soap will not only leave the skin cleansed and refreshed, but it helps the skin to retain its moisturize and elasticity. Soaps containing chemicals may do just the opposite.

How to use castile soap on skin: Castile soap can be used on the skin as a body wash. It can be used by directly applying to skin or by diluting in water. Hand soap and body soap bars can created at home by using castile soap. There are many recipes on how to make these online.

Hair:

Making your own natural homemade shampoo can save you money as well as your health. One bottle can last for several months as oppose to bottles of store-bought shampoo that may not last more than several weeks. Of course, the main ingredient for making your homemade shampoo is liquid castile soap.

When using castile soap on hair, it is best to mix it with carrier and/or essential oils. Ingredients that work best with castile soap are distilled water, jojoba oil, grape seed oil, glycerin, or other light vegetable oils.

There are plenty of ways to make your own natural homemade shampoo. Here’s just one example recipe:

Recipe for Shampoo:

1/2 Water

1/2 Jojoba oil

1/4 Dr. Bronner’s Castile Liquid Soap- Baby Mild (Organic)

Teeth:

Believe it or not, it is also highly recommended to use castile soap to brush your teeth! Unlike common toothpaste (both natural and other), castile soap does not contain glycerin. What does this mean? Well glycerin in toothpaste coats you teeth, preventing minerals and calcium from getting to your teeth. If you do not want to use castile soap as a toothpaste, then try to buy a glycerin-free toothpaste (read back of ingredient labels).

Using Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap is great for brushing your teeth. There soap comes in my flavors such as peppermint, citrus, baby mild, lavender, tea tree, and much more.

Household Cleaners and Detergents:

Replacing detergents with castile soap can last for months and help your household become green. Castile soap can be used to wash dishes, clothes, floors, countertops, and more. A few drops can be poured directly into dish water and mop water.

General Cleaner Ingredients:

1 cup castile soap

6 cups water

Detergent Ingredients:

1/4 cup castile soap cup

Vinegar (white)

1 cup Baking Soda

1 cup Washing Soda

**Castile soap can be purchase at your local health food stores, Target, or online. There are many recipes that can be found online to make your own shampoo, body bar, body washes, toothpaste, general clearers, detergents, and much more.

Sources:

www.maddieruud.hubpages.com

www.ecoevaluator.com

www.natural-health-restored.com

www.simplemom.net

www.tipnut.com

Essential oil and aromatherapy techniques

Essential oils operate pharmacologically, physiologically, and psychologically.  Essential oils are not all absorbed into the body at the same rate. They can take 20 minutes to several hours before absorbing, depending on the oil  and the individual body chemistry of the person that is using it. It usually takes about 90 minutes for the oil to absorb. After several hours, the oil leaves the body by exhaling, through urine excretion, feces, and perspiration.

Steam inhalations

Steam inhalations are very beneficial for throat and respiratory infections, sinus and catarrhal congestion, and headaches. It is also great to use for those essential oils that can cause irritation to the skin. Steam from using this process releases the vapors of the oils. Steam inhalations are safe for treating infants and children, and are not suitable for asthmatics and those who have breathing difficulties.

** Add 4-5 drops of essential oil to a bowl of boiling water. Place your head over the bowl and place a towel over your head.

Vaporizers 

Using vaporizers or diffusers are a natural way to deodorize, and disinfect a room,  and also benefits children with breathing difficulties. Vaporizers also help with enhancing moods and balancing the mind.

**Add 6-8 drops of essential oil and water to a vaporizer or diffuser.

Using essential oils to gargle and as a mouthwash

Antiseptic essential oils are great to use as effective mouthwashes and gargles. They can be used as an antiseptic to treat mouth ulcers, gum disease, throat infections and bad breath.

**Essential oils should not be swallowed, but you can gargle by  diluting 4-5 drops of oil with a teaspoon of brandy (optional) and mixing it into a glass of warm water and swooshing it around the mouth.

Hot and cold compresses

You can use compresses to relieve pain and inflammation, muscle pain, arthritis, rheumatism, toothache, earache, boils, and abscesses . Cold compresses are also beneficial for headaches, sprains, and swelling.

**Add 4-5 drops of essential oil to bowl of hot or cold water. Soak a piece of  cotton cloth into the water, wring it out and apply it to the effected area.  (Essential oils such as lavender, tea tree , and sandle wood can be applied to the skin un-diluted,)

Did you know that cayenne pepper can used as a hair strengthener, restorer, for fullness, and to add luster and shine to your hair? Cayenne pepper is made with capsaicin and  provides iron, protein vitamins and minerals which enhances the peripheral blood flow to the scalp. Cayenne pepper is also known to be an effective hair loss treatment, and helps to produce faster hair growth overall.   

  
How to make your Cayenne pepper paste

An easy way to mix your cayenne pepper is to mix the grounded pepper with olive or grape seed oil until it forms somewhat of a paste. It is best to test a small section of your hair with the mixture, in case your skin is sensitive, burns or irritates easily. Store your mixture in a dark bottle and allow the mixture to sit for 7-10 days. After a week or so you can take your stored mixture and rub it onto your scalp and hair.  Place a plastic cap over your hair and allow the mixture to absorb into the skins pores for 30-45 min or sleep with it overnight. You can follow the treatment with a rinse, wash, and conditioner, and applying coconut oil after. This treatment can be used regularly or daily for best results.

•  Our hair grows on average of about 1.25 centimeters ( 0.5 inches ) in a month or about 6 inches in a year.
  

• We loose on average about 100 hairs daily! The fallen hair is usually replaced with new hair.

Creating a hair care regimen is one of the most important priorities in achieving healthy natural hair. There are several steps to take in order to do this.

What is a hair care regimen? A hair care regimen is the process created for an individual’s personal preference. It takes many trial and errors in order to create a regimen that works for you. One person’s regimen may not have the same results for another. In order to create your own personal hair care regimen you must understand your hair and get to know what it does and does not like.

Creating a wash regimen

 Before I shampoo (not co-wash) my hair I usually pre-poo. A pre-poo is a moisturizing treatment used on the hair before a co-wash or shampoo. When doing a pre-poo, try to stick to oils, oil/conditioner mix, or honey. I love to use honey and olive oil for my pre-poos. Oils that are great to use as a pre-poo are extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, and other organic oils. My favorite pre-poo concoction consist of honey, EVOO, and rosemary. I apply this to my hair, put on a plastic cap, and leave in my hair for 30 minutes (leaving honey in for more than 30 minutes may begin to form a mask).

My hair LOVES conditioner, therefore, I do more co-washes then shampoos. I co-wash twice a week and use an all natural shampoo once every two weeks. I pre-poo before every SHAMPOO only (as mentioned above). Conditioner does not remove all the honey from my hair so this is why I choose not to use it after a PP. Naturals who rather shampoo instead of co-wash should not do so more than once a week. I say this because (as mentioned in previous articles) most shampoo contains ingredients that should not be used on natural hair. In my early days of being natural, I did not understand how conditioner could be substituted for shampoo, but today, I highly recommend to you all to incorporate co-washes into your regimen.

What conditioners are best to use when co-washing?

• Natural conditioners:

• Non-natural conditioners: Coconut milk (can be found at walmart), Suave Tropical Coconut, Vo5 Moisture Milks

 After my hair is washed and clean, I ALWAYS apply a moisturizing leave-in. I make my own leave-in in a spray bottle which I varies depending on the seasons. Summer I make sure to add a little glycerin in my spray bottle. Glycerin should not be use during winter months. If I do a wash-N-Go this is all I have to do. If I do styles such as twist outs, then I always seal with coconut oil (my hair always loves this).

This is my hair care/wash regimen. I try to be consist with this regimen as I find it to be very successful. Remember that what works for me may not work for you. I did have to play around for a few months in order to find what works for my hair. It can be frustrating when you are learning your hair, but be patience and give it time. Creating a regimen does not happen overnight unless you’re one of the few lucky ones. For the time being, do not become a product junky, but try to stick to natural carrier and essential oils. This oils are beneficial and work for just about all types. If you have an questions, please contact us. We are more than happy to help!

Out of your facial cleanser or soap? No worries!

Here’s a quick tip for a facial cleanser:

Dampen your face, take a teaspoon(or less) of grapeseed or olive oil and the same amount of your natural conditioner, and rub them together. Apply the mixture to your face, and rinse! Your face or skin will feel cleansed, moisturized, and soft!

Have you detoxed lately?

Healthy hair is something that we all want and strive to achieve, but when it comes to our health, we should be just as or even more concerned when it comes to maintaining it as its best.

To detox, means to cleanse your blood by removing any impurities or toxins in our blood streams through the lungs, kidneys, skin, intestines, or lymph. When you detox your body, It means to cleanse, nourish, and rest your body entirely. If you’ve been feeling sluggish and tired lately, catching colds, losing weight, have skin problems, menstrual difficulties, digestive problems, or dealing with aches and pain, you may need to detoxify your system. Detoxing will benefit our bodies by protecting them against harmful diseases and helping us to maintain optimal health.

“Our society foolishly prizes itself upon eating a high protein, meat-based diet; excessive consumption of dairy products; refined grains (rich in gluten that literally converts into glue in your colon); starchy foods (that stiffen the body); refined sugars (that literally corrodes your brain); salt (which is really crude oil [petroleum] extract); genetically-engineered and grafted, pesticide laced produce (fruits and vegetables). Food-stuffs saturated with harmful chemicals (flavor enhancers, preservatives, coloring agents, etc.) such as MSG (which causes severe headaches); aspartame and saccharin (cancer causing agents); blue, green, yellow and red lake # dyes (derived from petroleum); propylene glycol (used in car antifreeze solutions and for other industrial purposes); aluminum (which causes Alzheimer’s disease). Consuming harmful beverages such as soda pop (which Y has a pH of 2 making it very acidic and which kills the kidneys and also has a high phosphoric acid content that eats up your bones which results in osteoporosis); coffee (also very acid-forming, causes cancer of the esophagus, kills the central nervous system, and shoots out the adrenal glands); milk and milk-based beverages (which are very acidic and therefore mucus forming, causes leukemia, puts extra, synthetic female hormones into the body causing a host of reproductive area cancers, especially in women); alcohol beverages which are also very acidic and processed with harmful chemicals such as ether (sleeping gas) and methanol (which converts inside the body to formaldehyde [embalming fluid], a neurotoxin).Please don’t forget about the people who smoke cigarettes (which contain over 700 ingredients including civet cat absolute, nicotine, sugar, salt, opium, caffeine, etc.). Now add all of the above to the following list of horrors - pumping gas at the gas station and inhaling cancer causing fumes from such chemicals as MTBE, lead, etc.; inhaling the exhaust (carbon and nitric oxides) from cars, trucks, and buses; breathing in air full of pollutants; using household cleaning supplies that are made with harmful ingredients that weaken the immune/defense system. Dousing ourselves with personal hygiene products that are made with cancer causing chemical ingredients such as propylene glycol, sodium laurel sulfate, lead, aluminum; color lake dyes; mineral oil, petroleum jelly and lanolin (all of which suffocate the skin); DEA; fluoride (chief ingredient in rat poison) that is in almost all toothpastes read the warning on the back of the tube!; expensive perfumes and colognes (that do not list the ingredients on the box or bottle) that seep into the skin and pollute the blood and lymph fluids; underarm antiperspirants (made with acetyl alcohol, propylene glycol, and aluminum) that toxify the lymph system and causes breast cancer in women due to wearing bras that hamper circulation in the breast area. Please do not forget modern technology and the inundation of radiation that it provides us in exchange for convenience via such items as microwave ovens, television sets, radios, cell phones, alarm clocks, etc. Last but not least products that make up the largest and most profitable industry pharmaceutical drugs, that kills over 300,000 people a year. Aspirin use burns a hole in your stomach and causes ulcers and internal bleeding; Prozac and Valium causes suicidal tendencies; birth control pills causes female cancers and hormonal imbalances; Dilantin causes strokes. And how could we ever forget vaccinations? That’s right, those serums that we trust to prevent diseases which are the true cause of the diseases they are supposed to prevent and are made from such substances as pig blood, cow tumors and pus, dog kidneys, aborted fetal tissue, mercury, etc.” (http://www.dherbs.com/store/full-body-detox-p-1.html)

It is suggested to detox at least once a year being that we are exposed to so many toxins in today’s enviornment. Because detoxing can have an effect on those with cancer, tuberculosis, chronic degenerative disease, children, and nursing mothers, you should contact your health provider before detoxing and for any questions that you may have regarding detoxing.

There are several ways which you can go about to naturally detoxify your body. This is one effective 8 step method that you can begin with:

1.) Begin by eliminating toxins such as coffee, refined sugars, saturated fats, soda, and alcohol. You should also reduce the usage of chemical-based products such as un-natural deodorant’s, mouthwashes, toothpastes, soaps, facial cleansers, lotions, body sprays, shampoo’s, and conditioners. Toxins and harmful chemicals can easily seep into the body as a result from using such products, and should be substituted from natural alternatives.

2.) De-stress your life as much as possible. Stress triggers the body to release stress hormones into your body. Good ways to relieve stress are to do deep breathing exercises to allow oxygen to flow throughout your body.(this is highly recommended for detoxing), and meditating/pray.

3.) Eat an adequate amount of fiber. Fibers such as Kale, mustard greens, cabbage, broccoli, radishes, artichokes, brown rice, organic fruits and vegetables, are excellent for detoxifying the body.

4.) Drink about 2 quarts of water daily. Drinking water helps to cleanse the body by allowing elimination of toxins to exit the body through sweating, the lymph system and urinating. For your detox cleansing, you should drink water for an entire day, at least one day out of the week.

5.) Drink herbal teas or take herbal supplements. Taking herbs such as dandelion root, burdock, milk thistle, Psyllium, Aloe Vera juice, Fennel seeds, and drinking green tea will help to cleanse and protect our liver.

6.) Incorporate Vitamin C into your diet. Vitamin C is a water-soluble antioxidant that transforms toxins into digestible material. Fruits and vegetables such as berries, papaya, tomatoes, broccoli and cauliflower contain vitamin C. Citrus fruits offer the most powerful aid to detoxification. Citrus stimulates digestive enzymes and helps to eliminate the body of nasty toxins.

7.) Practice hydrotherapy (the use of water in the treatment or prevention of diseases). You can practice hydrotherapy by taking a hot shower for 5 min.’s, allowing the hot water to run down your back and following with a cold shower for 30 min.’s . You can do this 3 times and get in the bed for 30 min.’s. You can also practice hydrotherapy by doing body wraps, sitting in a sauna, or taking a hot bath. Your body will eliminate wastes through you perspiring.

8.) The most important part of detoxing your body is through exercising. Doing exercises such as jump roping, martial arts, or yoga, for at least an hour every day will give you many health benefits along with your cleansing and detoxing.

Other ways to detox your system naturally are Using detox patches, going to a detox foot bath(which removes toxins through the pores of your skin), or dry brushing your skin using special brushes(you can find these at natural product stores).

We recommend also trying Dherbs detox full body detox kit(which can be found online at www.dherbs.com). Their Detoxing kit comes complete with herbs, instructions on how and when to take the herbs, and a recommended diet (all raw foods fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts, etc.). It is guaranteed that you will feel and see results after 20 days of using the product.

Sources:

www.detoxherbs.com

www.holisticherb.com

www.life.gaiam.com

www.ehow.com

www.livestrong.com

I’m sure many of you can relate to what I mean when I say “The awkward length stage”. It’s when you get to the point in your natural hair journey when your hair isn’t short enough to rock a cute TWA and isn’t long enough for full buns, pony tails, etc. I love my natural hair, and love creating different with ways to style my hair, but am still patiently waiting for growth (as many of you may be), to try a variety of other natural hair styles. Here’s my style of the week that can be worn from dressy to casual.

What I love about this look is that it’s easy to create and requires little to no manipulation after styling. Basically what I did was push all of my curls to the front of my head, and clipped them in the back and on the sides. EASY! I sleep with a satin scarf or bonnet at night, and moisturize in the morning.

Here are a few ways that you can wear your front pin up curly style:

Beanie style

Dressy : side flower

Turban Look

Fedora Style

Lov’n my curly Style of the week! :)