Natural Hair Care: Daily Tip #3

Hello my naturalistas!!

Today, Ms. Keianna, owner of Chi Chi Sophistication is sharing a very important tip.  

  It's very important to remember that braiding your curly tresses too tight can be damaging to your hair. 

  In some situations, braiding to tightly can cause a simple headache, tenderness on the area, redness of the scalp, however, there are very severe cases where the hair follicles are damaged  causing permanent hair loss.

   The best way to prevent permanent damage to your beautiful curly hair, make sure you quickly loosen any tight braids, braid your hair in the opposite direction from your last style and make sure you don't ever keep your hair braided for far too long.

Missed Ms. Keianna's last two Natural Hair Care tips?? Easy, read them here: Natural Hair Care: Daily Tip #2 and Natural Hair Care: Daily Tip #1

For more information about ChiChi Sophistication Natural Hair Care Studio 

visit www.chi-chi-sophistication.com

A Recap and This Month's Protective Style!

Hello my beautiful people!! 

This is a recap of the last week of May.  I know, I know, I have been unplugged and "MIA" for a few days but it was good to just relax at the beach with our kiddos.  No phones, no Ipads... just lots of sun and fun with our children.

Well, May is gone, gone, gone and June has arrived!!  I can't believe school is officially over and summer vacation has started.

Although school was over on May 20th, 2016, Calvary Day Summer Camp program, which by the way is our children's favorite summer program, didn't begin until June 3rd.

Therefore, our kids had to spend a few days with Grandmother and Papa so that we could work and make the last minute preparations for our Annual Myrtle Beach Vacation.

Basically our children were only gone for four days (Sunday Night 5/22 - Thursday 5/26th) but it was far too long for this mama! They may try my last nerve but the reality is, they are all mine and I do feel a little bit lost without them.   

This mama was supper happy when they arrived home late Thursday night.   Unfortunately, I was unable to accompany my husband to pick them up because our new puppies needed supervision.  Yes, wait until I share my "Boxer Puppies Post" with all of you!

Little man arrived back home just in time to receive a very important piece of mail.  We posted a quick video sharing the news on our Facebook Page.. click: HE MADE HONOR ROLL!!  

I must confess that I do worry about him and his grades.  I see a lot of me in him when it comes to "math" and we did struggle a bit a couple of times through out the year.  While I have to learn how to "NOT" stress him and me about his studies, I am glad that we have established a routine for those nights when he has to be at practice and/or games.

Having a plan and putting that plan into action has saved a lot of headaches and his grades. Otherwise I truly believe his grades would have suffered at great deal.  Stay tuned because I will share tips and ideas on how we prepare them for the next school year and how we are able to have good grades even when they play sports three nights at week.  

June's Protective Style

Because the warm and dry days have also arrived, it is time to style Ms. Bree's hair into a protective style.   This style also worked perfectly for our Myrtle Beach Vacation.  

I used the following products in the following order (on freshly washed and conditioned hair): 

Blended Beauty Curly Cake Shaker;
Creme of Nature Argan Oil; 
Blended Beauty "Down & Out"; with 
(a bit of) Eco Styler Gel with Argan Oil. 

Using the Eco Styler Gel allows her braids to last a bit longer.  It also helps with a more defined "braid out" if she decides she wants to rock her hair out for a few days before restyling.  

The practicality of this style is amazing.  I was able to easily co-wash and moisturize her scalp as well as her ends after every trip to the water park and beach. 

TIP: Remember, it is imperative to co-wash and moisturize their curly tresses every time they spend time at the pool or beach. Too much sun and chlorine can be damaging to their hair.

Now, stay tuned because we will be sharing wit you our Father's Day Gift Ideas, Ms. Bree's Recital, Billy's 2016 Baseball Season, Our Family Adventures in Myrtle Beach, and we will also be sharing our tips on how to prepare them ready for the next school year!!!  

  

The Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)

Hello Everyone and welcome back! 

After posting this picture on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages, we received a few messages asking us about ACV and its benefits.  Therefore, we decided to write this quick post about the benefits on Natural Hair, Weight Loss & Health. 

   I finally decided to give this "old" recipe a try, mainly because one of our biggest struggle is "thirsty hair", especially during the cold and dry days.  

    It is important to remember that using Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) without adding plenty of water on your curly strands may damage them.      Therefore, make sure you mix the Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) with plenty of warm water.

    I added 2 tbs of Vinegar to 16 oz warm water.  Now that Ms. Bree's hair is short, it is a bit difficult to estimate how much solution or product is needed.  Needless to say, I didn't use the entire 16 oz.

   If you have anything left, don't worry, you can save the mixture to be used at a later time. 

  

     As you can see, Ms. Bree was not very happy about the strong odor.  I must agree with her on that!  It was a bit strong and even her puppy found it a bit "interesting", so interesting that she wanted to lick Ms. Bree's hair.  But thankfully this only require from 10  to 15 minutes to work!  

Here Are A Few "Benefits of ACV" For Natural Hair: 

1.  The acidity of the Apple Cider Vinegar rinse will help maintain the pH balance of your curly tresses and it can remove buildup at the same time without stripping the hair of its natural oils. You may use Apple Cider Vinegar in lieu of a clarifying shampoo but make sure you choose an extra moisturizing conditioner so that your curly strands get all the moisture they need.

3.  Apple Cider Vinegar will help treat clogged hair follicles due to bacterial infection that creates crusty flakes on the scalp. 

4.  Apple Cider Vinegar can help stimulate better circulation to the hair follicles, which strengthens the hair roots and promotes a healthy hair growth.

5.  Apple Cider Vinegar has antibacterial and anti-fungal properties that help treat itchy, dry scalp. 

6. Apple Cider Vinegar rinse can also help in closing your hair cuticles, which will keep moisture in your hair and minimize any frizz. 

It's important to remember that ACV is in acidity, and like with every product that contains high acidity levels, you must be cautious on how often you use it.  The over use of this ACV mixture can lead to the degradation of your hair shaft.  

ACV HEALTH BENEFITS

Korrie, owner of "Korrie's Korner" shares how she uses Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV):

I posted this a month ago on my Facebook page!  How many of you stuck with this and are you experiencing the benefits from it?

Starting a day early for my challenge group. My first healthy habit change is going back to drinking 1 tbsp of acv and 8oz water every morning and evening. There are so many amazing health benefits to this. Here are a few:

1. It helps lower triglycerides which in return lower the bad cholesterol.

2. It helps your body maintain a healthy alkaline pH level. (This is my main reason for taking. I have a lack of energy and get a little of female infections sometimes due to a low pH level. This happens from having too much acid in your body which is my problem.)

3. Overall detoxification. It detoxifies the liver. Helps stimulate cardiovascular circulation.

4.This miracle vinegar helps to break up mucous throughout the body and cleanse the lymph nodes. Believe it or not, research suggests that apple cider vinegar can help with allergies because of its ability to reduce mucous and sinus congestion. When reducing the effects of allergies, it can also help stave off sinus infections and their related symptoms, such as sore throats and headaches.

5.This vinegar is rich in natural enzymes that can help rid your body of candida—yeasts that are attributed to thrush in humans. Candida also is blamed for creating symptoms of fatigue, poor memory, sugar cravings, and yeast infections. (I have issues with this as well.)

6. Reduces heartburn. It might seem like an oxymoron, but it really does help.

To follow Korrie simply visit her Facebook Page: Korrie's Korner!

I've been drinking Dr. Oz's Swuimsuit Slimdown Drink for four days now.  

Drinking it before each meal reduces my appetite which leads me to eat smaller portions, my cravings for sweets (especially chocolate) have decreased and it has also helped producing a regular bowel movements. 

I can't say for sure if it has helped with any cholesterol issues as I don't have any.  However, I'm hoping my lovely husband will give this a try.  Of course that will require a lot of persuasion on my behalf!  

As I said before, ACV contains high level of acidity and just the same way it can damage your hair if you use in excess or undiluted. ACV can damage your tooth enamel as well as your throat's tissue if is not diluted before you drink it.

    

We hope you give this a try!