Eco Styler Gel....Custard?

Hi Lovelies,

Being on this hair journey I have been learning a great deal about my hair texture and products that work and don't work for me . Caring for this mane and styling it can be quite time consuming as well. And finding products that cut my styling time is like finding gold. Watching You Tube one night I found a video about combining two products I use from time to time, Eco Styler Gel (olive oil) and Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie. The amateur chemist in me was very eager to get to work on this recipe and test it out on my hair. So I made my Eco Styler mixture using 2 heaping tbsps of Curl Enhancing Smoothing and about 6-8 tbsps of Eco Styler Gel.

After I washed and conditioned my hair I began applying the custard to my sectioned hair. Remembering that with each of these products, a little goes a long way and I used about a nickle size of custard to each part of my hair. I twisted each section, which did not take long to do. Then to cut my styling time even more I dried my hair with my blow dryer using diffuser attachment (temp and speed setting was warm and medium). Once my hair was dry I loosened up some curls at the roots by shaking near the roots. Then I separated some of the larger curls on the top layer of my hair for a bigger bouncier hair look.

It left my hair feeling very soft, and no crunch in my hair. The only thing I think this custard falls short with is that my hair needed more shine and after a couple of hours my hair felt dry and in need of moisture. 

So I wanted to try the Eco Styler with some essential oils and see if this mixture yields similar results or provide that lustrous, moisturizing shine I crave for my mane.

I mixed together a fresh batch of Eco Gel with 1/4 teaspoon measurements of each oil: olive oil, coconut oil, jojoba oil, macadamia nut oil, grape seed oil and 6-8 tbsp of Eco Gel.

The next day I co (condition) washed my hair with Suave Naturals Almond Shea Butter Conditioner and used a bit more as a leave-in. I applied 3 nickle size amounts of custard to different parts of my hair, raking through the curls. I plopped my hair in a cotton t-shirt so to get that extra water out of my hair. I left the t-shirt on my head for about 10 minutes. Then dried my hair with my blow drier at same setting as mentioned above.

The results were very different from yesterday's results. My hair was soft, shiny, bouncy and felt moisturized all day. I even got second day hair and felt moisturized most of the day.

LOVE & LAUGHTER,
CINDY

A Change of Pace: Flat Ironing My Curly Hair

Flat ironing my hair is something I'm not used to doing. In the past I kept my hair very short and uncared for. Once I learned to breathe life back into my hair I decided to always keep it curly and began to let it grow. I love my locks now and appreciate the texture for what it is. Flat ironing is extremely damaging to curly hair. I wanted to protect my hair as much as possible and prepare my hair for all that heat.

I started by doing a hot oil treatment using organic coconut oil. I applied to my scalp, messaging it in and worked it all the way down to the ends. I placed a shower cap over my head and let the oil penetrate through hair and scalp for about 45 minutes.

Then I rinsed it out and shampooed hair with L'Oreal Ever Sleek Sulfate Free Shampoo. I used Suave Naturals Topical Coconut Conditioner (not shown in pic). Once I dried my hair with a cotton t-shirt I then proceeded to apply a homemade deep conditioner in my hair. (Please leave a comment below if you would like the recipe for this homemade deep conditioner.) I wrapped my hair with a cap, hot towel, and plastic bag for about one hour.

I rinsed out the deep conditioner with cool water then I did a final rinse using acv (apple cider vinegar mix 1/4 c acv and 2 c of water).

After that, I spritz some watered down protein leave-in (Infusium 23) in my hair. I applied a dab of hair lotion (Olive Oil Moisturizing Hair Lotion by Organic Root Stimulator) and dried my hair with a blow dryer using only on cold setting.

When hair has been completely dried I sectioned my hair in parts and before flat ironing each section I spritz a bit of heat protectant (Frizz-Ease Heat Defeat Protective Styling Spray by John Frieda).

I used the Babyliss Pro Nano Titanium 1 1/4 inch Straightener.
Temperature setting used was 310 degrees.



This hair style was maintained for two weeks with moisturizing the ends daily with evoo (extra virgin olive oil) and wrapping hair every night with a satin scarf.






organic coconut oil                                            $12 at whole foods
L'Oreal Ever Sleek Sulfate Free Shampoo        $6 or $7 at target and drugstores
Suave Naturals Topical Coconut Conditioner   $1.67 at target and drugstores
apple cider vinegar                                             $1.19 at grocery stores
Infusium 23 Pro-Vitamin Leave-In                    $8 local beauty supply store
Olive Oil Moisturizing Hair Lotion
by Organic Root Stimulator                                $7 at local beauty store
Frizz-Ease Heat Defeat Protective
Styling Spray by John Frieda                             $5 at Ulta
Babyliss Pro Nano Titanium
1 1/4 inch Straightener                                sale $80 at JCPenny, Ebay prices vary
extra virgin olive oil                        small bottle $7 at grocery stores

Beauty: What Every Teenage Girl Needs To Know About Makeup

Hi Beauties,

                  Recently I spent a much needed and over due weekend with a few of my long time friends. It was exciting to reconnect with them and catch up on everything! It was an extremely cold weekend, perfect for cooking, chatting, cooking, watching movies, cooking AND doing makeup.  I had so much fun doing my friend's and her daughter's makeup.

I was delighted to see their reaction when they saw the final look. As I was applying makeup on my best friend's daughter I began to realize that I was never taught how to apply makeup, how much makeup to use, should I be using moisturizer, etc.

                  These are some tips I wish I would have known when I was teenager. Maybe putting this out there will help someone.

Tip #1. A little goes a long way. For an everyday look you wanna look like you have on no makeup at all. What you really need is mascara, a touch of blush, mostly for winter, lipgloss and concealer for blemishes.

Tip # 2. You don't need foundation. Generally foundation is for women over 35. On young skin foundation can make the skin look unnatural. After applying concealer for blemishes you can finish with a powder or a tinted moisturizer as this is lighter than foundation.

Tip # 3. Do not rub in concealer, pat it in.

Tip # 4. Never skip on sunscreen. This should be the first thing you apply on your face first thing in the morning. No matter what the weather is outside applying a sunscreen creates a good habit for protecting your skin at an early age. Be good to your skin and you will reap the rewards when your in your 40's and 50's.

Tip # 5. A good starter kit doesn't have to cost you a fortune. There are many makeup products you can find at your local drugstore. Look for an up coming blog on what a starter kit on a budget can look like.

Always embrace who you are!

Blow-Out

 

 I blew out my hair but as you can see my curls still made an appearance.  I usually don't blow dry my hair often but my hair has had a growth spurt in the past 3 months. I became very curious and I wanted to see how long it has gotten. On the sides and front part of my hair, it has grown past my shoulders a bit. In the back it has grown past my shoulder by several inches. SO EXCITED!

Here are products I use quite frequently to tame the mane. ;)

Deva Curl no poo cleanser

Deva Curl Heaven in Hair deep conditioning treatment

For my scalp I use tea tree oil

and 

Garnier Fructis Style Pure Clean Smoothing cream for frizz control

Love & Laughter,

Cindy

Naked Palette Duped

Hi My Lovely Friends,

                    Here is a new eye look I tried the other day. I wanted to use colors that are close to the Naked palette by Urban Decay. The colors I duped are Virgin, Sin, Naked, Buck, and Creep. I love the colors in the Naked palette. However, I couldn't bring myself to spend $48 on eye shadows when I have beautiful similar colors in my BH Cosmetics palette. The shadows in this 120 palette are extremely pigmented and have long lasting staying power. I am enjoying using this product for so many different looks. Below is a list of products I used for the look.

                    If you have any suggestions please leave a comment.

Love & Laughter,
Cindy

Cover Girl Professional Natural Lash Mascara for the brows
Wild and Crazy Ultimate Volume Mascara in black for lashes
Revlon/matte kohl eyeliner in pure white for water line
Bobbi Brown Longwear Gel Eyeliner in black ink 1 for tight line on the upper lash
BH Cosmetics 120 e/s palette #03
Mac Paint Pot in Morning Frost as a base
Primer Potion by Urban Decay
Under eye concealer L'oreal True Match in med-deep

New Year's Eve Eye Look

Hey Beauties,

                       Applying and wearing makeup is pretty much new to me. Thanks to one of my BFFs, Bashira I was introduced to some great lines of makeup products. I started watching youtube makeup tutorials and I fell in love with all things beauty. And that was the start of my journey to finding my inner Diva. Okay, I'll save my stories of personal growth for later. So I basically wanted to share my New Years Eve look with you all.

                        Here is a list of cosmetics used for this eye look:
Undereye concealer by L'oreal True Match in shade w 6-7-8 medium deep - CVS 0.17oz. $9.99,
Urban Decay Primer Potion - Sephora 0.37 oz. tube $19.99,
Base- Mac Fluidline in Silver Stroke - Cosmetics Company Outlet $10.50 and Mac Paint Pot in For Effect - Mac Store $18.50,
BH Cosmetic 120 color palette #1. bhcosmetics.com has a sale now for $20.97. I used 3 different shades of shimmery silver/grey and for the center of the lid a pop of shimmery purple, a nude matte brown for transition color and a shimmery white as my highlight.
Eye liner- Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner in Black Ink 1. sephora 0.1oz. $21.00
For the waterline and lower lash line I used Avon Glimmersticks retractable eye liner pencil in Blackest Black. avon.com 7.00
Lashes- Avon Super Shock Mascara in Black k0. avon.com 9.00

If you have any questions or suggestions I would love to hear from you.

Embrace yourself!
Cindy