Top 5 Reasons I love Vinegar

I  LOVE using vinegar, very much! It has become a staple in my home. I recently went to COSTCO so that I could by a 5L bottle of white vinegar for less then $4.00. I felt such a rush scoring that deal that I literally giggled as I hauled it into my cart. That is how much I love vinegar.

I typically use White Vinegar for the home and Apple Cider for my hair and skin however, I will replace ACV with WV when I run out.

Vinegar is awesome because it cleanses hair and is often used to treat dandruff. It’s anti-fungal, disinfecting, and Ph balancing properties are also useful when cleansing/healing your body and cleaning your home.

Here are the Top 5 Reasons I love Vinegar

1. I have reduced the use of commercial cold and sinus medications that are full of so much junk with using this homemade cold and flu formula recipe instead

http://nancyvienneau.com/blog/articles/home-remedy/

2. Being pregnant with my daughters made me want to stop using cleaners with heavy fumes so now I make several mild homemade cleaners.

All purpose cleaner- http://wonkywonderful.com/1/post/2012/06/natural-lemon-vinegar-cleaner.html

Tub cleaner- Use 1 part Dawn, and 1 part warm White Vinegar, spray the tub and leave the mixture on there for several hours. Next, rinse your tub with hot to warm water and see the sparkling results!

3. Natural Feminine Wash. Sometimes a lady needs a little extra sumthin, sumthin when washing her feminine parts (esp. after pregnancy or her menstrual cycle) and I find this method very helpful. http://www.ehow.com/how_5680738_use-vinegar-feminine-wash.html

4. I have used ACV rinses for a long time but now I have added a vinegar/baking soda wash during my shampoo process. My scalp is left clean and my hair is fresh and shiny. When my consultant washes my hair, in a similar fashion as this, it looks as though I have used a shine serum because it is super shiny!!

Step 1- Rinse locs very well

Step 2- Take a 1-2 tbsp of baking soda and water to make a paste and then massage my scalp with it. I also smooth the mixture down the length of my locs

Step 3- I use a spray bottle full of vinegar and spray my hair with it till I hear bubbling

Step 4- After I have massaged my locs I rinse the vinegar and baking soda up

Step 5- I wash my hair another 2 times using a clarifying shampoo

Here is the link where I discovered this method. I use Recipe B and I considering using Recipe C, very soon.  http://dirtyprettythangs.com/2010/07/06/kitchen-kures-natural-clarifiers-for-my-locs/

5. Every so often I add 1 cup of white vinegar to my washing machine to get cleaner and fluffier towels. The vinegar will get rid of detergent build up and any musky smells that you get from forgetting your load of towels in the washer…ooops.

If you have a case of stinky mildew towels use this 3 step process.

Step 1- Wash your towels in only hot water with 1 cup of vinegar,

Step 2- Run the towels again in hot water with a ½ cup of baking soda. This will strip your towels of that residue and mildew smell and will actually leave them feeling fluffy and smelling fresh.

Step 3- Dry as usual

I hope that you find a way to add more vinegar to your life, you will not regret it!

Stay Blessed,

TWI (The Woman Inside)

Clarifying poo Review # 3 Aubrey Organics (pics)

Clarifying Shampoo Review for Aubrey Organics Green Tea Clarifying Shampoo.

Ingredients: Aqua, coco glucoside (coconut oil/corn), sodium cocoyl hydrolyzed soy† protein, Oryza sativa (rice) starch*, glycerin, xanthan gum, hydrolyzed sweet almond protein, Simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) oil*, Panax ginseng (ginseng) extract, Equisetum arvense (horsetail) extract, Urtica dioica (nettle) extract, Tussilago farfara (coltsfoot) extract, panthenol, inositol, Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) oil*, Mentha piperita (peppermint) oil*, Citrus grandis (grapefruit) seed extract, alcohol denat., tocopheryl acetate (vitamin E), Hamamelis virginiana (witch hazel) extract, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), Glycine soja (soybean) oil, Daucus carota sativa (carrot) root Extract, beta-carotene, biotin, Polygonum multiflorum (he shou wu) extract.

* Organic

† From organic sources

After hearing about this shampoo in the Facebook group Sisterlocked and Loving it, naturally, I decided to Google it and I found that some of my favorite bloggers anthia-ofo, and Gigglz have used it with success. I found positive results in this product as well and it past my main test, my consultant liked it. 

It claims to quickly and deeply clarify with just one application and rinses clean to leave hair shiny, bouncy and full. Also that herbal extracts deliver beneficial nutrients quickly and reduce drying time for fast and easy styling.

What I found is that even though I still need at least 2 washes (no surprise I have locs) I do get a deep clean and my hair is left shiny. I have not noticed a shorter drying time but that would be hard to gauge because my hair is forever changing . And I love it!

Dec. 2009

. Aug. 2011

Jan. 2012

Pros: It's sulfate/paraben/petroleum free, vegan, and it lathers! I love the smell, and it leaves my hair and scalp feeling super clean. I love to feel me scalp tingle and this definitely stimulates my scalp.

Cons: It is not cheap! Especially when you compare it to buying  a Suave clarifying shampoo  that work pretty well for $1. I bought my bottle from Sprouts Marketplace, similar to Wholefoods, when they had their 25% off sale but regualr price was approx $11 for an 11 fl oz bottle.

This shampoo, Aubreys Organic Green Tea Clarifying Shampoo, is a keeper!!!! It is the shampoo that I use to wash my hair at home. However, I still use Dawn for my final wash, every other wash, just to make sure that my locs remain nice and tight. 

UPDATE: I have gone back to Sauve for now because I felt like my hair was getting too 'loose'. When I am fully matured I will revisit this shampoo.

Stay Blessed!

Has it been that long!? (9 Months)

Happy Mother's Day!!!!!  to all the Mommas out there

I hope everyone is well and I have missed you all very much!

It has been forever since I last posted ( been under a lot of stress but I will chat about that later) cause it is time to CELEBRATE. I have had my Sisterlocks for 9 MONTHS! I can't believe it has been so long, so I guess the saying it true 'time waits for nobody'

My hair is growing a lot but there are some days that you can notice it more then others, it is super coily right now.

My hair is definitely on it's way to locking and I love the way it feels. I have to say I have made no major changes to my routine;

• I have my hair retightened every 6 weeks with my consultant Precious Stallworth 
•  Wash every 2 weeks (still braiding and banding but no longer have slippage so I don't double band anymore)
• ACV rinse once a month
• Still have dry scalp issues so I spray Seabreeze as needed (usually every 4 days) 
• No oils or conditioners
• Sleep with a Bonnet (so sexy)
• Use a super big shower cap (extra sexy)

Here are some more hair pics:

Approx 3 months

NOW!!

Goals

1. Blog more often!!!!
2. Figure out my color for my 1 year anniversary
3. Rock a ponytail!

Stay Blessed!!!

Back to Basics with High Tech Banding!

Well it's probably safe to say that my slippage issues are due to my heavy hands (as my mother sais when I mead dough) and my loose braid & banding when shampooing my locks. I went to get my hair washed by my consultant and she showed me a different way to band my hair and she reminded me why I have to be gentle with my locks while washing. I think that I might have scrubbed  too hard previously because I panicked when I saw the build up in my locks as I discussed in my previous post here.

I have just recently started a You Tube Channel and I posted a video about my banding process. I think it is a good video for newbies and those who feel like they have to go back to basics to deal with their slippage issues. I will post the link below and please feel free to Subscribe and/or friend me if you are a fellow You Tuber.

But here are some pics of my hair after taking it out of the braids/twists and bands. I really like the curls and waves and they have lasted a LONG time.

Enjoy

The Woman Inside Channel

Stay Blessed

Retail Therapy

It has been a while, I know, but I didn't have my camera to show you my hair after my 2 week hair review with my consultant or my second wash. My consultation took a long, long time so I am a little nervous about the $$ I am going to have to fork out. I am praying that my 530+ locks will take 5 hours max. I think I will become a DIYer sooner then I thought. I wanted to do 2 years with a consultant retightening my hair but I am encouraged by gigglz and bajan lily bc they are doing it for themselves and are so proud.

My second hair wash went very well. I learned from my first experience and I did three washes, 1 was a clarifying wash using Neutrogena T/Sal then I did 2 washes with the SL Starter Shampoo. I made my braids a little more loose then I did the last time. With these changes, I felt like my hair and scalp were squeaky clean. Now I am watching my hair get thicker and I am loving it.

I bought a new hair tie for work. I am not sure if I mentioned this before but bc of my pre sisterlocks damaged hair I have to wear a band or hair tie around my edges for a while. I was starting to get a little mad, sad, frustrated and everything in between about my short edges. But I went and did a little retail therapy and bought a pretty hair tie and some new earrings. (see below) I think before this year is over I am going to have oodles and oodles of new earrings and silk ties.

Wish I knew earlier

My daughter’s hair growth has been slow, she is 20 months and her hair doesn’t look much different then when she was born. I have been so frustrated so I got on the internet and started researching natural products and hair growing techniques. It is through this research that I found ways to really care for my natural hair. It is kind of sad that after 6 years I have learnt all this info and the research, initially, really wasn’t for me. Lesson learned. My hair has never been this manageable nor this soft. I use to dread detangling my hair, I can’t tell you the times I just grabbed a pair of scissors and just chopped. Now after washing, I run a brush through my hair in no time. As for my daughter, I am taking care of her hair the best that I can and I am hoping to see some growth soon.

My Current Hair Regime

This is done once a week.

1. I create 6 large braids and I Shampoo with Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap,

2. I deep condition with (deep conditioner, honey and castor oil) about 20 min

3. I then unbraid one section at a time and detangle using a Denman brush. Once that section is detangled, I twist it and move to the next.

4. I wash out the conditioner combing through each section in the shower

5. I finish with a apple cider vinegar rinse.

6. While my hair is damp I use a cream leave in conditioner and twist my hair and then air dry

Half way through the week I use my spritz (made with Aloe, jojoba oil, rosemary oil) and my leave in conditioner and I retwist.