delicious!

my friend showed me this the other day. you just rub it on your neck, decolletage, or wrists for an amazing scent. its size is great for travel and the the lemon vanilla (shown above) is perfection.
$18, sephora.

beware of the pick

do you have one of those black power/peace afro picks?

i’m just going to make this brief. be careful with that thing. it should seriously be used sparingly, or else your hair will break off a lot more than normal. even if you comb it through the roots a little bit, just to volumize. the super stiff metal teeth pull the hair in a really dangerous way if used frequently, and you could lose a substantial amount of hair.

and of course, eat well. take vitamins. especially biotin if you’re noticing weakness and hair loss. an unbalanced diet will also result in hair loss if you use styling tools like picks and tight headbands.

oiling scalp for dandruff

if you’re a regular reader, it’s obvious that i’ve had issues with my dry, itchy scalp and dandruff. a friend of mine and i were talking about this a little bit ago, and she suggested oiling my scalp and not washing it too much. that’s when it hit me, i would hardly ever moisturize my scalp. so i’ve been doing so with olive oil and my qhemet biologics heavy cream for the past month. i’ll massage and moisturize my scalp whether i’m co-washing or shampooing. it has definitely made a huge difference, and i recommend this to anyone who is dealing with the same issue. it’s easy to forget if you tend to be on the go.. especially if you co-wash once every few days, quickly moisturize your hair, and go to work/school. but just taking that extra one or two minutes can save you a lot of frustration, embarrassment, and irritation!

don’t use too much oil, a quarter sized amount will do for a large portion of your head.

THE OFFICIAL STAPLES

i’m so sorry for taking so long on this, everybody!! here they are. the most popular, most loved, most necessary products among black queens.

above (in order of most popular): fruit of the earth aloe vera gel, dr. bronner’s castile soap, vegetable glycerin, and extra virgin olive oil.

where can i find this stuff? extra virgin olive oil is available in any and all grocery stores. the stuff you cook with works fine. FOTE aloe vera can be found in many supermarkets and grocery stores as well. veggie glycerin can be purchased at health food stores, or online. a lot of supermarkets will carry it as well. the same goes for dr. bronners, but you’ll be most likely to find it in your local health food store or drugstore.com.
honorable mentions: castor oil, coconut oil.

erica’s picks: dr. bronner’s castile soap, elucence moisture balance conditioner, coconut oil, world of curls gel.

shiraz’s picks: trader joe’s nourish spa conditioner, qhemet biologics heavy cream, henna, auromere tulsi-neem soap.

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BIG thanks to everyone who participated!!

one3snapshot.com

check these out:

(ahem: also notice what has been added to my “to-buy” list…)

these designs are beyond amazing, and i just had to share. i learned of them from afrobella (who is also beyond amazing). check her out here, and make sure you go to one3snapshot.com for more info on their designs and t-shirts.

side dish: new product reviews and my final update for the does it really work challenge coming soon!

G*ology

i was browsing the net for some afro t-shirts, and happened to stumble upon this:

i immediately fell in love with it, along with another shirt that reads: my afro is too big for this tiara. these lovely shirts come from g*ology, an online t-shirt shop that i most definitely plan on buying from in the near future. the only downfall is that the shirts will be pretty expensive due to the british currency. regardless, these shirts are pretty cool. i love the use of bright colors that stand out, almost as much as our hair. most importantly, the designs make me smile. they’re simple and to the point.

check out g*ology for yourself! http://gology.bigcartel.com/