Hair Shedding or Breakage?

How Much Should Her Hair Shed?

I recently posted a picture on our Facebook Wall which was an image of my daughter's shedded strands after a very long washing and detangling session. 

When I saw the amount of hair in the center of my palm, I realized that the amount was a bit more than usual.  We often hear the words: “Curly hair is actually more likely to shed than straight hair."  I cannot compare the amount of hair I shed with my daughter's mainly because my shedding depends on the season.  

I began to wonder, "How much is too much?" "Is she losing hair or shedding hair?" Among a thousand other questions came to mind, is this  shedding or breakage? Is she low in the vitamin department? Or is it something more than that?"

With so many questions and not enough answers, I panicked.  I began to look into old photos to compare the amount of hair and even went as far as to bring my friend, Korrie into the mix.   

LAST SESSION

YESTERDAY'S SESSION

The very first hair rule that was ingrained in my brain by mother dearest, was "healthy hair is supposed to shed from 50 to 100 strands a day".  Although I use this as a rule, it may or may not be accurate depending on the individual.

But with that rule in mind it is important to always take the time to double check the strands to determined whether the strands has naturally fallen from the scalp or if it is in fact breakage. 

SHEDDING:

This is a natural process of the hair and it happens when the hair strands falls from the scalp and you will be able to see a "white" tinny little ball at the end. 

BREAKAGE:

Breakage happens when using the wrong tools or the wrong technique among other reasons.  But you will be able to determine it by the look and even by the length of the strand, which leads to the next point;

Take your length in consideration when examining your tresses:  What I mean by this is that a "shedded" strand is longer because it has naturally fallen from the scalp, while "broken" strand is a shorter than the regular length of the hair because it has broken at a certain point.  

Also keep the following in mind: 

"The longer you go without detangling the hair, the more hair you will see"- 

After putting my thinking cap on, I realized, that the last time I truly detangle my daughter's hair was almost four (4) weeks ago, so it made perfect sense for her to shed more hair during this session than the last.   I usually keep her hair in protective styles that last anywhere from one week to 4 weeks.  

"The longer and curlier the hair, the bigger the amount  hair will be shed"

Women with longer hair may think they are shedding more because of the amount of hair they, see but this is because the mass of hair is simply bigger. 

Now, if you exhibit sudden changes and the amount of shedding increases drastically please contact your physician.  There are many other reasons why this happens, from lack of vitamins (or too much of them), certain prescriptions can altered your body and hormone levels leading to excessive loss of hair.  But all of these have to be addresses by a physician.

With that being said, remember that curly hair is extremely delicate and it is important that you take your time detangling the hair.  Proper moisture can also help prevent the hair from becoming dry and breaking. 

Happy Styling! J

Product Review: HollyBeth Organics Grits & Honey Scrub

By Korrie's Korner (Korrier's Korner Facebook Page)

The product I'm reviewing today is the fabulous Holly Beth Grits and Honey Scrub. 

I purchased this item from FoxyMango because Elena was going on and on and on about how she had fallen in love with this product.  

Being the product junkie that I am, I've tried lots of skincare products and scrubs, but never have I tried a scrub this "ahhmazing!" 

You can visit my Facebook page Korrie's Korner to see all the items I've tried.  

Right off the bat when I opened this small jar, I wanted to eat the contents of it! The scent is out of this world and I was automatically transported to my past when I was little girl and I would run into the kitchen and smell freshly made grits and honey toast. I had to keep reminding myself that it was for my face and not my tummy :)  

The ingredients in this ahhmazing product are as  follows: 

*Believe or not it's made of actual cornmeal;
*tupelo honey; 
*vitamin E;
* corn grits, and 
*sweet almond oil. 

The Steps I took: 

If you wear make up I remove it. Rinse your face with warm water and begin by applying small amounts of the scrub to your face;

Make sure you avoid the eye area; 

With a gentle, circular motion massage this lovely scrub into your skin; 

rinsed off with warm water, and pat your face dry, gently. 

My skin felt unbelievable!!! So baby soft that I couldn't stop touching it. 

This scrub will definitely be reordered and a staple in my beauty regimen.

NOTE FROM ELENA:

If you are blemish prone like me, then I would recommend you use the scrub every other day although it can be use daily.

I started by using the scrub once a week but realized that the more I used it, the more the blemishes were kept at bay.  It is gentle enough and my skin shows no signs of dryness.  My skin actually gets this glow after I rinse my face. 

  

Frozen- 5th Birthday Celebration

Hello Ladies! 

Wow, I can't believe my baby girl is not five years old!! Where has the time gone?  I remember when she was attached to my hip all the time.. wait, she still is! :) 

This year my daughter is fascinated with the movie "Frozen", and her favorite character is Elsa.  When the time came to pick a theme in order to get ready for her big 5th Birthday Bash, I knew she was going to make me work.  But nothing could have prepared me for the ordeal I was about to face.  

After visiting Party City, Michael's and Walmart on several occasions, I realized that I was not going to be able to buy anything in store since all decorations were sold out.  

I was able to obtain the following items on Partycity.com; 

Since I couldn't find much online either, (all items were out of stock), I had to come up with different ideas as to how to bring her "Frozen" Theme party to life, and here is what I did to do just that.

THE INVITATIONS: 

Unfortunately, the blank "Frozen" invitations were sold out in store as well as online but I was able to find the above invitation on Etsy.com. Once I contacted the seller and provided her with all the required information, I had the file in my inbox within an hour.  

I no longer have a color printer otherwise, I would have saved even more, therefore I had to send the file to OfficeMax to be printed.  

If you have a color printer at home, then you will be saving about $10.00 to $15.00 depending on how many invitations you need.   

THE DECORATIONS

The above pictures shows what our table looked like before the party started. 

You will need the following: 

1. Opa Opalessence Table Cover which can be found at Party City;

"Opalessence table covers have iridescent fibers which give them a lively rainbow-like glow. This tablecover features a predominantly white color with this same glow, is 2-ply (1 plastic and 1 paper), and measures 54" x 108" (about 40.5 square feet)."

Our Sparkling Mountains

1. Four (4) different sizes of Cone Shape Foams; I purchased these from Michael's.  

I used two large and two mediums. (Below is a picture of some of the sizes you can use)

2. Two (2) Glitter Roll Wrapping paper, I also purchased the rolls from Michael's;

3. Glue Gun; regular tape does not work on this type of paper.

Our Candy Dishes:

I used four serving bowls for our candies.  Rock Candies were such a hit last year that I decided to have them again.  The fact that the Rock Candy Sticks have a ball handle, which makes them easier for little hands to grab and the sugar crystals look like glistening gemstones gave the perfect touch.  

1 Caribbean Small Swirl Plastic Bowl (about 5.5 inches) with small White Gumballs; 

1 Clear Medium Flared Bowl with medium size Caribbean Gumballs;

For the rock candy I used the following

2 Clear large flared cylinders (7.6 inches tall); 
2 Glowing sticks;
1 Pack of Caribbean Blue Decorative Gems;
1 Pack of Clear Decorative Gems; 
1 Pack of 8 Caribbean Blue Rock Candy Sticks; and
1 Pack of 8 White Rock Candy Sticks;

 Place the Caribbean Blue and Clear Decorative Gems at the bottom of the bowls;

    

      

insert one glowing stick in the center then place the Rock Candies in dish.  

 

THE BACKGROUND

I used my son's blue curtains to cover the curtains that I currently have in my dinning room and carefully taped the Snowflakes strings from the top (slightly behind the curtain rod) in order to create a "snowing scenery".

  

     I could have used so more hanging snowflakes bu my Husband thought that was enough.  

OLAF

Olaf, the singing and twirling snowman was given to Ms. Bree as a Christmas Gift.  Olaf can say different sayings including his famous quote "Some people are worth melting for"! I thought it would be a great idea for him to be part of my main table as a decoration and have him sing while the kids worked on the activities.  

 The snowflakes I used to decorate the "cake stand" were actually Christmas Decorations Ms Bree picked to decorate Christmas Tree. 
 They worked perfectly and I didn't have rush to find them because I had left them on Ms Bree's dresser.  

THE BANNER

I must say that I WAS disappointed when I open the package containing the Birthday Banner.  Last year's banner was at least 7 feet tall and it cover the entire entry way to my dining room!  

This banner was extremely small and I had to make last minute adjustments in order to make my foyer look a little more full.  Overall, it was okay but they could have done a better job with the banner.

 THE CAKE

The cake was another story.  I had told myself I was not going to bake her cake this year but when I went to Publix to order it, they didn't have it. Apparently they don't have a license to produce it and I couldn't find it anywhere else.  

So, my dear husband helped and suggested that I do a winter cake and use her dolls!!  After that the wheels in my brain were turning day and night.  

If you follow my posts you know that I have a very large Christmas Village, which includes "TREES", the very trees you see on the cake!  

Elsa, Ana and Olaf came in a set that her daddy had given Ms Bree for as a Christmas Gift... see how Christmas saved the day! 

It was a very simple cake but I think it did the job!  

THE ACTIVITIES

"MAKING OLAF"

 To make the Olafs you will need the following: 

1 Bag of Large Marshmallows;
2 Snack Size Bag of Carrots;
1 box of flat toothpicks
1 tube of Black Sparkling Gel (use to decorate cookies, cupcakes, etc.)

Note: cutting the baby carrots in smaller pieces are easier to use, unless the children was a "big carrot nose".  

FACE PAINTING EVENT

The face painting was done by Ms. Alyson, she is a local artist and has been part of some of the most popular events. 

She has done the kids' face painting on several occasions and her amazing painting abilities convinced me that she was the best person to have at our party.  

"Spider Man"

"Butterfly"

"A Princess"

THE GIFTS

I normally would wrap her gifts in "princess" theme wrapping paper, unfortunately, I could not find any "Frozen" wrapping paper.  

In order to match the theme, I used the following: 

1 Caribbean Blue wrapping paper ($3.99) that I found at Party City;

2 Curling Ribbons (one in white and one in baby blue) 

Flowers (2.99 for a pack of 12) and flower shape gems (3.40 for a bag of 100 pieces)I found at Michael's;

 Ms. Bree was truly happy not to only have her friends be part of her birthday celebration, but Grandmother and Papa were also there. 

I had a lot of fun making all the decorations from scratch, although physically I was exhausted, my heart was full of joy because all the children had fun from beginning to end, Ms. Bree was very happy with every single thing, from the silver balloons to the simple cake Mommy made for her.   

At the end, she was tired but happy, refusing to remove her face painting, she told her daddy 

"Just hold me daddy, I love you but I'm tired" 

Regardless to what the result is, children are always aware of how hard we (the parents) work to bring their dreams to reality and they truly appreciate our efforts.

THE END