Weekly Inspiration

The minute you settle for less than you deserve, you get even less than you settled for.




- Maureen Dowd

The importance of PH balance

The importance of ph balance was presented to me when I read Cathy Howse’s (Howse) book. With this knowledge in the back of my mind I went out and bought huge bottles of Kera Care ph balance shampoo (6) and conditioner (4.5). Since starting my healthy hair journey I completed veered away from those products. The reason is because of all the rave reviews on different products from other women with similar hair goals. Needless to say, these bottles went on the back burner for a long time. Now that I’m so far into my transition certain products are not working like they use to. So I’m in an in-between stage with products and to avoid pjism I went back to the basics.

After reviewing Howse book, again, and doing research I decided to revisit ph balance. PH is the measure of how acidic or alkaline a product is. The optimal ph balance for hair is 4.0-5.5 on a scale of 1-14: seven being neutral. All hair falls in range of 4.0-6.0 on the ph scale and is naturally acidic. According to Howse, “shampoos that lather a lot are too alkaline for our hair”. Additionally, alkaline products raise the hair cuticle and goes inside the hair shaft which is a no, no. Shampoos that are specific for damaged, color treated, or chemically treated hair is ideal and usually the correct ph for our hair.

As you know I’m addicted to you tube! During my research period Kim on kimmytube was researching herself on ph balance and the science of hair in general. She too read Howse book and found it very interesting. Kim made a concoction of her own ph balance leave in conditioner that she shared on her channel.

For the last couple of weeks, I put together my own leave in conditioner mix based on kimmaytube method. The measurements I used were not precise but these are the products I used: Cantu Shea butter leave in, aloe vera juice, coconut oil, and castor oil. This mix has a ph balance of 5 and the ph for the cantu Shea butter alone is 6. The results were very soft moisturized hair on the first day but dry on the second. Also, I noticed that the leave in mix left white clumps in my hair. So I went back to the mixing board and will give a review on my new leave in concoction soon. My goal is to have my leave in mix at ph balance of 4. Results on my new mix are coming soon!

Is there anything I can do to get rid of cellulite?

A: No — and that hurts me to say just as much as it hurts you to hear. Cellulite is a matter of age and genetics. It has everything to do with how your skin lies over the layer of adipose fat underneath it — so our best bet for reducing the appearance of cellulite is simply to lower our overall body fat with proper diet and exercise. In addition to reducing body fat, toning the muscles in your problem areas can help a bit by creating a firmer surface for the fat to rest on.


And at the end of the day, remember that nobody's perfect. Even the hottest Hollywood starlet has a little cellulite (at least that's what I read in the tabloids — and those girls still look hot in a bikini). Do what you can to improve how you look, but don't beat yourself up over things you can't control. What's a few dimples, anyway?

--Jillian Michaels

Shoe Haul - Endless.com

Here are two pair of sandals I just had to share with you guys. They are so sexy and I've received so many compliments. As always, I bought these sandals on endless.com with free overnight and return shipping. Both sandals are by designer Michael Antonio which are very, very comfortable and affordable.

You have to check these out on the website. They have gold studs up the back and down the heel. High platform but very comfortable. $57

These sandals were on sale for $26 so this purchase was a no brainer.

How do you encourage someone to stay on the Natural road?

Last night I was talking to my mom and she was really disappointed in her current hair style. After seeing my crochet braids, my mom had tree braids done as her protective style. As you know, my mom and I are both transitioning. Well it seems the braider did a very poor job the second time around. My mom was so frustrated and said “I should just go get a perm and wear my hair.” Of course I responded by saying “Mom you can wear “your hair” without having a perm.” Maybe I’m a little naïve because it shocked me that my mom thought she couldn’t wear “her hair” without a relaxer. Well her response to my last statement was “my hair doesn’t like to co-operate with me.” Of course, I told her that it takes a lot practice and finding the right products for her hair.

So my plan of action is to send her an email of different sites for natural and transitioning sisters as encouragement. Hopefully, she doesn’t cave in to the creamy crack. At this point my mom has been transitioning since November 2008 (I think) and I thought she embraced her new growth. Hopefully, I can talk her out of taking the plunge and she continues to transition. She only has a couple of inches of relaxed ends left but of course the shrinkage is stopping her from BC’ing at this time. I totally understand her feelings because I share them. Any help from you guys is greatly appreciated! As always, I’ll keep you posted!!

Weekly Inspiration

"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear ... "


1 John 4:18

Fighting another weight plateau

Yes, once again I find myself fighting another plateau which cause for a self re-evaluation. Bad eating habits are the culprit this time around. Every week I prepare my meals and brown bag it to work. Except for the last two weeks; I’ve ate out more than usual. Since I’m not dieting, depriving myself food is not an option so if I want chocolate then chocolate it is. However, moderation is the key and I lost focus over the last two weeks. More over, my workout routines stayed the same which caused me not to gain weight or lose it.

The first plan of action is to trim down the number of times I eat out. For instance, last week I had a business lunch and dinner out with a best friend. Next time, I’ll plan dinner with a friend the following week and add an additional day of cardio. Cardio is my secret weapon against the excess pounds and I hate it so. Yes, I hate cardio but it’s necessary for me so I deal with it. The next step is to switch up my workout for muscle confusion in order to keep my body guessing. For example, adding an extra ½ mile to my daily mile run. Then finally I purchased a new cardio DVD by Jillian Michaels “Banish Fat Boost Metabolism”. The review on the DVD is coming soon!

All in all, I love my new body and 13 lbs makes such a BIG difference and I only have 10 more to go for reaching my goal. Several people advised me to stay at my current weight and that I look great. Even though the compliments are pouring in I have to stay focus on my goal and get the last 10 lbs off. For my height, another 10 lbs is ideal and healthy; I just hope my body agrees. Once the last 10 lbs are gone I plan to tone which will lead to weight gain. BUT muscle weight gain is always welcomed by me.

149 lbs January 2010

145lbs February 2010

139lbs March 2010

136lbs