All Natural Face Washing Method!!!!

So, yesterday I watched a YouTube vid from one of my fave naturals about the "Oil Cleansing Method" of washing your face. Like most people who first hear about this method of face washing I was like "whatttttttt really". I have always assumed that adding oil to my face would make it oilier or cause more break outs but apparently me and everyone else are wrong. Lately I had been using Alaffia African Black soup face wash from Whole Foods. To me it worked well but it would still strip my face or make it dry even though it was all natural with no harsh chemicals. 

After doing some research online I decided I wanted to try this method for a month because two of the main issues I have are dry patches under my lower lip and a oily forehead. I have also been getting break outs and tend to have black heads pretty often. 

So, how do this method work exactly? 

Basically, with the oil method you are using oil to break down the oil and dirt on your skin. Like in chemistry....like things attract like things...so, it is natural to assume that oil attracts oil right. The problem with typical face washes is that the chemicals strip your face of it natural oils, drys it out, and then your body is having to over compensate for all the oil that was striped from your face. The same for your hair and scalp as well. By using the oil method you are just breaking down the oil and dirt and replacing it with a cleaner oil that way your body is not having to compensate for the oil that was removed from your skin. 

What oils should you use?

Based on the research I did the main oil to use is Castor Oil. Castor Oil is important because out of all the oils available it is the most cleansing and it has anti-bacterial properties. Along with Castor Oils you can use other oils for their moisturizing properties. The one oil to stay away from Coconut Oil because it actually clogs pores and causes break outs. Here is a list of blends I found on several sites:

This information was taken from Crunchy Betty Site. Visit her site for more info on this and other natural beauty information.

Good Oil Cleansing Varieties:

Jojoba (all skin types, but very desirable for acne-prone skin)
Sweet almond (all skin types, especially oily)
Grapeseed (all skin types, especially oily)
Avocado (dry and aging skin)
Sunflower Seed (all skin types)
Olive (all skin types)
Apricot Kernel (dry, aging, and normal skin)
Argan (all skin types, especially aging skin … very pricey)
Tamanu (all skin types … very pricey)


*You’ll probably want to stay away from coconut oil for oil cleansing, as it is a known comedogenic and may possibly clog your pores and exacerbate blackheads.
The Oil-Cleansing Ratio


It might be better to use this on a “wash-by-wash” basis before you go mixing a whole bottle of oil together, just in case you want to change up the ratios if you notice your face is becoming too dry or too oily.When you first start out with OCM, It’s best to think in ratios of thirds. You can measure these thirds out ahead of time and prepare a whole bottle full of oil. Or, you can do what I do and just eyeball it each time you use the method.

Here’s the rule of oil-cleansing thirds (remember, castor oil is important here):

Oily skin: Use 2/3 castor oil to 1/3 carrier oil. (Or measure out 2 tsp castor oil and 1 tsp carrier oil.)
Normal skin: Use equal parts castor oil and carrier oil. (Measuring out 1-1/2 tsp castor oil and 1-1/2 tsp carrier oil.)
Dry skin: Use 1/3 castor oil and 2/3 carrier oil. (Again, 2 tsp carrier oil and 1 tsp castor oil.)

These ratios are NOT set in stone, but they’re a great jumping off point. Again, when I do this, I just eyeball it in the palm of my hand and go from there.

What do you do?

After figuring out the oil blend that you feel work best for you skin then you just have to follow these simple steps.

Step 1: Gently rub the oils into your skin in a upward motion for 2-3 mins. While rubbing turn the water on so that it gets to a little hotter than warm temp.

Step 2: you can either wet a towel and place it on your face for a 30 seconds and then gently rub the oil off or you can just rinse your face with water.

It's that simple. 

I'm only using Castor Oil right now because I'm worried about adding another oil. I think after a couple of weeks of seeing how my skin reacts I might add another oil but for now I'm ok with just Castor Oil. Be sure to buy the cold pressed Castor Oil because it much better than the regular kind. I'll do an update in a couple of weeks to let ya'll know how its working for me.

Here are some helpful links for info:

http://www.crunchybetty.com/nitty-gritty-on-the-oil-cleansing-method

http://www.theoilcleansingmethod.com/

http://thefeministmystique.blogspot.com/2012/03/oil-cleansing-method.html

Happy Transitioning!!!!

Monique

7 Months Post Relaxer!!!

I'm currently 7 months post relaxer and I'm really surprised I made it this far without wanting to slap a relaxer on my head. I think I've only considered it once this past week. I think the thing I love most is not having to do much with my hair. Before it took 2 to 3 hrs out of my Saturday to wash, dry, and flat iron my hair. Now its about a hour maybe depending on how long I decide to deep condition my hair. One of the major differences that I've notice with my hair is less breakage and shedding. When I clean my bath once a week there is hardly any hair on the floor at all which is a sign my hair is healthier now. I'm continuing to avoid heat on my hair. I've thought about it a couple of times to see how long my hair is now but I'm a little afraid to do it because I don't want to mess up my hair. I might just let a stylist do it whenever I decide to get my hair trimmed. Anyways...I thought I'll give a little update since I haven't posted in awhile about my hair.

Here are a few instagram photos of myself and my hair from the past few months:

High Bun at the beach

My faux puff from an old braid out

This was either a braid out or a twist out...can't really remember

Another faux puff with a second day braid out gone wrong 

Happy Transitioning!!!

Monique

Tips for Transitioners From Napturals85

One of my favourite natural hair bloggers posted a new video recently with some valuable advice for new transitioners like me and anyone else reading my blog. I thought I'll post it here to share the love. I love with bloggers that have been natural for a while do post like this because it helps keep me motivated to continue with my transition. They all went through it already and its nice that they offer support for those of us that still have a long way to go.

Enjoy the video!!!

Happy Transitioning!!!

Monique

Health Slips: Whole30 Week 3 Meal Plan

So, It's now week 3 of my Whole30 challenge which I'm doing semi well on. I do very well during the week because I mostly cook and eat at home but on the weekends its another story. I normally only eat breakfast at home on Saturday and Sunday and its normally a late breakfast so by the evening time I am starving. Another reason I have been cheating a bit is because I'm out somewhere that don't have anything I can eat which I stated in my last post. Luckily, my cheating has been so minimal that I don't think it will make a big difference in the results I have been getting from the challenge. I also believe I will continue to follow my meal plans even after I complete the challenge. I'm really beginning to embrace not eating most of the stuff I was eating on a daily basis....but anywhooo here's my meal plan for this week:

Monday:

• Breakfast: Protein box from Starbucks. I didn't have anything to fix for breakfast :(
• Lunch: Left overs from my dinner on Saturday from Pappadeaux's. Grilled Tilapia with spaghetti squash and a orange
• Dinner: Chicken Tikka Masala with cauliflower substitute for rice

Tuesday:

• Breakfast: Two hard boiled eggs and a black berry, blue berry, strawberry, flax seed and coconut milk smooothie.
• Lunch: Left over dinner from Monday
• Dinner: Southwestern Tilapia, spinach, and carrots...recipe  http://nutmegnotebook.com/2010/09/baked-southwestern-tilapia/

Wednesday:

• Breakfast:  Two hard boiled eggs, bacon and a black berry, blue berry, strawberry, flax seed and coconut milk smooothie.
• Lunch: Left overs from Tuesday
• Dinner: Pesto Salmon, mashed sweet potatoes, and broccoli

Recipe for Wed. dinner....http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2008/01/foil-baked-salmon-recipe-with-basil.html

Thursday:

• Breakfast:  Two hard boiled eggs, bacon and a black berry, blue berry, strawberry, flax seed and coconut milk smooothie.
• Lunch: Left overs from Wednesday
• Dinner Spaghetti squash, ground turkey, diced tomatoes, spinach, and mushrooms.

Friday: 

• Breakfast:  Two hard boiled eggs, bacon, and a black berry, blue berry, strawberry, flax seed and coconut milk smooothie.
• Lunch: Left overs from Thursday
• Dinner: most likely eat out or leftovers from Monday

Saturday and Sunday:

• Breakfast: Cowboy breakfast skillet here's the recipe  http://www.health-bent.com/pork/paleo-cowboy-breakfast-skillet.
• Lunch: I usually skip or have a snack before my weekly runs
• Dinner: Out somewhere

There you go....week 3. After this week I'll have one more week to go and I'm done...Well somewhat done. I have to say it really does get easier after the first week and I am feeling a lot better these days. The one thing I notice is the decrease in my stomach and bloating.....no bloating. I also feel a different type of energy daily. Its hard to explain but my energy level is different and better. None of that high energy and then crash type of feeling. I love it. Its really worth the sacrifice of all the bad/good tasty things I used to eat. Until next week....

Happy Transitioning!

Monique 

Hair Slips: Nappy Love Houston Meet & Greet

This past Saturday I went to my first natural hair meetup here in Houston. I had such a wonderful time chatting with other naturals about transitioning and hair care. There was a lot of beautiful ladies there and all of them had gorgeous hair. Here a few pictures from the event:

Photos are courtesy of VIP Studios

Joy and Riyike the host for event

Rocking a braid out with two cool chicks I met at the bar while waiting for our tables. The one in the middle has these really cool yarn braids...yes her hair was really braided with yarn. 

I won a giveaway for Afro Angel Oragnics

Review coming soon of her hair products

All of the current transitioners and our Carol's Daughter transitioning kits

Review coming soon

Group photo with some of the lovely ladies I met

Going home with loads of goodies to try

I had such a great time and I think for people transitioning like me these events are great to go to and learn from those who have already completely transitioned and are fully natural. The awesome thing is that everyone there transitioned for the same reasons they just got tired of putting harmful chemicals on their hair and scalp. I feels great not having the burning feeling on my scalp and not smelling those harmful chemicals I was  putting on my hair. I love that it takes half the time to do my hair now and that my hair is so much healthier now. I will be trying my new goodies soon and I'll post a review for you guys. Also I'm due for a length check since I started my hair vitamins...look for that in the next couple of days. Until then....

Happy Transitioning!

Monique

Health Slips: Whole30 Week 2 Meal Plan

This weeks meal plan for my Whole30 Challenge. Last week I did well until the weekend mostly due to the fact that the weekends for me is usually spent out and about so its difficult to adhere to the diet plan when there is not much you can eat where you go. I have decided that I will follow the diet to a T during the week but if I'm at an event that has nothing I can eat that is allowed than I'm going to cheat a bit because I can't starve. I will do myself to take snacks though. If at a restaurant I will do my best to order something on the menu that is allowed rather than ordering what I want and getting a stomach ache after.

So, here's this weeks meal plan:

Monday:

• Breakfast - two boiled eggs, strawberries, and grape tomatoes.
• Lunch - can of white tuna, chopped roma tomato, chopped cucumber, chopped avocado, and a little bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
• Dinner - Chicken Tikka Masala and cauliflower as a rice sub (the sauce I'm using have a couple of no no ingredients but whatev)

Tuesday:

• Breakfast - ground pork, scrabble eggs, sweet potato hash, and berries. 
• Snack - banana
• Lunch - left overs from Monday
• Snack - almonds and a orange
• Dinner - Baked salmon, green beans, and mashed sweet potato

Wednesday:

• Breakfast -  ground pork, scrabble eggs, sweet potato hash, and berries.
• Snack - banana
• Lunch - left overs from Tuesday
• Snack - almonds and a pear
• Dinner - Turkey burger minus the bun topped with sauteed spinach, mushrooms, and avocado. Side of roasted sweet potatoes 

Thursday: 

• Breakfast -  ground pork, scrabble eggs, sweet potato hash, and berries.
• Snack - banana
• Lunch - left overs from Wednesday
• Snack - almonds and a orange
• Dinner - Spicy lime shrimp salad with avocado, cilantro, spinach and white wine vinegar and olive oil dressing. 

Friday:

• Breakfast -  ground pork, scrabble eggs, sweet potato hash, and berries.
• Snack - banana
• Lunch - leftovers from Thursday
• Snack - almonds and a pear
• Dinner - eat out

Saturday and Sunday:

Not sure what the plan is because I usually skip meals due to sleeping in or running errands. Typically eat out for dinner.

There it is for week 2. If anyone is following my blog then hopefully this is helpful to you if you are on the challenge as well. 

Happy Transitioning!!!

Monique

Health Slips: Week 1 of Whole30

This is week one of my attempt to do the Whole30 diet program. If you don't know what it is read my previous post with information on the diet plan. Here is just a run down of my meal plan for the week. The only way to get myself through this diet for the next month I have to plan my meals and reduce how often I eat out. The hardest part is going to be giving up alcohol/beer but we'll see how I do this weekend. 

Week 1 meal plan:

Breakfast everyday this week will be:

• ground turkey patty
• hard boil egg
• strawberries, black berries, and pear

Snacks in between breakfast and lunch will be a banana and carrots in between lunch and dinner

Lunch is usually left overs from the previous night's dinner.Friday lunch will be Tuna with chopped cucumber, tomatoes, and pack of carrots. 

Dinner this week:

• Monday
• Turkey burger minus the bun with sauteed spinach and avocado
• Roasted herb sweet potatoes
• Tuesday
• Tilapia
• broccoli
• carrots
• Wednesday
• Chicken thighs
• Yellow squash
• green beans
• Thursday
• I plan to eat out 
• Friday
• I plan to eat out
• Saturday
• I plan to eat out

Thursday through Saturday I plan to eat out for dinner because I have runs with my running group and happy hour with them on Friday. I will most likely do a salad or something on the menu where ever we go that is within the guidelines. 

Tonight's dinner turned out so well and was really good. You definitely have to be creative with this diet but you can do it if you plan your meals wisely and look for recipes online that work or you can alter to fit the program.I've very creative in the kitchen so maybe I'll post some recipes for you guys. Main thing is to just keep it simple.

Happy Transitioning!

Monique

Hair Slips:So you want to Transition with Fusions of Cultures

Thought I'll share this video from Fusions of Culture. Love her youtube channel. Great advice for new transitioners like me and anyone else reading my blog. Check out her channel.

http://www.youtube.com/user/FusionofCultures?feature=watch

Happy Transitioning!!!!

Monique

Hair Slips: Summer Hair Routine

Summer time can be harsh on your hair especially for someone like me that go to pool parties a lot and run out in the heat of day. I've noticed that since it started getting hot in Houston my hair feels drier when I'm out in the sun and this weekend I plan to be in the sun a lot and playing in the river at my running groups camp out...So,what to do with my hair. Just from research online for summer hair care this is the regimen I have planned for this summer if I don't get braids:

Co-washing 2x per week or when I feel its needed (after a swim or sweaty workout)

Shampooing 1-2x per month or as needed. 

Continuing to wear my hair in protective styles

Wearing my hair in a high bun when swimming or at the beach to limit my ends exposure to the elements. 

Keeping my spray bottle with my water/aloe vera juice/veggie glycerin mix with me (I'm considering getting a travel size spray bottle to put an oil/water blend in for on the go)

What Products am I using right now:

• Co-Washing: Tresemme Naturals Condition with Aloe Vera and Avocado
• Shampoo: Giovanni 50/50 Balanced Shampoo
• Leave-in conditioner: Giovanni Direct Leave-in
• Homemade water spritz
• Homemade creamy shea butter to seal

That's my planned summer regimen....What's yours?

Happy Transitioning!

Monique

Hair Slips: Protective Styling......

Photo Source: Nikita of Urbanbushbabes.com

Protective Styling is one of the big topics on a lot of the natural hair blogs and youtube channels I follow. I pretty much wear my hair in a protective style all the time...which is my sock bun. I decided to change it up today and did a side bang with my scarf and bun. I love this look. I was going to roll my bang under like hers but I decided against it. Here is my rendition of this style.

Protective styling is important for me and should be very important to other transitioners because it protects your relaxed hair especially if you are holding on to it for a while before you do your big chop. Protective styles can be buns, twist, braids, wrapped up in a scarf...whatever as long as your ends are tucked away and protected from the elements (wind, heat, dry air, etc.). They also help in retaining length and preventing lots of breakage. So, for the most part you'll see my hair like this most of the time...well different variations of this but I am watching videos and learning styles so ya'll might see something different in the future. Look forward to more protective styling tips.

Happy Transitioning!

Monique

My Hair Care Regimen.....

And my attempt to do my first video blog....ahhhhhh. The video quality sucks but it is what it is. I'm hoping to get a new camera soon so look forward to better videos but yeah. This video just talks about my current hair care regimen.

Here are the links to the homemade products I made from Napturals85.com

http://youtu.be/X3Ok14CgADM
Shea butter fluff and creamy shea butter recipe

http://youtu.be/aWaH8GIbLrM
Flax Seed Gel recipe

The water mist is a combination of 2 parts water, 1 part aloe vera juice, and about 1 Tbl spoon of veggie glycerine.

Please leave comments I'm on the hunt for a deep conditioner, co-wash, and clarifying shampoo.

Happy Transitioning!!!!!

Health Slips: How to eat healthy on a budget

How To Eat Organic Healthy on a Budget! | Whole Foods (by DearNaptural85)

I took some tips from this video on how to shop on a budget. Her video focuses on a couple but you can use her tips for a single person as well.

As far as my shopping tips:

• Plan you meals for the week and Inventory your pantry and fridge. I use this meal planner sheet: http://www.vertex42.com/ExcelTemplates/meal-planner.html
• Make a shopping list and only buy what's on your list. Set a budget and stay within your budget.
• Buy stuff on sale and use instore coupons. HEB has tons of them.
• Avoid the middle lanes if you can.
• Only buy what you need and not what you want.
• Never go hungry....you will buy more.
• Avoid samples if you can because they tend rope you into buying stuff that is unhealthy or over priced. 
• Buy some of your veggies frozen. They are just as good as fresh and if you don't use them that week they are there for the next. 

These are just some of my shopping tips...hopefully it helps you decrease your bill and some weight.

Happy Transitioning!!