Natural Hair Meet Up at Urban Grind - Atlanta

You know what I miss?  I miss good old fashion natural hair meet ups where you can just get together and talk.  Call me old school, but I love it when we get back to basics...CANDID face to face discussions about natural hair.  I met up with some other Atlanta Naturals at Urban Grind, a trendy little coffee shop in Atlanta.  Hosted by my girl @SwarthyDaisy we really had a wonderful evening.  It was a small gathering.  We sipped caramel machiattos, munched on paninis and enjoyed the eclectic atmosphere of Urban Grind as we discussed natural hair and what it means for us individually.  We discussed whether the "natural hair movement" was a fad. We talked about texture acceptance and we shared best tips and practices with one another and much, much more.

Our Host
Ericka aka @SwarthyDaisy

Naturals from all over Metro Atlanta

 

Natural Beauty

Ericka also introduced her newest baby, "Fro-Fi Collective".  It's a group whose "...goal is to talk about technology and ways to make our online lives better." I am looking forward to watching this latest project develop.  For more pics from The Urban Grind Natural Hair Meetup....

Click Here  ~~> Urban Grind Natural Hair Meet Up Pics!!

     
Thanks for reading!

Natural Skin Care - Oil Cleansing Method

I have been trying for a while to come up with a working alternative to my normal skin care routine. Just to give you a little background on my skin woes. I have been battling adult acne since my daughter was born. I am guessing that I had some sort of hormonal change after giving birth to her and it screwed up my skin. I have tried everything there is to control my outbreaks. I have been a Proactiv user for years but "Going Natural" with my hair has eventually led me to look for natural alternatives for my skin. Proactive worked for me in the beginning, but the more knowledgeable I have become about ingredients the more I wanted to try something new. For the past 8 weeks I have been using the Oil Cleansing Method. I can't remember where i first saw this method being discussed but it sounded like a great idea and I have nothing to lose so i did a little research. I found a great website http://www.theoilcleansingmethod.com/ among others that explained exactly what the method is and how it works. The jist of it is this. Instead of stripping all of the natural oils from your face like you do when using any of the popular commercial skin care regimens, why not try gently removing the impurities from your skin by massaging it with nutrient filled oils that are similar to the natural oils that your skin carries. This massage followed by a good steam to open the pores, leaves your skin feeling naturally soft, smooth & healthy. The website mentioned earlier will give more details behind why this method can work, so I'll let you go over there to read about it. I will go on to tell you what oils I chose for my concoction and why.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil ~ This is a thick and nutrient filled oil that is supposed to work well by adding vitamins A & E (antioxidants) to your skin. (5 parts)

Castor Oil ~ Is the actual cleansing part of this method its good for removing impurities. The oil is thick and carries the other oils. If you use too much of this, you could actually end up drying out your skin. (3 parts)

Jojoba Oil ~ This oil is light and is said to be the oil that matches our skins natural sebum most closely. It is very absorbant, so using it by itself would probably make your skin oily since it absorbs so fast. When you use it with the others though it becomes restorative (2 parts)

Tea Tree Oil ~ is an anti inflammatory as well as an antiseptic. Adding this soothes the skin and calms any outbreaks that you may have and it also helps to preserve the blend. (6 drops)

I blend all of this together and keep it in an air tight container and use it 2x a day as follows:

I pour a dime sized amount of the blended oils into the palm of my hand. I rub my hands together to emulsify the oils. This gets them nice and warm for my face. I then slowly massage my face.

I soak a wash cloth in hot water (careful! not too hot) and lay it on my face until it cools and then gently wipe. I do this 3x or until i feel the oil is wiped away sufficiently. I follow with a cool water rinse (to close the pours) as well as a homemade toner (recipe to come!)

This combination works perfectly for my oily skin. I have been using it for about 8 weeks and these are the things that i have noticed

~Increased elasticity in my skin (40+'ers will understand)

~Decreased amount of outbreaks

~Rapidly fading darkspots

~Skin "appears" blemish free

I believe that if I continue using this method that I may be able to restore my skin back to its former pre~baby lovelyness...and if not, I will certainly come back with updates! If you have used this method before, share your oil recipes!

Thanks for reading

Peace :-)

Our Natural Kids

What a great time for Naturals! We live in a time where information can be shared and gathered with the touch of a mousepad. We can reach out to one another, learn from one another and make real connections from the comfort of our own homes. When I started my own Natural journey back in 2006 I had no idea of the wealth of information that was available. I continued my journey just the same, but without the support of other sistahs that had taken the steps before me. Today we have the YouTube Natural Hair Movement, which I am thrilled to say that I am a part of. Sistahs world wide are experimenting, learning, sharing, teaching...its a beautiful thing.

Recently, my daughter and I put together a brief 4 part video series on YouTube. (http://bit.ly/5KH2MN) The videos demonstrate the different methods and techniques that are used on my daughters (The LittleChick) natural hair. As a result of those videos we received an overwhelming amount of feedback (ideas, questions and comments) regarding the care and maintenance of our childrens kinky/curly/nappy hair.
While there are tons of blogs, sites, and YT vids dedicated to adult natural haircare, we dont find equal support for Our Natural Kids. SO...we decided to create a place devoted to our babies, where like minded folks can gather, blog, meet, share pics/vids, network and chat all in one.

Our Natural Kids is a Ning Network set up to do just that!

I believe that teaching our children to love and respect themselves just the way they are is very important and letting them love their natural hair is just the beginning!

Please Join Us!

http://bit.ly/9TDOjE

The SistahChick