Concoction Wash Day!

I cannot remember the last time I deep conditioned with a homemade food based concoction it must be over a year at least! There was a time I would use homemade DCs at least once a month. So last wash day I had a really really overripe avocado that I decided to mix with other ingredients and use as a deep conditioner; so it was one medium sized overripe avocado, about a tablespoon of pure honey, a teaspoon of white vinegar (mainly to stop the avocado from discolouring since I made the mixture about an hour before I was due to use it) and also for the benefits of vinegar to hair, I added about a tablespoon of whole milk just because I had just made my breakfast cereal and the milk carton was still on the counter.

File Photo: not exactly the avocado I used but you get the picture:)

My hair absolutely loved this concoction I cannot even begin to describe how soft it was I was even able to detangle without conditioner in shower on rinsing that was how soft it made my hair. I think I will add some coconut cream next time as well. I let it sit for about 45 minutes covered with cling film/wrap first then a headscarf to generate some heat before rinsing out. Oh and I used some of the deep conditioner as a face mask – two birds, one stone:)

 

All the fibres  get blown away on blow drying with cool air

The only downside to food based homemade deep conditioners especially fruits is the fibres left behind in the hair after rinsing. But thankfully they fly away on blow drying with cool air so it is not too bad. The benefits for me far outweigh the fibres left behind. Rinsing done I t-shirt dried turban style until damp and then applied my leave in conditioner made two jumbo braids and left all other product use for the next day since it was already late. Well all other product use (scalp oiling etc) ended being done a day later seeing as I never left the house the next day and I could not be bothered to touch my hair.

Thoughtful Thursday: Random Acts of Kindness

Don’t you just love it when a total stranger compliments you out of the blue or someone does something nice for you unexpectedly? I know I do it totally makes my day when that happens. If so how about paying it forward and performing random acts of kindness as well.  Spread the love. Here are few ideas that you can perform as a random act of kindness this month and any other month for no reason at all simply because you can and want to.  It can be for anyone and I mean anyone, friends, family, colleagues or complete strangers, anyone.

·         Buy someone a meal or cook them a meal

·         Pay for the next persons groceries while you are at the check out

·         Give a total stranger a compliment

·         Mow your neighbour’s lawn

·         Pay someone’s bus/train/cab fare

·         Offer to babysit for a friend/family

·         Volunteer at your local shelter, children’s home, nursing home etc

·      Buy gift vouchers from any store(s) of your choice and hand them out to complete strangers – my top suggestion would be grocery shopping vouchers and/or bookstore vouchers

·         Do household chores for an elderly or ailing neighbour/family/friend

·         Someone in your household left their room untidy? Clean it up for them just because

·         Help a stranger carry their heavy luggage up or down a flight of stairs with their permission of course

·         Leave positive sticky  notes for your colleagues at work or school etc

·         If you are able to and in a financial position to do so help out someone struggling financially, you can pay off a debt, a bill, pay their rent for a month or two any little bit helps to help someone get back on their feet.

·         Purchase school supplies for kids who need them

·         Speak kindness and positivity to others

Please feel free to add to this list in the comment section.

We rise by lifting others…It is more blessed to give than to receive…

Natural Hair Edition – Ivory Coast

I came across this lovely article below on CNN talking about Ivorian women embracing their natural hair.

Ode to hair: Ivorian women champion afros - By Nosmot Gbadamosi and Earl Nurse, CNN

“Growing up with afro hair can be a harrowing experience, especially if forced to chemically straighten it. "Once you are eight, all hairdressers say, oh you have to relax your hair... we can't manage your hair, you have to relax it, it will be beautiful," says Mariam Diaby, a hairdresser and founder of Nappys de Babi, an online community focused on promoting natural hair. Read more HERE…”

What I found interesting in this article is that it took living in Paris for the subject matter an African woman from Ivory Coast to embrace her natural hair. Interesting because most African women for the longest time had been subjected to unrealistic standards of “neat hair” like having long silky straight hair for it to be considered neat and it took this black African lady living in a European capital where long silky straight hair was the norm to embrace her natural hair. In hindsight the whole long silky straight hair is a product of the 80s and 90s if you ask me because I remember looking at photos of the older women in my family and circle and they all had natural hair back in the 70s, 60s and beyond. Nine out ten photos featured women with large Afros and hair braided in beautiful patterns or threaded (African threading) and woven. The few who did not have Afros or braided hair wore wigs. It is only in photos from the 80s and 90s that the relaxer revolution was seen in full effect.

Thoughtful Thursday: Productivity And Some Random thoughts!

At the beginning of this year I told myself that every day of 2017 will be productive for me whether it is physical, financial or psychological productivity. It was not a big declaration or anything like that it was just something that I kept saying to myself over and over again. I have managed to keep up with this so far and will keep doing so; at the end of every day just before I go to bed I go through a mental check list of all the productivity that I have achieved for the day. It can be something as small as doing that pile of laundry that has been sitting around for a while to writing a winning proposal or having a total mind shift about something in a positive manner or simply just clearing my head space of all negative stuff.

                                                     

2016 may not have been the best year for me but I am glad it happened I wouldn’t change it for anything. 2016 was a year of revelations for me people revealed to me who they were and exposed themselves for who they really are. Some people I kind of knew already the type of people they were some I suspected some caught me by surprise seeing as I have always been one of those give the benefit of a doubt type of people. Let’s just say that 2016 proved to me that some people will not be continuing in this journey of life with me they will be left behind and I make no apologies for that. It also showed me that you can care about people you can love them but it is ok to do it from a distance you do not necessarily have to be around those people. If they need your help and you are in a position to help step in and help them out but keep your distance for your own emotional well being. For anyone reading this and myself let this be the year that you let no one hold you back if someone or something is not adding any value to your life then do away with them or it. Listen to people as they speak, watch their actions and if they show you who they are believe them. This is no time to be hanging around unproductive people, let no one drag you down with them. Surround yourself with like minded people.

A group of ladies in my inner circle showed me who they really were in 2016 these are ride or die friends’ women that have got my back no matter what. They really came through for me in what would have been a really difficult year otherwise and I can never thank them nor repay them enough. It is my prayer that God will continue blessing them and use others to bless them as they have been a blessing to me. I am truly grateful for these amazing women in my life. I really am.

2017 started on a good note a very good note the first week was filled with all sorts of blessings that came in all shapes and sizes and some from the unlikeliest of people and I believe it will stay that way. So here is to a productive and progressive year. Stay blessed!