Video: The Bar-kays

Ok. The last video was annoying, but this one is just fun. I love the dude with the silver afro and the lead singer... they just crack me up. Especially when the lead singer gets into banging that cow bell...




...Somebody, loved themselves.

Video: I Can Feel It by the Afros

Um. This music video might have been the reason people don't take fros seriously...



Sorry if you find this video annoying...

hmmm...

The last article, was quite dark. I thought that I cleared out my beauty closet enough until I researched for that article... So goodbye Neutrogena Oil-Free facial scrub and cleanser. I can no longer put you on my face, now that I know that I'm putting Cetyl Alcohol on my face, too. [ That goes for your moisturizers and lotions, too]


The alternatives???

Option 1: Make your own products...

• Advantages ~ the product will be the best quality you can ever get... even the most expensive products can't compare to that.

• Disadvantages ~ can be time consuming. Might have to rearrange your lifestyle.

My favorite websites to get supplies from:

• Organic Creations

~ I like this guys because they follow up with emails and invoices to make sure the package was delivered. They also deliver quite quickly AND give you a tracking number.

• Dandelion Botantical

~ Located in Seattle, Wa. But they also do business online. Very nice people. They even teach classes on Certified Herbology. They have a lovely book selection. AND THEY ARE NOT CULTISH... so I don't feel like I am going into a devil worshiping store. The environment is laid back, clean and friendly.




Option 2: Alternative over the counter products, from natural cosmetic companies like LUSH

• Advantage~ Products are natural and there are even some that are vegan!

• Disadvantages~ A bit pricey. Not the greatest cosmetic quality compared to homemade products.

Hope this lifted up your spirit since the last post....

Painted Faces (part 2)

Have you caught your breathe, from the last part of this article? Good, cause it gets worse...






3. I found these definitions of ingredients from "Caring Consumer.com" These ones are IMPORTANT to know because they usually show up in everyday products...

• Cetyl Alcohol (Basically Sperm from a Sperm Whale or Dolphin) ~ you can find this in some face products and more!

• Elastin ~ Protein found in the neck ligaments and aortas of cows

• Estrogen ~ Female hormones from the urine of pregnant mares

• Gelatin ~ Protein obtained by boiling skin, tendons, ligaments, and/or bones with water. From cows and pigs

• Glycerin ~ usually comes from animal fat

• Insulin ~ usually comes from the pancreas of hogs.

• Keratin ~ Protein from the ground-up horns, hooves, feathers, quills, and hair of various animals

There's "... confusion over whether or not an ingredient is of animal origin is the fact that many companies have removed the word animal from their ingredient labels to avoid putting off consumers.

For example, rather than use the term hydrolyzed animal protein, companies may use another term such as hydrolyzed collagen. Simple for them, but frustrating for the caring consumer...

Animal ingredients are used not because they are better than vegetable-derived or synthetic ingredients but rather because they are generally cheaper... Rendering plants process the bodies of millions of tons of dead animals every year, transforming decaying flesh and bones into profitable animal ingredients. The primary source of rendered animals is slaughterhouses, which provide the "inedible" parts of all animals killed for food. The bodies of companion animals who are euthanized in animal shelters wind up at rendering plants, too. One small plant in Quebec renders 10 tons of dogs and cats a week, a sobering reminder of the horrible dog and cat overpopulation problem with which shelters must cope... Thousands of products on store shelves have labels that are hard to decipher. It's nearly impossible to be perfectly vegan, but it's getting easier to avoid products with animal ingredients. "

~ quoted from www.caringconsumer.com





To Conclude:

There ARE products out there in the market that are vegetable-derived or synthetic- derived (if you want to go this route) products. Go to your usual store and check out the cosmetic sections. Look at the ingredient lists on the back of the containers and take note of all the ones you CAN'T understand. Then,

RESEARCH IT! RESEARCH IT! RESEARCH IT!


This makes you realize that the manufacturer isn't always honest. And that you can't always trust what someone is trying to sell you. Educating yourself on what you place onto your body is truly the GREATEST policy.


If you have a strong stomach and still want to search even deeper into this subject, check out
www.foodRisk.org

for there own reports on the subject...

Recipes

Here's a couple of new recipes, from my favorite books, to cheer you up:


Avocado Skin Softener (from "The Herbal Home Spa")

1 Avocado Pit
1/2 Avocado
1/4 Cup (50ml) Cornmeal
1 tbsp sea salt

Dry out the avocado pit for a few days, then break it into several pieces. In a spice mill, or old fashion grinder (or coffee grinder), grind the pit to make a gritty pit meal. Reserving the avocado skin, mash the 1/2 avocado with the cornmeal, 1/4 cup of avocado pit meal and sea salt.


how to use: in a foot bath basin, gently massage the mixture into your feet in a circular motion, starting with your toes. Rinse, and then with the inner part of the avocado skin, rub the heel and any other callused areas... including your knees, elbows and hands. Do not rinse off.
Massage the oil into the skin with your hands in gentle circular motions. At first, your skin may seem green (regarding to people with more littler skin tones). Soon you'll feel the abrasive effect, then the moisturizing effects.

Makes 1 treatment


Cuticle Cream (from "Beauty By Nature")

2 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp cocoa butter

combine ingredients in a small saucepan, and warm over very low heat, stirring constantly. Store in a clean container with a lid.

Painted Faces (part 1)

I think I have mentioned this before... if not, let me say this again. We are slaves to the Cosmetic industry from before most of us can remember.

Barbie taught little girls that to be beautiful, your hair needed to be straight; you needed to wear make up and be really really skinny with big pointy boobs and long legs. Preteen and Teenage girl magazines showed us pictures of models who were in their 20's dressing their age (or little girls imitating them, with WAY too much makeup on).

For centuries, women (and... um... men) have relied on makeup to keep them looking like they have beautiful skin... sexy lush lips... drop dead gorgeous eyes... and a desirable body.

But didn't you ever wonder...

What the hell am I putting on my body?

Well let me tell you...



"WARNING! If you would like to choose to NOT know what is in your daily hygenie products... please ignore the following reports, below this warning. This list may cause readers to be grossed out and/or offended at the Cosmetic Industry. It is also possible that you may not want to wear your favorite makeup, face care products, etc, ever again..."



This part of the article has been developed from a series of different references...



1. This has been quoted from "Beauty. The New Basics" By Rona Berg

• Human Placenta: The protein-rich lining of the womb, expelled after birth, was first used in cosmetics in the 1940s. Because of its hormone content, manufacturers claimed that placental material would stimulate tissue growth and eradicate wrinkles. When the FDA challenged these claims, manufacturers changed their pitch, but still claimed that placenta was an aid to aging skin.

• Animal Amniotic Liquid: The fluid that surrounds and protects the cow or ox fetus, touted as a valuable source of protein and vitamins, is used in moisturizers and shampoos (some of those big scientific name no one can pronounce)

• Fish Scale: Used in some glittery eye shadow

• 'Live' sheep cells: used in anti aging skin treatments

• Beetle Carapace: the shell of a beetle is the source of 'carmine', a common ingredient in red lipstick

• Cattle, Ox, or swine brain cells: Used in moisturizers"

***

2. The following, more surprising items, have been quoted from a CNN article by Adrienne Crezo, called:

9 Weird ingredients in make up

• Sodium chloride (table salt) ~ used in many 'foamy' products
  

• Oleoresin Capsicum (pepper spray) ~ in lipstick
  

• Diatomaceous Earth (a component in dynamite) ~ found in natural toothpastes, deodorant, absorbent powders, cuticle cream, and in mild-exfoliation products due to its gentle abrasiveness
  

• Simethicone (gas relief drops) ~ used in cosmetics during the manufacturing process to reduce the surface tension of air or gas bubbles, causing them to collect and rise upward
  

• Urea (formerly extracted from urine) ~ widely used in all manner of cosmetics as a skin-softener and humectant

[end of part 1]

GASP... don't forget to breathe

Q&A: Curly Afro (Part 2)

Q: thanks a lot for the suggestions. I think I am going to keep
twisting. But I did have a question. How do you make your own hair
products?

~ Holly

A: Your very welcome, and...

I developed my own recipes from researching into herbology and basic
'homemade' body care product recipes. From looking at the results of the
recipes and tweaked it to my own standards.

*Example:



A basic shampoo recipe is:

~1/2 cup of organic castile soap
~ 10 drops of essential oils (your choice)
~ 1 cup of water.

I looked at that recipe and realized that it wouldn't have enough base
or body for my kind of hair. So I researched into different types of
plants that would give my hair nutrients, body, and keep it
moisturized.


A great research starting point is...

"Beauty By Nature" by Brigitte Mars

She teaches you details about how your body works and techniques on how
to care for it. She also analyzes different herbs that are good for herbalist beginners (like, general herbs that you can find in grocery stores, local herb shops, etc). And shares some basic recipes.


The best hair care products that you could ever use, are ones that you make yourself from your own sun-infusing kitchen. Everyone has their own expectations on what a hair or body care product should do.

But here is another basic recipe:

* Hair food:
3/4 cup shea butter
10 drops of your choice of essential oils
add a cup of herbs (of your choice) to infuse into the oil mix. (then drain them before placing mixture in a container.

(Melt butter on the lowest heat, until butter is liquefied. Add in
essential oil. Then place mix in a container, put in fridge to harden)



At this time, I am not going to post up my recipes that I have been developing. But if you ever have any more questions, feel free to ask.

** Another tip, is to keep your products vegan and chemical-free for better results.


On a slightly other note...

If you are in the Seattle Area, in September. There's a Natural Hair Meet Up Group getting together
on the 20th. I'll be there and I will be giving a
presentation on things that I found out... if you want to come along, you can
holla at me

My AOL name is:
Pinky White01


P.S.

and another good book is " the herbal spa" by Breedlove

Hope that I helped.

Latoya

Natural and Nappy

Q&A: Curly Afro (Part 1)

Hello.
My name is Holly and I was browsing the internet looking for ways to
get a curly fro..thats not a lot of maintenance, and i stumbled across
your blog. I currently spend hours twisting my hair but it tends to
lock up on me and takes a long time to redo. Ive been told to go to a
salon and have them fro it for me but id rather do it myself. Do you
have any suggestions?

thanks
holly.

A: Hmmm... This is a tough one

One way, is the method that I think your already using. Which is double
twisting your hair, when its slightly damp (applying hair food to your
hair as you go). When your hair fully dries, gently untwist the hair
leaving your hair looking like cute curly ques, that are both soft and
moisturized.

Another method, is by using the straw affect, which is typically used on
women with relaxed hair (which I find ironic, since it mimics the whole
Afro look).

In the case of nappy type hair, you could use a wooden skewer stick
(the flat end) and wrap each section of dry and oiled hair around it
tightly (works better with tiny sections, and shorter hair) . Gently
pull out the skewer stick... your hair should naturally stay in the
curl, no fritz needed...


Avoid using beauty supply beeswax, real beeswax, or black hair care
store bought products on your hair for this. The chemicals will most
likely make your hair frizz, later. The beeswax will clump your hair.
All you need is an organic batch of shea butter (or even your own
organic homemade hair food recipe) to keep your hair staying
moisturized.


Hmmm, you could try doing the double twist effect, again. But using a
blow dryer or hair dryer to evaporate to excess moisture, and keeping
the hair curled.


Sadly, I don't think there's a hair style that can naturally last for a
long time... other than the usual cornrows, braids and twists. If well
kept, your curly Afro should last for about 2 days.

If you desperately want it to last longer than that...

You would probably have to resort to using a hair spray... which might
damage and strip your hair later... leaving your hair yucky frizzy at
the end of the night.

If you decide to go to a hair salon, mostly likely they will put your
hair into a "cold curl" (aka Jerry Curl) or relax your hair then do the
straw effect or put some sort of chemical texturizer in your hair. But
don't take my word for it, ask around... observe what they say FIRST
then go on your way and then, research maintenance and technique, BEFORE
you let them touch your hair.


I prefer the double twist method, because I like having a day look (with
twists) and a night look (my curly Afro)

Another tip, might be when you take your twists out. Gently wash your
hair with a homemade organic shampoo, rinse, then towel dry until lightly
damp. Add a light hair oil (an almond oil blend works nicely or even
Shea butter oil) for conditioning, after the wash/rinse.

I found that my hair became tightly curled/ wavyish... quite cute, if I
say so myself.


All and all, having nappy hair requires a bit more patience. Changing
your schedule around to better maintain your hair regularly, might be
the best thing.

Latoya