Dip-dyed Hair

I'm aware that dip-dyed hair has been "hot" in the fash-pack for a while, but seeing Katie Shillingford (editor of Dazed and Confused... swoon!) sporting a short peroxide crop with blue ends made me fall head-over-heels for it all over again!
I'm aware that few people think that they actually have the lifestyle, bravery and style to be able to pull this off - but I'm very much inclined to believe that it is achievable.  Hopefully, these photos will allow the "curious but wary" to be inspired towards taking the first step to dip-dying (or even ombre-ing) their hair...

 Katie Shillingford, image source: models.com

Dip-dyed Hair, image source: blogspot.com

Alexa Chung, image source: beautyeditor.ca

Admittedly, I don't seem to have much "authority" to advocate this as I haven't experienced the delights of dip-dying my hair: mainly due to the fact that I have recently gone from being blonde to deep mahogany and therefore don't want to completely wreck my hair through over-dying it... Although, who knows what the future will bring as summer begins to vaguely creep towards fruition?

Lottie 

xxxx

Baby's Curls

Last night was my daughter's wash day, she is never too happy about getting her hair washed BUT with the help of the tangle teaser, the process wasn't that bad. I noticed while washing her hair that she is in DESPERATE need of a trim. Her ends are terrible and her single strand knots are out of control. She has never had a trim before but I think one will be in her future very soon.  After her curls were all clean, I decided to do a length check and her hair is almost an inch longer than it was last month. Her shrinkage is unbelievable, as you can see in the photo above, stretched her hair is 2x longer. 

Many of you have asked me what her regimen is. Below you will find the answer.

1. Wash with an organic (sulfate free) children's shampoo twice a month.

2. Condition with Oyin Honey Hemp or Yes to Cucumbers.

3. Detangle with the Denman or Tangle Teaser while her hair is saturated in conditioner.

4.Rinse with lukewarm water and towel dry.

5. Part in 3 sections and coat hair with Grape Seed Oil and a leave in, like Knot Today.

6.Gently detangle each section.

7.Style.

As you can see her regi is simple and because she cannot stand getting her hair done, I try to limit the time I spend on doing it. I style her hair in protective styles 98% of the time and by that I mean that her ponytails are either braided or twisted; not let loose. I do have to re-do her hair every morning which is not a big deal because it' clean and already detangled. Lately, it's been a task to do that because her tangles have been really bad but  I think after the trim, that process will be easier.

Baby Is On The Way!

Me and the belly in quieter, gentler moments...

Hi everybody! Just wanted to drop a quick note to say I am officially in labor, contractions began at around 7:30 and are now 6 minutes apart. I am still at home and doing fine. This is definitely not what I expected but I am actually enjoying the experience, as painful as it has been and will surely be in the hours to come. Thanks for all your support and comments. I don't know when I will post again or get to moderate comments so thank you for your patience!

How to clean your false lashes and make them last

Hey boo's =D. Quick post on how I maintain my lashes.

I usually get between 10-18 uses from my falsies and I don't see how you can use them any less. I remove the glue buildup from them every 2-3 uses and clean them afterwards.

To help maintain their shape, I place them back in their "holder" . To help the lashes adhere to their holder, I use a small amount of glue to help hold it in place.

Here's how I clean my lashes.

Step 1:  Whip out the lashes

Step 2:  Whip out your tweezers ( make sure they are clean/disinfected)

Step 3: *Carefully* tweeze the glue off the lashes. 

That little ball there is the glue I tweeze

Step 4: You'll need a cotton swab and running alcohol.

Step 5: Soak the swab with rubbing alcohol, then gently press the lash into it. Keep in mind that you *do not* want to swipe the lash as you may get cotton swab goodness stuck to it. 

Flip over and repeat.

Step 6: Let them dry (takes no more than 10-15 minutes ) and you're done!

Hope you've found this useful. If you clean your lashes differently, please feel free to share your method in the comments section as well.

New Product Alert: Whoop Ash Body Butter Cream

Created by Will Smith's first wife, Sheree Fletcher, the totally organic cream is chock full of hydrating white honey, mango and shea butter--a luscious combination that keeps dry, flaky skin moisturized from sunup to sundown. ~Essence.com

I saw this over on Essence and had to ask- would you buy this product?

Reading the description, it sounds heavenly with shea butter and honey as two of its main ingredients and it's apparently organic. I just wonder what it smells and feels like. Scent is a huge factor to me when it comes to buying new skin or hair products. The price is also a factor and at $19.95 for an 8oz jar, this would really have to make my skin feel amazing. However, in my opinion, the packaging leaves a bit to be desired. Something about it reminds me of the Let's Jam hair glaze I used to use back in middle school!

So weigh in. What requirements do you have when it comes to purchasing new products for skin and hair. Would you give Whoop Ash a try?

Alternative news from Africa

On any given day, there is very little good news coming out of sub-Saharan Africa. Very little. For example, today I went on a national newspaper here in the United States and found this picture essay depicting horrible maternal and child health outcomes for African women and babies. Sierra Leone has the highest rates of maternal mortality in the world. Here are some pictures.

Is it the western media?

Well, reading Sahara Reporters which is certainly not run by westerners last time I checked, I came across this interesting story of the son of the Equatorial Guinea's dictator.
He has commissioned a yacht to the tune of $380 million, almost three times more than his resource-rich country spends annually on health and education programs combined, according to the story.

I can dwell on the senseless misuse of resources in African countries for as long as I'm allowed but I suppose it would be for naught. Instead, let me talk about three things I would love to read on any given day about any African country.

1. The African government, without much fanfare, has announced that a significant portion of national spending will be on population-wide health education, preventive medicine, family planning and counseling. Doctors, nurses, managers will be from their country, with ramped up education and training to boost the health workforce.

2. The African government, without much fanfare, will lay out a plan for private-public sector relationships for infrastructure building, i.e electricity grid, roads and rail systems, water supply, IT systems, and smart urban development. This plan will not include international aid, and will rely on a local workforce.

3. The African government, will detail a plan for all children to be educated for 12 years at no additional out-of-pocket costs to their families; and a plan to improve the quality of college education for graduates who will continue to build upon the health, and infrastructure efforts mentioned above.

This list could be much longer of course,but I've forced myself to restrict it to three. The details could be much longer but I think for starters, on any given day, it would be a miracle to read this about any country on the continent.

What's Your Opinion: For Ladies Only?

{Image}

I got this comment on one of my older Fresh-Squeezed Fotki Juice posts and wanted your opinions.

"A guy...really, I thought this was about us!" ~Anonymous

This site is not just about natural hair but it is definitely one of the main focal points. I never thought about it being created for one sex, race, age, whatever but I realize there are a lot of people that like online communities for women only, especially when it comes to stuff about beauty.

So I want to know what you all think. Should sites like this be for women only? What do you think about men that want to participate or even be featured?