Oh how sweet it isn't! Yet another reason why you should limit your sugar intake
A few years ago I was religious about eliminating sugar from my diet. This change came after stumbling onto a website, a while back, and reading of a study where a dog given a diet of only water outlived a dog provided a diet of sugar water. That was the moment that I knew I had to make a decision to limit the amount of sugar I take in on a regular basis.
I then proceeded to eliminate as much refined sugar as possible from my diet. Not buying a pack of snack cakes was easy. But when I found out that my loaf of bread and the ketchup I use both contained sugar, I came to the realization that giving up sugar would be harder than I first thought. I have since backslided from my commitment made years ago to eliminate sugar. No, I'm not to the point of buying snack cakes, but I haven't been as disciplined with checking the labels of common food for sugar levels.
Well, I'm going back to my no-sugar-eatin' ways. The cause of my turnaround was when I found out that, amoungst many other reasons, sugar can cause spit ends. Yes, split ends! I first read about this in a book on healthy hair and when I thought about it, this made perfect sense.
When I studied the effects of sugar on the body years ago, I learned that because refined sugars are devoid of nutrients, the body actually has to use its own nutrient reserves just to break down the sugar in your system. Hence, the reason why we experience tooth decay when we consume too much sugar. We are using the body's calcium to digest it. Along with calcium, sugar also depletes the body's copper reserves. In fact,a recent study found that rats fed a diet high in sucrose experienced three times the reduction in copper compared to rats who were fed a diet rich in starch. A deficiency in copper, my friend, is one cause of split ends. Copper, in general, is extremely important for the health of your hair. In fact, according to Hair Vitalizer.com, copper stimulates the cells that are responsible for the substances that are present during the hair's growth phase. Without an ample copper reserve, you may not experience the same level of growth that you would normally with a balanced diet.
Sugar should be technically thought of as a poison because it actually robs our bodies of essential nutrients leaving behind only empty calories for which your body has no use for. That is like giving someone your car for thousands of dollars only to find out that the money was counterfeit. You gave up something of value and what you are left with is worthless. 
Your hair grows directly from inside of you and relies on your nutritional stores for its healthy state. Because we are choosing to relax our hair, we have to make sure that we are growing the healthiest, strongest, hair possible so that it can somewhat withstand the harsh process. Sugar undermines all of our efforts at achieving great health and we must no longer allow this to happen. Today, I urge you to begin to look a little more closely at the amount of sugar your are consuming on a regular basis (the average American consumes 2-3 pounds a week). Think of sugar not as the sweet confectionery treat but as a dangerous poison. I know how hard it is to eliminate refined sugar from your diet (in fact, its nearly impossible). Instead of going cold turkey, why not try some simple alternatives like fruit juice with no sugar added or a some ripe grapes in lieu of bit sized chocolates. Fruit sugars, unlike refinded sugars, come equipped with enzymes that aid's its degestion. This means that the body uses less of its own nutrients to digest it. Going forward, I want you to be aware of the sugar levels in the foods you eat so you can make conscious daily choices to limit your sugar intake for your health and the health of the beautiful hair of yours.
My Hair Obsession: The Humble Beginnings
As long as I can remember, I have always had a fascination with all things hair. It all started when I was a young lad, my earliest hair related memory is one that I actually don't remember. My mom tells of a time when I was merely a toddler just embarking on that time in my life when most youngin's start to explore. For me exploring would lead me to my first true love, my hair.
According to my mom, she was busy tending to the household when she finally realized that she hadn't heard the normal rumblings of a child playing nearby. That is when she decided to investigate and find out just what I was doing. It wasn't until later that she found her child, in a room by herself, with a nearly empty container of hair grease. The contents of the container were spread all over my hair, my clothes, and other unfortunate places in that room. Thus it began..........
My personal memories start to solidify at around 7 years of age. My mother, wanting to make her child happy, would buy me these dolls that stood almost as tall as I was. The purpose of the doll was for a child like me to take my new play friend by the hand and walk side by side. I, on the other hand, saw much greater purposes from my new possession. I devised clever schemes of how I could somehow transplant the doll's long, luscious hair to mine. One day my mom came home from her long day at work and asked my brother and I if we wanted to visit our local park. I told her I needed a few minutes to get ready and proceeded to create my own version of fusion weave by taking a portion of my doll's hair and somehow attaching it to the end of my braid with the help of a little aluminum foil. The end result was a poorly constructed braid consisting of type 4 hair on the top half and silky doll hair on the bottom half.
Though my attempts at creating lengthy hair was extremely lacking, I still felt like a million bucks because I was able to gain several inches of length overnight. I still remember getting a second look from a cute boy at the park that day though I can't quite decipher if the look was one of admiration or mere curiosity.
Fast forward a couple of years when I would ride the school bus to receive my public education. Being one of only a hand full of minorities, I often stood out in the crowd as different from most others. I remember riding home on the bus and staring at the girls as they brushed their hair from their faces as the wind from the open bus window swept their hair in every direction. That was the moment when I had decided that I had outgrown my ponytails.
At around 10 years of age, my aunt came to town and asked my mom if she could take me to the fair. In preparation for the event, my aunt asked my mother if I could wear my hair down. I begged and pleaded for the opportunity to allow my hair to flow (relatively speaking) freely on this very special day. My mother, being the traditionalist that she was, agreed to allow the back half of my hair down only if the top half was placed into some sort of ponytail.
That half up, half down, hair do was the beginning of what would become my hair emancipation. For it was after that occasion that I had to have the dreaded conversation with my mother relinquishing her from her responsibilities of doing my hair. Much to my surprise, she had grown tired of messing with it and happily stepped down from her role as my personal hair stylist.
It was then that I began a long and arduous hair journey that created some frustration over the years. As a teenager, I was too often swayed by what others saw as suitable ways to treat their hair. As a result, the physical state of my hair fell short of my expectation time and time again. It was only after I began to search the farthest reaches of the internet for any and all available information that I began to witness any notable change.
Today, my hair journey has evolved to the creation of this blog. Is this blog here because I know everything there is to know about relaxed hair? On the contrary, this blog exists because of my desire to gain as much knowledge on how to perfect my hair as possible. My journey is no where near over but I am pleased to say that I am relishing every single step of the way.
According to my mom, she was busy tending to the household when she finally realized that she hadn't heard the normal rumblings of a child playing nearby. That is when she decided to investigate and find out just what I was doing. It wasn't until later that she found her child, in a room by herself, with a nearly empty container of hair grease. The contents of the container were spread all over my hair, my clothes, and other unfortunate places in that room. Thus it began..........
My personal memories start to solidify at around 7 years of age. My mother, wanting to make her child happy, would buy me these dolls that stood almost as tall as I was. The purpose of the doll was for a child like me to take my new play friend by the hand and walk side by side. I, on the other hand, saw much greater purposes from my new possession. I devised clever schemes of how I could somehow transplant the doll's long, luscious hair to mine. One day my mom came home from her long day at work and asked my brother and I if we wanted to visit our local park. I told her I needed a few minutes to get ready and proceeded to create my own version of fusion weave by taking a portion of my doll's hair and somehow attaching it to the end of my braid with the help of a little aluminum foil. The end result was a poorly constructed braid consisting of type 4 hair on the top half and silky doll hair on the bottom half.
Though my attempts at creating lengthy hair was extremely lacking, I still felt like a million bucks because I was able to gain several inches of length overnight. I still remember getting a second look from a cute boy at the park that day though I can't quite decipher if the look was one of admiration or mere curiosity.
Fast forward a couple of years when I would ride the school bus to receive my public education. Being one of only a hand full of minorities, I often stood out in the crowd as different from most others. I remember riding home on the bus and staring at the girls as they brushed their hair from their faces as the wind from the open bus window swept their hair in every direction. That was the moment when I had decided that I had outgrown my ponytails.
At around 10 years of age, my aunt came to town and asked my mom if she could take me to the fair. In preparation for the event, my aunt asked my mother if I could wear my hair down. I begged and pleaded for the opportunity to allow my hair to flow (relatively speaking) freely on this very special day. My mother, being the traditionalist that she was, agreed to allow the back half of my hair down only if the top half was placed into some sort of ponytail.
That half up, half down, hair do was the beginning of what would become my hair emancipation. For it was after that occasion that I had to have the dreaded conversation with my mother relinquishing her from her responsibilities of doing my hair. Much to my surprise, she had grown tired of messing with it and happily stepped down from her role as my personal hair stylist.
It was then that I began a long and arduous hair journey that created some frustration over the years. As a teenager, I was too often swayed by what others saw as suitable ways to treat their hair. As a result, the physical state of my hair fell short of my expectation time and time again. It was only after I began to search the farthest reaches of the internet for any and all available information that I began to witness any notable change.
Today, my hair journey has evolved to the creation of this blog. Is this blog here because I know everything there is to know about relaxed hair? On the contrary, this blog exists because of my desire to gain as much knowledge on how to perfect my hair as possible. My journey is no where near over but I am pleased to say that I am relishing every single step of the way.
Random Thought #1: My cousin will be bald by the end of this year
Random thought:
I have a female cousin who is not in tuned with the basic fundamentals of taking care of her relaxed hair.
Last week while at a family function, she nonchalantly moved a section of her hair aside so that she could reveal a massive area of baldness on her scalp.
I gasped in horror and quickly told her to cut off as much relaxer as she could (if she was willing) and to allow her hair to grow naturally (even if for only part of the year) before relaxing again.
She then proceeded to reminded me of a family wedding occurring in just a few short weeks and reaffirmed the fact that she could not attend the function without a fresh relaxer.
I then flashed back to the days when she would openly mock me for allowing myself to be seen in public with more than a quarter inch of new growth.
That's when I realized that my words were futile and no change would come about until she literally has no hair left on her head.
On the bright side......the red hair color she sports looks really nice.
The singer Rihanna is making waves in the style world. But we think this would be a lovely hairstyle for an African-American bride who wants to wear short hair on her wedding day!
Celebrity pictures for women - LXII
Mena's Second Try
Here comes the bride...
Well, not just yet, but Mena Suvari can start humming the Wedding March.
Yes, she's the latest lady on the celeb block to get engaged.
She and Canadian music producer Simone Sestito have decided to take the plunge.
Her rep's confirmed to Usmagazine.com that they got engaged while on holiday in Jamaica recently.
They met in 2007 during the Toronto International Film Festival.
This won't be the first nuptial trip for Mena - she was previously married to cinematographer Robert Brinkmann but filed for divorce in 2005 after five years of marriage.
Well, you know what they say, second time's a charm.
My first 30 Day Challenge for healthier hair
For the past several of years I have had a very strong interest in the area of personal development. One of my favorite PD bloggers is Steve Pavlina writer of Personal Development for Smart People. His website is chock full of valuable content geared to help you become the very best person you can be. One of my favorite posts of his was the 30 Day trial entry.
The basis of the 30 Day trial is to develop a habit by committing yourself to doing just one thing every single day. Once you commit to beginning the trial, you must remain faithful until the full 30 days have passed. If you miss one day, you need to start over. Once you have successfully completed your 30 day trial, you can make a sound decision on whether or not to continue with this habit based on your results. Chances are, your new behavior will continue after the 30 days simply because of the consistent action that you have been taking.
I've decided to take on a 30 day trial that will benefit my hair. I thought long and hard about an activity that I can do every day that will make a positive impact in the health of my hair. I finally came to the conclusion that for the next 30 days, I will:
Focus on improving my nightly routine. I will add my favorite oil/moisturizer to my hair every single night sometime before I go to sleep. I'll take extra care to focus on areas that need it the most including my ends and any other weak areas. Along with this I also plan on making sure to tie my hair down properly using the best scarves, wraps, etc that will stay on overnight and keep my hair protected until morning.
The end result of my actions will (hopefully) be shiny, healthier looking hair in the morning, every morning for the next 30 days. My hair will also become stronger because of the reduced friction now that my wrap will be secured more properly to stay on all night. My hair will also be nourished from the nutritional properties of the plant oils that I will apply every single night without fail.
Let me just say that I have made this promise to myself before. My downfall usually occurs when I fall asleep while watching a movie or something and neglect to moisturize/oil my hair before bed. When that happens, I grab whatever head wrap I can get my hands on, and manage somehow to tie my hair down with both of my eyes closed. This action is extremely futile because my hair is already in disarray when I secure the scarf.
Understanding fully that I am functionally a morning person, I will overcome my obstacle by putting in place some measures to help me in my success. First I will set a daily alarm on my blackberry (Yes, its that serious)informing me of my need to prepare my hair for bed. I'll set my alarm for 6:30 m or 7:00 pm so I can make sure to do my deed way before the Sandman comes to visit. My second safeguard will be to segment my 30 day challenge into a 7 day challenge for four weeks. For me a 7 day challenge will seem more manageable(achievable) and I can assess my success every Sunday. During my assessment, I will notate any noticeable benefits and use the progress to motivate me to keep going strong the following week.
Wish me luck. I'm off to start day one.
The basis of the 30 Day trial is to develop a habit by committing yourself to doing just one thing every single day. Once you commit to beginning the trial, you must remain faithful until the full 30 days have passed. If you miss one day, you need to start over. Once you have successfully completed your 30 day trial, you can make a sound decision on whether or not to continue with this habit based on your results. Chances are, your new behavior will continue after the 30 days simply because of the consistent action that you have been taking.
I've decided to take on a 30 day trial that will benefit my hair. I thought long and hard about an activity that I can do every day that will make a positive impact in the health of my hair. I finally came to the conclusion that for the next 30 days, I will:
Focus on improving my nightly routine. I will add my favorite oil/moisturizer to my hair every single night sometime before I go to sleep. I'll take extra care to focus on areas that need it the most including my ends and any other weak areas. Along with this I also plan on making sure to tie my hair down properly using the best scarves, wraps, etc that will stay on overnight and keep my hair protected until morning.
The end result of my actions will (hopefully) be shiny, healthier looking hair in the morning, every morning for the next 30 days. My hair will also become stronger because of the reduced friction now that my wrap will be secured more properly to stay on all night. My hair will also be nourished from the nutritional properties of the plant oils that I will apply every single night without fail.
Let me just say that I have made this promise to myself before. My downfall usually occurs when I fall asleep while watching a movie or something and neglect to moisturize/oil my hair before bed. When that happens, I grab whatever head wrap I can get my hands on, and manage somehow to tie my hair down with both of my eyes closed. This action is extremely futile because my hair is already in disarray when I secure the scarf. Understanding fully that I am functionally a morning person, I will overcome my obstacle by putting in place some measures to help me in my success. First I will set a daily alarm on my blackberry (Yes, its that serious)informing me of my need to prepare my hair for bed. I'll set my alarm for 6:30 m or 7:00 pm so I can make sure to do my deed way before the Sandman comes to visit. My second safeguard will be to segment my 30 day challenge into a 7 day challenge for four weeks. For me a 7 day challenge will seem more manageable(achievable) and I can assess my success every Sunday. During my assessment, I will notate any noticeable benefits and use the progress to motivate me to keep going strong the following week.
Wish me luck. I'm off to start day one.
Steals & Deals at WeddingThings.com
Our friends at Wedding Things are celebrating their ninth anniversary by giving some serious savings to brides-to-be. For a very limited time, these items are being offered at a deep discount.
Favors!
MONOGRAM HEART CANDLES - .35!
SCROLL FRAMES
$1.00
Tons of favor boxes on sale
CLEAR CUBE FAVOR BOXES
Just .50!
Bridesmaid loot! Tuck some tiny treasures into totes or goodie bags.
SPA SHOWER CREME
$2.95!
PRINCIPESSA PINK SPA SAMPLES
$1.00
BRIDAL PARTY TOTE BAG
$24.00
A couple of very inexpensive cake toppers:
SILVER BLOCK LETTER CAKE TOPPER
From: $19
SCRIPT INITIAL CAKE TOPPER
$16
Inexpensive wedding accessories? DONE!
WHITE SATIN RING PILLOW$12.00 - that's half off!
SATIN GUEST BOOK
$10.00 - Originally $30
Defintely check out the sale for yourself to see what other products are being offered. Just click HERE.
Favors!
MONOGRAM HEART CANDLES - .35!
SCROLL FRAMES
$1.00
Tons of favor boxes on sale
CLEAR CUBE FAVOR BOXES
Just .50!
Bridesmaid loot! Tuck some tiny treasures into totes or goodie bags.
SPA SHOWER CREME
$2.95!
PRINCIPESSA PINK SPA SAMPLES
$1.00
BRIDAL PARTY TOTE BAG
$24.00
A couple of very inexpensive cake toppers:
SILVER BLOCK LETTER CAKE TOPPER
From: $19
SCRIPT INITIAL CAKE TOPPER
$16
Inexpensive wedding accessories? DONE!
WHITE SATIN RING PILLOW$12.00 - that's half off!
SATIN GUEST BOOK
$10.00 - Originally $30
Defintely check out the sale for yourself to see what other products are being offered. Just click HERE.
Want stronger hair? Maybe you should start with your relaxer
As you all may know, I'm going through a phase where I'm searching for the most optimal means possible of adding much needed strength to my hair. So far I've been introduced to the Nanokeratin system by my stylist. Along with that, I also bought Silicon Mix w/Pearl Extract in hopes of benefiting from the strengthening pearl ingredient.
Today, while browsing various blogs online, I noticed Dr. Ali Syed shared with his readers a fabulous presentation on the type of damage that can occur to our hair during the coloring, styling, and relaxing process. His presentation will be shared with professional hair dressers on his visit to Europe.
I am most grateful that he shared presentation with us. He presents some great information that we (common folk) may not see on a regular basis. That's because most of the information is highly scientific in nature.
Dr. Syed immediately grabbed my attention on slide 48 where he shows the amount of cuticle layer loss which occurs during the relaxing process. Knowing how important the cuticle layer is to the health of our hair, I was disheartened to see how much loss occurs using a traditional traditional relaxer. According to the graph, the loss which occurs at the cuticle layer is about 90% more than in untreated (virgin) hair. Just before I started contemplating going natural, I noticed a third comparison of cuticle layer loss with the use of a fiber guard relaxer. According to the graph, the amount of cuticle loss with a fiber guard relaxer is about half of that with a normal relaxer.
I immediately went searching for more information on the fiberguard system. Apparently the fibergaurd system is one that is exclusively used in the Avlon's Affirm Relaxer with fiberguard. I found some reviews online and I thought I would share one or two of them with you.
This one was excerpted from a blackhairmedia.com thread:
"I use Fiberguard and I LOVE IT! It retains the tensile strength and elasticity of the hair, and it is excellent for color treated hair. My hairdresser uses Affirm and Fiberguard on my hair, depending on whether I have used color recently or not. Both relaxers work great. I used to use optimum before I switched to a hairdresser who used Affirm. That was 7 years ago, and I will not use any other relaxers. I urge you to try Affirm or Fiberguard."
Here's another post from LHCF:
"My stylist also uses Affirm Fiberguard on my hair, too. I have not had as much breakage since he's been using it. My last stylist used Affirm...not sure if it was Fiberguard and I always had really thick hair. After Hurricane Katrina I went through a stylist search and ended up using other brands. I had so much breakage and thinning. I found my new guy and he used Affirm FG and it is healthier. It is a plus for preventing/slowing breakage IMO. As far as CONS, maybe switching brands after using it for years was not a good idea. That is the only thing I can think of."
According to Avlon's website, strengthening polymers in the relaxer creme penetrates hair fibers leaving hair with significantly more tensile strength and elasticity after relaxing. The four-step system is also said to preserve up to 40% more of the hair's strength compared to conventional relaxers.
This information came to me at the most opportune time because I'm currently on the hunt for a new relaxer and I am seriously leaning towards ordering this product.
Right now I am experimenting with Mizani but I'm not totally sold yet. I have to admit that my hair feels extremely silky and soft right after application but after a couple of weeks, I'm no longer impressed with the appearance of my hair.
Prior to Mizani, I was faithfully using Deep Brilliance. I had no major concerns with Deep Brilliance, I just stopped using it because I could no longer purchase it from my local BSS.
To be completely honest with you, I have now reached a new level of thinking with regards to my hair care. I no longer want a mediocre product. I want a product working hard to protect the strength of my hair. I want my products to go to war against the evil powers that be which seek to damage my hair!!!!
I will continue to search both near and far until I can honestly say that I have thee absolute best products for my hair.
With that said, I will politely finish off the rest of the Mizani relaxer and quickly replenish my relaxer supply with Affirm Fiberguard. If Avlon's claims are true, by this time next year my hair will be a force to be reckoned with.
Today, while browsing various blogs online, I noticed Dr. Ali Syed shared with his readers a fabulous presentation on the type of damage that can occur to our hair during the coloring, styling, and relaxing process. His presentation will be shared with professional hair dressers on his visit to Europe.I am most grateful that he shared presentation with us. He presents some great information that we (common folk) may not see on a regular basis. That's because most of the information is highly scientific in nature.
Dr. Syed immediately grabbed my attention on slide 48 where he shows the amount of cuticle layer loss which occurs during the relaxing process. Knowing how important the cuticle layer is to the health of our hair, I was disheartened to see how much loss occurs using a traditional traditional relaxer. According to the graph, the loss which occurs at the cuticle layer is about 90% more than in untreated (virgin) hair. Just before I started contemplating going natural, I noticed a third comparison of cuticle layer loss with the use of a fiber guard relaxer. According to the graph, the amount of cuticle loss with a fiber guard relaxer is about half of that with a normal relaxer.
I immediately went searching for more information on the fiberguard system. Apparently the fibergaurd system is one that is exclusively used in the Avlon's Affirm Relaxer with fiberguard. I found some reviews online and I thought I would share one or two of them with you.
This one was excerpted from a blackhairmedia.com thread:
"I use Fiberguard and I LOVE IT! It retains the tensile strength and elasticity of the hair, and it is excellent for color treated hair. My hairdresser uses Affirm and Fiberguard on my hair, depending on whether I have used color recently or not. Both relaxers work great. I used to use optimum before I switched to a hairdresser who used Affirm. That was 7 years ago, and I will not use any other relaxers. I urge you to try Affirm or Fiberguard."
Here's another post from LHCF:
"My stylist also uses Affirm Fiberguard on my hair, too. I have not had as much breakage since he's been using it. My last stylist used Affirm...not sure if it was Fiberguard and I always had really thick hair. After Hurricane Katrina I went through a stylist search and ended up using other brands. I had so much breakage and thinning. I found my new guy and he used Affirm FG and it is healthier. It is a plus for preventing/slowing breakage IMO. As far as CONS, maybe switching brands after using it for years was not a good idea. That is the only thing I can think of."
According to Avlon's website, strengthening polymers in the relaxer creme penetrates hair fibers leaving hair with significantly more tensile strength and elasticity after relaxing. The four-step system is also said to preserve up to 40% more of the hair's strength compared to conventional relaxers.
This information came to me at the most opportune time because I'm currently on the hunt for a new relaxer and I am seriously leaning towards ordering this product.
Right now I am experimenting with Mizani but I'm not totally sold yet. I have to admit that my hair feels extremely silky and soft right after application but after a couple of weeks, I'm no longer impressed with the appearance of my hair. 
Prior to Mizani, I was faithfully using Deep Brilliance. I had no major concerns with Deep Brilliance, I just stopped using it because I could no longer purchase it from my local BSS. To be completely honest with you, I have now reached a new level of thinking with regards to my hair care. I no longer want a mediocre product. I want a product working hard to protect the strength of my hair. I want my products to go to war against the evil powers that be which seek to damage my hair!!!!
I will continue to search both near and far until I can honestly say that I have thee absolute best products for my hair.
With that said, I will politely finish off the rest of the Mizani relaxer and quickly replenish my relaxer supply with Affirm Fiberguard. If Avlon's claims are true, by this time next year my hair will be a force to be reckoned with.
Celebrities pictures for women (LXI)
Amy Poehler says she's bound for 'Office' spinoff
Amy Poehler confirmed to The Associated Press that she'll be joining the planned "Office" spinoff, paving the way for her eventual exit from "Saturday Night Live" and promoting the comedian to primetime.
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