Wednesday 30 April 2014

Dry Shampoo


I came across dry shampoo a few years ago while still at uni (or college for all my American sisters). The store I worked at manufactured its own brand of dry shampoo and naturally I just had to get my hands on some to try out, I figured if I could use hand sanitizer for my hands in between a water wash then I could do the same with dry shampoo. I used it a couple of times almost always when I had braids in and then abandoned it all together.  One of the reasons I didn’t quite take to it was because it sprayed out of the can in a whitish like powder which just felt weird and I cannot honestly tell you if it did a good job of cleaning my hair and scalp or not because I wasn’t quite checking for that. My reasons for buying and using dry shampoo were more out of curiosity than anything else I think I always wet shampooed my hair a few days after using the dry shampoo on the few occasions I used it. The only thing I like about using dry shampoo was the "fresh" effect I felt on my scalp while spraying it a bit like how you feel fresh on using deodorant. Anyway I ended up throwing the almost full aerosol can since I got bored of using it thanks to the white powdery spray. Here are some Dos and Don’ts of using dry shampoo in case you are interested in trying it out for the first time.

Have you used dry shampoo before?

Monday 28 April 2014

Just Beet It!


Having just made a fresh batch of my homemade braid spray that has leave in conditioner, coconut oil, eucalyptus oil, olive oil, avocado oil, castor oil and aloe vera juice that I got from my aunt’s kitchen garden I decided to add some beetroot juice to the mix. I first mentioned using Beetroot or Beets if you like on this blog as a hair dye in this post last year. But did you know that in addition to having plenty of health benefits Beetroot also has other benefits for hair other than just covering those greys being used as hair dye? Well here are some of them…

  • Beetroot juice contains carbohydrates, protein, calcium, vitamins B and C and other important nutrients which help promote hair growth by improving blood circulation in the scalp.
  • Beetroot juice contains anti-pruritic properties which help combat itchiness and dry scalp.
  • Beetroot juice mixed with ginger and rubbed on the scalp helps prevent hair loss and baldness.
  • Beetroot juice contains carotenoids that promote the thickness and shine of hair. (Please click on the link above to read more on benefits of beetroot for hair, skin and health)

I am going to mix in some beetroot juice with henna for my next application to see what colour I will get.

Fresh beets are best used but if you don’t have any or can’t find any then using store bought fresh beetroot juice can work too.

Links

http://www.livestrong.com/article/432539-juice-beet/ 

How to extract Beetroot juice without a juicer 

Have you used Beetroot juice for your hair?

Friday 25 April 2014

Fitness Friday: Veggie Kids


My niece turned two last weekend and we held a little party for her and her little friends. In attendance were about 15 little people between the ages of 2 – 10 and what shocked me when it was time to feed them was that out of the 15 only one little person had salad on her plate and only because her mother coaxed her into having some.  They had no problems eating the fruits that were on the menu but the veggies were a different story but I guess because fruits are sweet it was easier to get them eating that than the salads on display.  I always say I would like to be the mother one day whose kids pick an apple over a chocolate bar when given a choice. I am an aunty several times over and have helped raise my nephews and nieces so I understand the challenges most parents and more so mothers face with picky eaters. Spinach by the way is my favourite leafy green and do you know why? It’s all thanks to POPEYE!!! Yes Popeye the sailor man got me eating spinach from way back when I was a little person I remember being amazed at how his muscles would swell after he ate spinach and how strong he became hahaha good memories. I was a cartoon buff still am. Anyway here are some tips to get the little ones eating their veggies most by experience and some gotten from all over the internet;
 
Photo Source

·         Use cartoon characters that eat veggies to encourage them to eat their vegetables hey it worked for me it may work for other kids too.

·         Depending on their age involve them in preparation of the vegetables whether it is to help pick if you have a little garden, pick out from the grocery section at the store, wash, peel, chop and even help cook under supervision of course.

·         Make veggie shopping fun by letting them name the vegetables they can recognize while shopping sort of like a veggie edition of I spy with my little eye game. 

·         Make the plate interesting do not just have boring old green leafy veggies add some colour to their plate using colourful veggies like carrots, beetroot, radishes, red cabbage, red/yellow bell peppers and the likes.

·         You can also chop the veggies into different shapes to make them more interesting and use this as a learning opportunity by introducing them to shapes and lengths formed by the cut up veggies.

·         Kids are very visual and presentation is everything do not just lump the veggies on the plate serve them out in an appealing way even if it means making an interesting design on the plate using the veggies.

·         If they have an adult they look up to or admire use that person as an example. Using sentences like “XYZ is big/strong/clever etc because they always ate their vegetables growing up. Ask the said adult to assist with this beforehand because trust me the child will ask them if it is true they are big/strong/clever etc because they ate vegetables growing up. 

·         Depending on their age simplify and discuss health benefits of different veggies so they can see how important it is to eat them. For example you can tell them how vegetable ABC has important vitamins that make sure they don’t get sick because if they get sick they can’t go out and play with their friends so in order not to get sick and be able to play with their friends they need to eat said veggie. 

·         If you have a veggie and fruit farm close by that allows visits take them on a field trip to see how various plants are grown, harvested and stored so they can know where their veggies comes from. Fruit and veggie picking trips with kids if you are ever able to go on one are so much fun, highly recommended. 

·         Lead by example. It starts with you if you are not eating your veggies your kids will not eat their veggies. So you have to be a role model by not only eating your veggies but making sure they see you eat and enjoy the veggies, that is the number one way to get them on the veggie train.

How do your get your kids/nieces/nephews eating healthy?

Healthy You, Healthy Kids, Healthy Hair!
Fitness Friday

Friday 18 April 2014

Fitness Friday: Green Tea


This post doubles up as a Kitchen Korner post.
I am sure most of us on hair journeys know the benefits of tea rinses to combat shedding but did you also know that certain teas like green tea aid in weight loss in addition to having plenty other health benefits? Green and black teas are produced from the same plant but due to the different processing methods green tea is richer in antioxidants than black tea. These antioxidants found in green tea help the body burn calories quicker by increasing metabolism. Drinking green tea consistently has also been known to help keep the weight off once you have lost it.  This is true from personal experience; some time last year I drank green tea religiously for a month without any workout regimen or healthy eating plan the only form of exercise I was doing was swimming I think I swam twice the entire month. Results a one inch reduction on my waist line! How I wish I had documented that journey then, I remember the assistant at the store telling me that it’s great for reducing tummies when I asked for her assistance on which brand of green tea to buy turns out she was very right. I only stopped drinking it because quite frankly green tea has a bitter taste I was literally forcing myself to drink it daily.  I am going to start again but this time I want to incorporate it in my smoothies and add a little honey or sugar and cinnamon or lemon when drinking it plain to make the taste more bearable.


In other news I need help it looks like every time people comment on how much weight I have lost I take it as a license to pig out as a reward lol! Crazy I know, this has happened twice before and it happened again last weekend when I went for a family wedding, some cousins and aunties I hadn’t seen in a while wanted to know the secret to my weight loss and had all sorts of lovely compliments for me. What do I go and do? I eat two humongous muffins drink two glasses of soda and I rarely drink soda by the way, just because I felt that since I was doing such a good job a little bit of extra junk in addition to my one cheat meal a day wouldn’t hurt. On the contrary though those comments always make me want to work out even more strangely enough. So I guess I will have to work on working out more and pig out less each time someone makes a lovely compliment in regards to my shrinking frame lol!

Kitchen Korner is a regular feature on the blog that showcases food and drinks made from ingredients that can also be used on hair. Double food hair products I like to call them. Today’s double food hair ingredient is Green Tea which is used as a tea rinse for hair to help combat shedding. 

Have a blessed Good Friday!
Fitness Friday