Sweet treat? try Righteously Raw Chocolate Bars by Earth Source Organics

One of MY FAVORITE sweet treats right now is Righteously Raw chocolate truffle bars by Earth Source Organics. My Fav flavor is the 90% Cacao Goji Cacao Bar. Its raw cocoa covering high frequency berries and luscious figs. The best part about this guilt-free treat is its certified organic, Kosher, Vegan, Soy and Gluten Free, has no refined sugars and is made in a Nut-Free facility and its RAW! In general, the act of heating food over 116 degrees F destroys enzymes. Not so with this chocolate! Raw chocolate is not heated over 116 degrees F so all of the nutrients from the chocolate are still in tack so you get all the antioxidant benefits from the Cocoa. So it taste good and its good for you. :)

Locally (in Maryland that is), I've only been able to find this treat at my local natural store, The Natural. Ticket price is about $5.99 per/bar. You can also order online. So, when you are craving that chocolate fix, substitute the high fructose, DEAD chocolate for this!

To find out more about this AMAZING treat and the other options, check out Righteously Raw at Earthsourceorganics.com. You will be pleasantly pleased. Guilt-free pleasure! Yum!

Try all flavors of the Organic Raw Chocolate – Righteously Raw Chocolate Bars:

False Lashes without the fuss?... try Ready to Wear Lash Extensions

I absolutely love this picture of Christina Milian. Make-up and hair are flawless! The best part of her look, to me is her lashes! I believes Eyes are the gateway to our souls, eyebrows are the gatekeeps so that makes our eyelashes the gate!

BRIEF EYELASH HISTORY: In ancient Egyptian times, Egyptians lined their eyes with kohl and used mascara to deepen their lashes. Because eyes were believed to be the windows of the soul, they concealed their eyes to protect them from any evil spirits (the evil eye) and bad energy. In addition, it's also said that it was applied to protect the eyes from sand, bugs and dust and for vanity and seductive purposes. Egyptian women concealed their lashes with kohl, water, crocodile dung and honey.
Since ancient times, women have been fixated on the appearance of their eyelashes.

Whether you were blessed with long, curly, luscious lashes or if you need a little bit of a boost, I would suggest giving Ready to Wear Lash Extensions a world if you don't want to try the false lashes, which from personal experience, if not done properly, can really damage your real lashes! I've lost a few lashes trying to glue false ones on! So if you are not a professional, I would suggest trying this as it comes off easily with no fuss!

I was introduced to this amazing product by my beautiful cousin and gorgeous Aunt (hi family!). Once they started using the product, I noticed their lashes right away-- it looked absolutely amazing on them, so I had to find out what they were using. Of course, ladies in families always share their beauty secrets amongst each other... so hopefully I won't be "disenfranchised" for sharing this info ;)

The application process is pretty simple:

How to Apply Ready to Wear Lash Extensions--

STEP 1: Start with clean eyes. Prep your eye area by applying either jojoba oil or almond oil (MY SECRET.. shhhhhh) around the eye area. As a preventive regiment, continued use of either oil really helps to maintain a youthful eye free of wrinkles, provides excellent care to the delicate skin around the eyes and provides excellent condition to the eyelashes.

STEP 2: Apply one coat of your favorite mascara, or the Ready to Wear Mascara to lashes. DO ONE EYE AT A TIME SO MASCARA DOES NOT DRY.

STEP 3: Apply one coat of the Ready to Wear fibers to lashes.

Repeat STEPS 2 and 3 until lash fullness is achieved. Repeat all steps on other eye. May be used on lower lashes as well for a more dramatic effect.

TIP: Instead of using a eye make-up remover (which may contain alcohol and may be drying to the eye), you may remove your eye make-up (waterproof included) with Almond oil or Jojoba oil! Take a small amount of either oil to your fingertip and rub gently on the eye area. Once eye make-up has become lose, remove make-up with a cotton ball.

Coconut milk in hair

Happy Monday! Well, it was a great weekend for me. I made it to the shore... YES the Jersey Shore ... and it was great! one of the best keep secrets on the east coast -- at least to a Jersey girl at heart! :) The weather was perfect! My good karma lead me to Dicks Sporting Goods where I purchased a tent which happened to be on sale this past Saturday for $49.99 normally $79.00. Tent, chairs, blanket, and stocked cooler in tow, I hit the road for some fun in the sun! I hope your weekend was amazing as well... do share if you wish :) But to the topic at hand...

COCONUT MILK - FOR HAIR


For those of you who don't know, I love everything coconut! Its amazing. I cook with coconut oil, moisturize my skin with coconut oil, use coconut oil for hair, eat Purely Decedent coconut milk icecream, drink Coconut Milk by So Delicious... get my drift? I love love love coconut--- the oil and milk work wonders on hair and skin and is great for cooking. Regarding coconut milk for your hair, this is an inexpensive great conditioner. My first time applying this back in February 2010, I was truly amazed with my results.

Coconut Milk for Hair Recipe:

What you need:
I can of coconut milk, preferably organic with no additives
juice of one lime
1 tablespoon raw honey
1 tablespoon olive oil

What to do:
Open the can of organic coconut milk and remove the top. Cover the can with a lid or plastic bag and place in fridge and let sit for 1-2 days until cream forms on the top and becomes thick. In a small bowl mix just the creamy part of the coconut milk, squeeze in the lime juice and slowly add the olive oil and honey to the mix until well blended Part hair into four sections and apply the mixture to hair similar to how you would apply a relaxer. once hair is fully coated, place a plastic cap on and let stay in hair for 1-2 hours. During this time, you may apply a steam. Wet a towel and place in the microwave for apx. 3minutes. remove towel and wring excess water. Place towel over your head so the steam can "heat up" the treatment. Repeat as towels cools. Sometimes I apply the mixture then head to my gym and sit in the steamroom! Wash out and wash your hair as normal.

Results: Super soft shiny hair. Some people have said that applying coconut milk relaxes the curl pattern and other have not. For me it did relax my curl pattern quit a bit. Please share your results!

TIP: I've heard a lot of people complain about the coconut milk "dripping". Try applying the milk like you would a perm, dividing your hair in sections and smoothing on each small section of your hair. Make sure you are only using the cream that forms on the top, not the oil that separates on the bottom of the can. Also, the addition of the honey and olive oil with thicken the mixture.

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Liquid Daily Sunblock, SPF 70, 1.4 fl oz

Best Sunscreen?

My Disclaimer: I know that not all of my products are natural, (lol), but like I said, its a journey and I'm getting there.. I do love my make-up and if I can't find something all natural I try to get the next best thing.

Having provided my disclaimer, lets move on shall we! TIP: If you don't do so already, one of the best things you can do for your face is wear sunscreen/sunblock everyday. All skin shades need protection from the sun to prevent wrinkles, cracks, avoid skin cancer etc. I've been doing this for about 6 years based on the recommendation of a phenomenal esthetician that I was seeing when my skin was in MAJOR disarray. Part of my daily morning routine now includes applying sunblock/sunscreen to my face. Yes! You read it right. For the past few years, I've used Obagi sunscreen (amazing stuff). While I love this product, its always good to explore and test new products and I was looking for a sunscreen that did not contain zinc. Some sunscreens/sunblocks that contain zinc can leave a white residue on your face. While in Target yesterday, I came across a new zinc- free sunblock by Neutrogena, Ultra Sheer Liquid Daily Sunblock, SPF 70. What caught my attention was Neutrogena's claim that it works beautifully alone or under makeup and moisturizers.

I have really oily skin, so I actually DON'T put any moisturizer on my skin during the day, just a sunscreen and Jojoba oil around my eyes and mouth, so I thought this would be good under my make-up. (BONUS TIP: At bedtime I put Jojoba oil, Vitamin E OR Almond oil on my face and wake to a fully moisturized and revived face!) I figured I would give this product a whirl, right? Why not? After all, I am a product junkie and love trying new things. I did read that some people felt a burning tingling after applying, so as soon as I got home, I tested some inside my wrist to see if I had an allergic reaction. (I have sensitive skin --- geesh.. oily and sensitive skin.. what a combination right? :) Anyway, I had no allergic reaction to it. I applied it this morning and it feels great! Weightless, NO white residue, no burning/tingling sensation.. so far so good! So, I would recommend it! Has anyone else tried it? LMK your results!

Lemon and Water

At one point in my life, I must admit it, yes, I was a "Starbuck-ian"! I had to have my caramel frappuccino or an iced coffee black, a few times a week. Now, I no longer drink coffee (well very rarely --once every few months- if that). My morning drink of choice is now something lighter and more refreshing and I have not looked back! This amazing ritual that I've learned along the way stems from the practices of Ayuverda (the science of life). Drinking a glass of purified lukewarm water with lemon every morning is very beneficial. Just mix the juice and the pulp of the lemon with purified lukewarm water. Not only will this hydrate your body when you drink it first thing in the morning, there are many other benefits as well. What are these lemon water benefits you may ask? Well here are my...

Top 5 Benefits of Lemon Water:

1. Helps to flush out toxins from your liver
2. High in vitamin C to help with infections.
3. Also contains good amount of vitamin B, riboflavin and minerals like calcium, phosphorus, magnesium along with proteins and carbohydrates
4. Controls high blood pressure
5. Acts as a blood purifier


In addition, throughout the day, I drink water with a bit of lemon and/or a pinch of cayenne pepper. (See post on the Power of Lemons and the Power of Cayenne Pepper)

TIP: For those of you who are concerned with the effects to the enamel on your teeth, after you drink the lemon water, you can clean your teeth. Toothpaste is highly alkaline having a neutralizing effect on the acids in your mouth. The lemon is still acidic until you metabolize it, when it then has an alkaline effect on the body.

TIP 2: Lemon has tons of other benefits when applied topically as well. (See my post on the Power of Lemons)

Previous Quotes

Compassion is the wish for another being to be free from suffering; love is wanting them to have happiness. ~Dalai Lama -posted 7/21/2010


Love and kindness are the very basis of society. If we lose these feelings, the survival of humanity will be endangered. ~Dalai Lama -posted 7/14/2010

An affectionate disposition not only makes the mind more peaceful and calm, but it affects our body in a positive way too. ~Dalai Lama<-ended 8/6/10


Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. ~Lao Tzu --ended 8/9/10

Carrot, Apple, Ginger and Lemon Juice

My favorite fresh juiced drink is carrot, apple, ginger with lemon! Yummie.... This is a very popular drink amongst "juicers" and is packed with Vitamin A and C- which is great for the hair, skin and nails. Here is my recipe:

What you need:
high quality juicer (I use the Jack LaLanne power juicer pro)
8 carrots
2 apples
piece of ginger (to your taste)
1 lemon (juice, pulp and pith)
Shaker (martini shaker is fine)
ice
makes 2cups/16oz

What to do:
Wash and clean carrots, apples and lemon. Cut the tips off the carrots and slice the apples in half if they are too large to fit down the juicer. Power-up your juicer and toss in carrots, apples and ginger. Place ice in the shaker and pour the fresh juice over the ice. Cut lemon in half and squeeze the juice, scrape the pulp and pith and add all of these to the fresh juice. Place the lid on the shaker and lightly shake to chill the juice. Strain juice into glass and… Voila! Enjoy your fresh squeezed juice!


Top benefits of carrots: Excellent source of Vitamin A and Beta Carotene. Therefore, carrots are great for hair and nails, elasticity of your skin and also supports vision function.

Top benefits of apples: Apples are high in Vitamin C, fiber and over 200 trace nutrients. Apples contain potassium, which aids in the water balance of the body and are good for muscle function.

Top benefits of ginger: Ginger stimulates digestion.

Top benefits of lemon: Lemon acts as a blood purifier and improves the body’s ability to get rid of toxins.

This combination provides an amazing liver cleansing, blood purifying, and health intestinal drink.

*Juicing a carrot removes the indigestible fibers (all that stuff that is collected in the back of the juicer bin) allowing for greater absorption of the nutrients in carrots.

**General Tip when juicing: Try to drink your juice within 15-20 minutes of juicing for maximum nutrient absorption.

***Remember—everything in life must be balance…

How to Henna

Simplicity is the best policy for me and this simple recipe works best for me!

What you need:
Mixing bowl, plastic
Mixing spoon
2 plastic caps
2 pairs of plastic gloves
Newspaper
Towels
100gms of Henna (1box)
4 bags of Green tea
2 cups hot water
2 tablespoons of olive oil or 2 tablespoons of coconut oil
2 tablespoons of raw honey
Essential oil (sweet orange, lavender or vanilla) (optional – to kill the cut hay smell)
Inexpensive but good conditioner
Deep conditioner
Comb
4 Hair Clips
Rattail Comb

What to do:

Step 1: Wash your hair! You can do a co-wash if you wish, but if hair is dirty, then do a regular shampoo since you will not wash your hair after the henna is washed out. NOTE: I like to do a clarifying shampoo before applying my henna to ensure super clean hair. Wring hair so it is damp, not wet.

Step 2: Add 4 bags of green tea to 2 cups hot water and let seep until cool. (Apx. 15mins) Pour henna into a separate plastic bowl. Once green tea is cool/warm, slowly add the green tea to the henna until a thick paste is achieved. Put cover over the mix and let sit for 15-20 minutes.

Step 3: Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil or coconut oil, 2 tablespoons of raw honey and 6-10 drops of essential oil to your henna mix until well blended sort of like a pudding. Cover the mixture.

Step 4: Place newspaper on the floor, put on plastic gloves and have your plastic cap handy.

Step 5: Divide hair into four sections. Apply hennas starting at the base of the neck and work your way up to the top, finishing the back first and the front last. (Do not over manipulate the henna, but make sure it evenly coats each strand).

Step 6: Cover head with a plastic cap and let henna sit for a minimum of 2 hours. Some people chose to sleep in it overnight.
During this process, you can do one of 2 things:
1. “Steam” to warm up the henna while in your hair. Take a wet towel and place in the microwave for apx. 3 minutes or until almost hot and place on your head so the steam heats the henna. Repeat this process when the towel gets cool.
2. Sit under a hooded dryer. Do this only 5-10 minutes max a time and then 20 minutes off. You do not want the henna to get hard, just get heat to it.

Step 7: Rinse henna thoroughly from hair. Once most of the henna is out of your hair, you will need to do several rinses with the good, but inexpensive conditioner until the wash is clear. I personally use either Yes to Carrots or Neutrogena. Do not manipulate the henna while rinsing.

Step 8: IMPORTANT STEP!!! Comb hair—it should be virtually tangle free at this point, and apply a deep moisturizing conditioner. If your hair does not like protein (like mine) then use a good conditioner that contains shea butter or olive oil. Leave in for apx. 30mins then rinse thorough…

Tada! Style as usual! Happy henna'ing! Please share your henna stories and other recipies!
I will post a video tutorial of this shortly!

EXTRA TIP: the ladies at HennaSooq.com, HennaforHair.com and Butters-n-bars.com have some amazing information and products! Check them out when you can.

Dabur Vatika Oil

Hola~

Well, one of my favorite hair oils right now is Dabur Vatika Oil, enriched coconut hair oil, export quality. I purchased this back in March from my FAVORITE local Indian store. A small bottle ran me about $3.99. super buy-- right? RIGHT! I've been using it for months now and I swear by it! It is truly an amazing product. I also bought a bottle for my Nana and my Mom who both love the product now. The results I've experienced from Vatika are substantial hair growth, overall strength in each hair strand, super soft darker richer hair color, and amazing shine (not too oily- and I have oily hair).. this really is an all in one product. I will post pics soon of before and after Vatika Oil use. I experience instantly results in the shine and texture of my hair. After use, my roots are super straight when I wear my my hair straight, and the perfect curl when i wear it curly.

Directions for use (My personal): The best way to apply Vatika oil, from my experience, is to take a small amount and place on each finger tip. Massage the oil into your scalp with your finger tips, starting at your edges and working inward to the center of your scalp in a counter-clockwise motion. Do this for apx. 1-3 minutes every other night. The night before you plan to wash your hair, you can "oil" your hair through "Hair Oiling" procedures. You will saturate your hair with the Vatika oil. (check out post on "Hair Oiling" for information on how to do this.)


Product description: Dabur Vatika Enriched Coconut Hair Oil provides natural nourishment to your hair. Giving it body and radiance, taking care of the critical balance of nutrients. Dabur Vatika Enriched Coconut Hair Oil is a delicate mix of pure coconut oil with special hair care herbs including henna, amla and lemon. Blended together to strengthen each strand of hair from within, making you look really gorgeous.

Product Ingredients: Dabur Vatika Enriched Coconut Hair Oil is a premium coconut hair oil enriched with Henna, Amla (Indian Gooseberry), Lemon and five other trusted herbs. Dabur Vatika Enriched Coconut Hair Oil unique natural formulation ensures deeper oil penetration. Giving your hair and scalp complete nourishment for problem free, healthy hair. While Henna forms a protective coat to prevent oxidation, Amla strengthens the hair-roots and the astringent action of Lemon prevents dandruff. Dabur Vatika Enriched Coconut Hair Oil is a herbal oil for nourishment to the scalp and hair. Superior to coconut oil as it contains vital herbs and milk with coconut oil base. Herbs provide nourishment, prevent overall hair damage.

Where to buy: Local Indian store. If you do not have a local store that sells this, you can purchase this product on Amazon.com. Make sure that you get the "export quality".

Henna History.. my personal story

Hola! I have always been interested in applying henna to my hair. As a child, my mom often mentioned how she used to put henna in her hair in the 60's and the wonders that it did for her hair. My mom had natural, beautiful hair that cascaded down her back. This is a relatively new idea in the west, but has been done for centuries in India. Here is a little bit of my "action taken" beginning 1/2010 leading up to now-- as a self proclaimed "Henna Pro". These are old entries, all in one so you can see the process-- hope my end result saves you some time when making your decision to henna your hair!

2/19/2010
So today I am going to get henna’ed! Wohoo.. I decided to let a professional put in my first application of Henna. My mom used to get henna in her hair when she was younger (in the 60/70’s) and she actually suggested that I go to a professional. There are a lot of Indian threading salons in my area (gotta love metropolitan living) so I asked the lady who does my eyebrows and she is going to put the henna in for me an then they have a stylist that will wash and set my hair. I am super excited and can’t wait to tell you about the results. At a cost of $40 for henna application and $25 for a style, it definetly is a little more costly then going to the local Indian store or whole foods, but when it comes to trying stuff in my hair, I like to go to a professional the first time around. In addition, it will save hours of my time prepping etc and ensuring that I don’t get henna all over my bathroom or in my tub. Yuck! And besides, I really don’t care about the cost, because by the time you do “trial and error” at home a few times, the cost will probably be the same.


2/20/10
So everyone, bad news :( I was not able to get my henna yesterday. I missed a call from the lady who was going to put in the henna for me and she advised that her stylist was out sick! I had to reschedule for next Friday, February 26th. Bummer, but not so bad! I think I will try the coconut milk (SEE COCONUT MILK FOR MORE DETAILS ON THIS!) in my hair tomorrow instead. I’ll let you know how it goes.

2/26/2010
Soooo disappointed. Not able to get henna in my hair again. The stylsit is out sick. Bad weather in the Northeast... maybe this is a sign that I can do this myself? Hummmm... lets see.. let the journey begin. There is a local Indian store right down the street with tons of imports from India... i'll pay them a visit.

2/28/2010
OH YEAH... so, the Indian store had henna... it was in a yellow box and the brand was and surprisingly it was only $2.99 a box! Who knew?! wow.. really cheap! While at the Indian store, I asked the lady at the counter about mixing the henna. She did not speak a lot of english, but her response was "Very good" and she gleamed and smiled. She showed me with hand signals how to mix it and told me to use coffee or tea to mix with the henna. I thought I heard her wrong? But after surfing the net that evening on "How to mix henna?", I discovered that I she did tell me to coffee or tea. A little leary, I decided to put my henna application off yet again. I think i'll shelf my box until I have more infor on it. I also found some henna at whole foods.

3/14/2010
Okay, so the henna at whole foods that I purchased by Rainbow did not get good reviews online! It also contains other chemicals and additives. I think that when I'm ready to use my henna I will stick with the PURE HENNA from the Indian store.

4/29/2010
I know.. its been soooo long it seems and I still haven't henna. :/ I've done a ton of research on it and finally decided to put the henna in this weekend. Wish me luck! I have a great recipe based off of the tips from the lady in the Indian market, www.hennaforhair.com, www.mehandi.com and the ladies of www.CurlyNikki.com websites.


5/1/2010
I LOVE HENNA! my experience was extremely successful and I am pleased. This will become part of my daily routine. Check out my post dated 5/1 titled "Finally Henna - and Loving it!" for details, tips, my recipe and results.

Tea Tree Oil and who knew!?

this is an old journey entry...

2/15--

Today I was super frustrated with my hair after workouts! SO I decided to go on a quest to see what I could find that would help to alleviate salt from my hair after each workout. After working out for 2 hours at the gym and ruining my style that I just spent 3 hours perfecting on Saturday, Monday rolls around and my kickboxing and body pump class at the gym caused me to sweat like I was hiking in the amazon and ruined my hair do! It’s the story of my life right now…  wash my hair on Thursday -- mess the hair up on Monday at the gym -- and have a “pony” Tues-Thursday at work. While this is a pretty good regiment, I’ve notices that the salt buildup that resides in my hair is not good and I notice some breakage. I decided to see what I could find that would cleanse my scalp without having to rewash and set my hair after a workout. I prefer to use all natural products, and have been doing so for the past year, After I left the gym, my sister called and to much of my surprise asked me what products I had been using my my hair because she wanted to buy some. Who knew? Just when you think your hair is a disaster, someone else sees the beauty in you and want to know what you are doing! So I gave her a list of my all natural products, then we somehow ended up meeting at Beauty First, which is in the same parking lot as my gym. My sister still gets the creamy crack in her hair, so she is not as concerned about alcohol free and all natural products as I am. I meet her there and guided her to a few products along with the sales girl. While there, I spotted the Ojon line – a product line that I have used in the pass—while on the creamy crack! They have a shampoo free hair cleanser that you spray in your hair and it is said to cleanse your scalp. Who knew! While on my journey to find some products for my sister, had I found my holy grail? Did the universe lead me exactly to what I was looking for and just pondered on that morning? Without looking at the price tag, I grabbed up the “holy grail” and could not wait to try it! Can you believe I did not even look at the ingredients? Not typical for me at all! I took it home and begin spraying on my hair as instructed on the bottle. I massaged and brushed it through my hair, wrapped my hair for the night with hopes of great success in the morning “comb down”. As I meditated and begin to unwind for the night while lying in my bed, it hit me… Sharron- you did not read the ingredients! What the?! All this hard word to keep chemicals and alcohol out of your hair and you work out for 2 hours, hit the sauna, skip dinner and you get momentarily delirious! (see what it’s so important to eat! It keeps your mind right  ) I got out of bed and realized the ingredients contained alcohol, sulphur etc.. all the things I was trying to rid my hair of. I begin to drift off initially angry with myself, then I realized that this is a process—and drifted off to sleep. Needless to say, the next morning – the “holy grail” was not worthy of such a title, at least for me and my current journey. It left my hair slightly brittle... while easy to manage, it did not provide the results I dreamed of… It could have been psychological- that I didn’t want it to work because it contained alcohol. So 2/16, I was back on my quest again. I decided to surf the net to see what all natural products provide a natural astringent. It hit me then that every morning, I cleanse my face after washing with a quick coat of witch hazel on a cotton swab. Could the same astringent that I used on my face cleanse my scalp? Hummmmm… I’ve heard that a lot of beauticians recommend this to their clients who get weaves to cleanse their scalp of impurities. I may try it.. Next I thought of tea tree oil. Tea Tree Oil (also known as Melaleuca) is a natural antibacterial disinfectant that treats several ailments. Tea Tree oil helps unblock clogged hair follicles, moisturizes hair and keeps the scalp free of bacteria and fungal problems. Could this be it?! Perhaps mixed with water or olive oil, hummmm... it would be my holy grail…. So guess I will try both. The search continues… I’ll keep you posted.


UPDATE: Tea tree oil mixed with water in a water bottle did the trick for me! love it!

Welcome!

So, I decided to start this blog because my health, spirituality, quest for nirvana, natural hair journey, and overall essence of life awareness have become quite the journey-- a very exciting journey-- for me over the past couple of years and I figure there must be others going through the same thing as me or at some point would be going through the same thing as me, so I decided to share my journey and hope that what I have learned and am learning along the way can be helpful or inspiration to others. This path of enlightenment has been very freeing physically, spiritually, emotionally as well as mentally. Through this blog, I would like to share my experience from finding love, happiness and peace within to full manifestation through the physical self. I truly hope you enjoy my experiences! Feel free to explore and enjoy... Much love