Monday, October 17, 2011

Skin Care Recipees

Below are a list of facial and skin care recipees i'm currently using: HOPE YOU ENJOY

FACIAL
Usually when one is cleaning and moisturizing one's face, one should try the following steps:
1. Cleanse
2. Scrub
3. Steam
4.Mask
5.Rinse


Milk Cleanser Recipee(To cleanse and exfoliate)
1tsp powdered milk
1tsp water

Mix and massage onto face, leave for two mins and rinse


Brown Sugar Scrub

1tbsp brown sugar
2-3 drops of Vitamin Oil
2tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Mix, and massage onto face then rinse

Steam face; there are plenty of ways but I tried the old school method.
Place face over a boiling pot of water and rest face over steamfor 5 mins.

Lemon Facial Mask:

2 egg yolks
1tsp of olive oil
1tsp of lemon juice

Mix, then apply  on prewashed face, leave for 10 mins then rinse.

This process and recipees left my face feeling soft, and moisturized. Something I will continue to do once a week.

SKIN: There are plenty of ways to moisturize my skin, but the following are ways I used.

1. Open Pores- by running warm water on skin
2. Apply body scrub
3.Rinse with cool water
4.Air dry or towel pat dry
5. Oil with oils- lightly oil skin (also optional)
6. Moisturize with lotion or moiturizer(optional)

Body scrub Recipee:

2-3 tbsp of brown sugar
4 drops of vitamin E oil
Extra oils or body gel( i prefer to use gel since it already has in oils)

Mix, then apply to skin gently and rinse with cool water

I also have very dry lips so i do a lip scrub everyday or every other day; same recipee as brown sugar scrub just less oil and sugar

Place mixture of a new toothbrush and gently scrub lips, then rinse and very lightly oil or moisturize lips.

These recipees and processes are helping me. I hope they help you!
If you're interested in more recipees, visit my "Blog and Websites I've Found Helpful" tab

SKIN CARE TRANSITION- DRY TO MOISTURIZED

Before I had my kids, I had the smoothest skin one could imagine! BUT After my kids, my skin became DRY DRY DRY DRY!!! I didn't know wha to do. For 3 years, I dealt with dry, itchy, cracked skin, hoping it would go away. Consciously, I knew I wasnt doing what was required to have moisturized skin. In other words, I wasnt taking care of my skin. I have dry patches with visible cracks and they irritate me to the MAX. So after starting my hair journey, i've decided to research ways to moisturize my dry skin.

The KEY way to moisturize my skin is to drink PLENTY of water; that is a process i'm trying to accomplish.  Another way is to oil my skin on a daily basis and stay away from chemicals or products that dry my skin.

Last week I began my skin transition from dry to moisturize! Just like my hair transition, I googled plenty of ways to moisturized and cleanse my skin at home. And I found the following:

Body and facial scrubs recipees

Body and facial cleansers recipees

Facial Mask recipees

Steaming processes

Facial rinses

Although, I found plenty of recipees, I used those that were convinient at the time.

I used brown sugar scrubs, milk facial cleanser, and a lemon facial mask. If you're interested in these recipees lightly CLICK HERE

I must admit, although, I just started using these recipees and methods, I am in love with the way it makes my skin and face feels. They feel smooth and clean and moisturized which is what I need!

For a body wash, I now use Whole Foods Market 365 Everyday Value Shower Gel; it has plenty of essential oils and is organic and sulfate FREE! YaaY. I love this product esp. the mint smell. To have an extra clean feel, i mix it with the brown sugar and Vitamin E oil, to have a scrub effect.

Right now i'm trying to develop a regime for my skin transition. When I do develop one i will post it online.

I'm embracin my roots yall!!!

Brief "NO POO" Review

As I mentioned in my "Past vs. Current Products" post, I made an attempted to try a No Poo method. A No Poo method, is when you do NOT use shampoo to wash your hair. Shampoos are used  to remove build up in the hair but can also strip the hair and scalp of its biological oils, leaving it dry and feeling stringy. There are several different methods, I attempted the baking soda method.

Bakin soda NO Poo recipee

1 tablespoon baking soda

1 cup of water

I then applied the mix to my hair, massaged it in for a min then rinsed and IMMEDIATELY deep conditioned.  I tried this method 3 times and the results?!

My hair felt stringy and even after deep conditioning it was left dry but not as dry as my sulfate shampoo left it, so I kept using it but afterwards I felt it was time to move onto another method and my hair still felt dry to the bone. By then i've already bought the Giovani 50:50 Moisturizing and Clarifying shampoo(will have a review on that a month from now)

So, the No Poo baking soda method seems to be OKAY but not the best nor a staple method, IN MY OPINION

Past vs. Current Products

In the begining of my transition, I had very few products but as I went along I purchased more products. Now due to my budget, I promised myself that I would buy 1 or 2 new products or accesories a month. Boy did I broke that promise! LOL

He's my past products for September 2011:

Organic Root Stimulator Olive Oil Creamy Aloe Shampoo

Organic Root Stiumlator Olive Oil Replenishing Conditioner

Cantu Shea Butter Leave in Conditioning Repair Cream- as a leave in conditioner

Organic Olive Oil Hair Mayonnaise- for cowash

Grapeseed Oil as a  moisture sealant

Coconut Oil - as a moisturizer and sealant

Ecostyler Olive Oil Styling Gel

Organic Root Stimulator Lock and Twist Gel- for twists and twist outs


I changed a few of the products due to the dryness of my hair and my dissatisfaction with them. For example, I changed the shampoo because the second week it dried out my hair extremely. I also changed the Organic Olive Oil Hair Mayonnaise due to the mineral oil.

Half way through September 2011: I ran out of deep conditioner and due to my promise to myself, I did not buy a new shampoo but tried a no poo

New Poo recipee:

1tablespoon of baking soda

1 cup of water

Mix and apply to hair, massage for 1 min and rinse out immediately. MUST CONDITION AFTERWARDS!!!!

In replacement of the conditioner I tried two mixtures:

Attempt 1: The protein conditioner

1 egg

Mayo

Oils

Conditioner( Suave)

Mix, Apply, Detangle hair, do deep conditioning process and rinse

Attempt 2:The oil conditioner

Oils( coconut oil, vitamin E oil, jojoba oil, tea tree oil and EVOO)

Conditioner(Suave)

Organic Stimulator Olive Oil Replenishing Pak( for extra condtioning)

Mix, Apply, Detangle, do deeo conditioning process and rinse

I will leave a post dicusssin my thoughts/review on those conditions

My Current Products: October 2011

Giovani 50:50 Balanced Hydrating-Clarifying Shampoo- Sulfate Free and Organic

New Oils- Tea tree, Vitamin E,  and Jojoba Oil

Unrefined Shea Butter for shea butter mixture

New shampoo comb

New clamps

Banana Clips

I'm loving the new products and accessories!

Friday, October 7, 2011

Why Transition? Why Something New and Different?

First off  i'll like to thank everyone that's blessed my page with their presence. Thankies!! And I hope you remain to follow and support me on my transition.

Normally when you see the words, "transition" and "roots" in a blog, immediately(80% of the time) you think about hair transition from relaxed to natural. You are RIGHT!!! BUT(BRAKES) i'm not only transitioning with my hair but my entire lifestyle; my HAIR, my SKIN, my HEALTH, my RELATIONSHIPS, my FINANCIALS and ect.  So basically i'm changing my life. While starting my hair transition, I noticed the only way for me to stick with making changes is to write about it. So that's what "EnhancinMyRoots" is all about. It's my transitioning JOURNAL!! I'm EXCITED about it! I'm 1 month into my hair transition! My BC goal is 2yrs! And i'm READY to MAKE A CHANGE and ENHANCE MY ROOTS!!

I've decided to try something NEW and DIFFERENT because I was tired of being in a "RUT"(blech)!!! Relaxing my hair was getting expensive and frustrating, it was difficult to find relaxed hairstyles to fix my face and I just needed a different way to BREATHE and EXPRESS myself!! So hair I am taking that LEAP of faith.

I invite you guys to join me! Whether you're black or white, old or young, male or female. I'm going to need as much support and advice as I can get!!!! So THANK YOU again for visiting my blog(aka journal), I do plan on updating(or bloggin') bi-daily or weekly, not sure yet.  I'll see yall on my page!!

I'm EMBRACIN' MY ROOTS YALL!!!!!!!