From W Magazine to Chrissy Teigen to Asking Yourself Those Questions

I love W magazine.  My Aunt Yvonne would send us (Love Joy & Faith) the magazine when we were just 10 years old.  Well, I was 10.  It was our first exposure to high fashion beyond Vogue.  (We loved Vogue too by the way. ) I have been getting back into being me and that includes reading W magazine.  While reading W's article Natural Beauty Chrissy Teigen Loves Contouring I became inspired.  I wanted to know how I would answer these questions.  I wanted to know if I could answer these questions.  Would I like my answers to these questions? Then I wondered how Joy, who is almost my twin (we are the same age for nearly 4 months out of the year) would answer.  Then I asked myself, "How would my answers affect my life?" Would I need or rather want to get rid of somethings? Would I be a little more focused because I discovered/remembered part of myself? The questions are not what you would consider life changing but for me it was.  

Asking Joy the same questions also taught me a few things about myself as well as my sister.  I know Joy remembers me interviewing her but she was very ill at the time.  I was concerned wouldn't have the same impact for her.  Oddly enough I discovered this morning it did but I doubt she realizes it fully yet.  Joy, began to clear away all the bullshit in her head and think about what she wanted.  She has begun to focus on high fashion again and what makes life fun for her.  She said she wasn't going to try to adapt herself to others.  I know, you may think high fashion isn't important, but imagine if it were something else.  We all at some point people please.  We all forget what gets us going.  We all forget what we did that day we felt supper confident.  

My sister and I want to be our best spiritually, physically and emotionally.  This week for some reason Joy and I both are declaring what we want.  The Chrissy Teigen interview made me say hey let's answer this for ourselves.  We start with Joy's "interview" first.  I don't want our answers side by side.  Yes, it is okay to notice our difference but for me this is not about comparison.  For me, this is just an opportunity to share what works for us.  It is also an opportunity to remember we know what works for us; because the last few years it has been too easy to forget.

Joy Yascone

Your look in three words: 

Joy: bohemian. Cultured. Town-N-Country

Five-minute routine: 

Joy: tinted moisturizer, bronzer, lip gloss, blush peach, peachy nude lipstick, sea salt spray (hair), curl definer

Never leave the house without: 

Joy: Lip Gloss

Beauty from the inside out: 

Joy: Energy of love

Exercise regime:

Joy: Urban walks five to ten miles

Cleanse or not: 

Joy: Yes I cleanse, probiotic heavy (kevita, yogurt), berries, hot water and lemon juice (Inate response )

Beauty essentials:

Joy: lip gloss, lip liner, lipstick, deep conditioner 

Skincare secret: 

Joy: No smoking, No drugs

Hair remedy: Tracey Cunningham is my hair remedy.

Joy: Biolage deep conditioner

In-tub must-read: 

Joy: astrology charts

Spa-cation at: 

Joy: Kholer in Wisconsin 

Fragrance of choice: 

Joy: Mariel by H20 or anything that smells of the sea

Best advice from mom: 

Joy: be true to you

Best advice from the pros: 

Joy: not about what size you wear it is about how you wear it

Beauty icons: 

Joy: Alyssa Milano, Tandy Newton, Angelina Jolie, Marilyn Monroe, Kerry Washington

Love Yascone

Your look in three words: 

Love: Princess. Tomboy. Standout. 

Five-minute routine: 

Love: exfoliate lips, moisturize face (with SPF) if necessary, Bare Minerals Golden Tan powder adding more to the eyes, tinted Mineral Veil, Black mascara, liquid blush, lipstick and lip gloss

Never leave the house without: 

Love: lip gloss and breath mints

Beauty from the inside out: 

Love: Laughing at yourself

Exercise regime: 

Love: Club dancing (preference), Spinning (recently) 

Cleanse or not: 

Love: Yes, I look at what my body needs and determine what kind of cleanse from there.

Beauty essentials:

Love: Facial Moisturizer, Lip Gloss

Skincare secret: 

Love: Sweat (no really, my face is healthier and looks better after a good sweat)

Hair remedy: 

Love: Kinky-Curly 

In-tub must-read: 

Love: I meditate/plan my life. I never read in the tub.

Spa-cation at:  

Love: Kholer

Fragrance of choice: 

Love: Chanel Chance

Best advice from mom: 

Love: buy more than one if it is your favorite 

Best advice from the pros: 

Love: do not line my bottom eyelid 

Beauty icons: 

Love: Ava Gardner, Sofia Vergara, Jennifer Lopez, Lisa Bonet, Vanessa Williams, Pam Grier

Ask yourself these questions.  If any of it doesn't match up with what is really going on with you maybe you need to change things around.  Make your words, heart and actions matchup.

My Own Version Of Maximum Hydration (LOC Method Twice A Day)

Okay I saw online some naturals doing something called maximum hydration.  I decided right away that I couldn't do the whole process so I made up my own method.  I kept the main part of the process co-washing my hair twice a day and I used Herbal Essence Cleansing Conditioner.   I mixed silk protein with Mane 'n Tail and used it as my leave-in conditioner.  I made my own DIY gel and used Shea butter to seal in the moisture.  So basically I did the LOC Method twice a day.  To get the real Maximum Hydration Method just click.  Check out my results below.

Day 1

Okay I started late yesterday afternoon so I only detangled/washed my hair once. This is after first detangle we will see if it changes at all. My goal is to have tangle free hair with less shrinkage and less frizz (optional). 

Day 2

This was my first full day doing my version of maximum hydration. This was my second wash of the day.  Since I am not going out I skipped the gel part and only did my Mane N Tail/silk protein mix as a leave-in.  I used a spray on oil to seal my hair. Detangling my hair 3x in less than 36 hours has made a difference. It is my hope to change my hair's tangle patterns. Right now my hair is used to being tangled and goes right back to the tangle pattern even after I detangle it. I think that hydrating my hair will change this outcome but also detangling my hair twice a day and braiding it at night will give my hair the new "habit" of staying detangled.  

By Day 3 I was tired






3 days after last Hydration day (day 10)
Note: The Thumbnail is the before pick






I must say I liked what I used in my hair today.
L'ORÉAL Smooth Intense Polishing Conditioner and Sleek It Frizz Vanisher Cream really works on natural hair.




NaturalCurliesTV

I love her.  I love her hair and her style and she can keep you from losing your hair.  Finger detangling is the best way and sometimes the only way.

Pleasantly Surprised By AS I AM Hair Products And Avon

Love Yascone my hair on AS I AM

Ok you know you are having a day when you lose everything you just wrote!

Yes, this is my second time writing this.  No, it is not going to be better than the first draft! I am sorry but I am lazy! I was supposed to write this a week ago and I am just now getting around to it so...Yeah lazy, depressed whatever.  Let's get to it shall we.

Two weeks ago I decided to runaway for a little while.  I left with only the clothes on my back and no hair products! Oops, I decided I didn't want to look like a total basket case, so I went to Target because Target always has a good selection of  hair products for natural/kinky/curly hair.  Now for over a year I have been avoiding AS I AM hair products because I thought they were all marketing and no...what is the word I am looking for? Oh well, I thought that it was going to be a waste of money.  Even though AS I AM is reasonably priced I thought it can't be as good as some of my favorite hair products.  Boy was I wrong!  AS I AM has a whole line of products that are perfect for natural hair.  I tried the Coconut Co-wash (smells like coconut), The Leave-in Conditioner, and Curling Jelly.  I loved this combination of products.  The co-wash felt good, cleaned my hair and I could detangle my hair using the co-wash.  The Leave-in Conditioner was rich and made my hair feel healthy.  The Curling Jelly helped define my curls and the combination of the three products made my hair feel healthy-silky-soft.  I couldn't stop touching my hair which is a problem because curly hair gets frizzy when it is touched to much.  The product made my hair feel and look good for days.  I really enjoyed using it on my hair.  Heck, I really enjoyed my hair. What a surprise! 

Note: I loved it so much I bought it for my mother and sister Faith.  I also had Faith try the detangling conditioner and I hope to get her to do a one minute video about the detangling conditioner at a later date.

Second big surprise of that week was Avon.  We had a party at our house.  It was a Family get together/18th birthday party for my cousin.  Now my Aunt CC gave away gift bags with Avon and I was lucky enough to get Avon's Skin So Soft signature silk body lotion.  I have extremely dry skin and the signature silk worked wonders on my dry and itchy skin.  It made my skin look healthy and feel healthy.  I was so surprised.  Avon really made a product that works on extremely dry skin.  I really love it.  Let's face it if I didn't love it I wouldn't write about.  There was a time when Avon was not cool but it works so...I will admit I love it and would buy it!  

So I have soft hair because of AS I AM and soft skin because of Avon.(www.youravon.com/cecekelly)  

Spring Hair Recipes- For Natural, Curly, Kinky, Relaxed and Transitioning Hair

Okay I talked about my Spring hair routine previously (Spring And Natural Hair-Time To Get Your Hair Healthy, Manageable, And Beautiful) and now here are the recipes that go with them.  It is super easy. Pics of the ingredients are below.

Oh and Coconut oil, too.

So those are the ingredients I am using to make my hair look great for summer.  It is my hair diet.

Shampoo Recipe:

2.5 Oz of Coconut Milk

3 oz Aloe Vera Gel

Mix it together (no lumps) and that's it. I of course will be making a larger batch.  

ph of hair is 4.5-5.5

ph of this shampoo is 4.5 allowing the hairs cuticles to close properly and you hair to shine.  This is great to control frizz, strengthen damaged hair (relaxers and heat) and stop shrinkage of every type of curly hair.

Coconut Milk and Lime Hair Treatment:

There are simpler recipes for this treatment and originally it was just coconut milk and lime and sometimes sunflower oil but I like adding things I think my hair needs so...

Big Batch

Coconut Milk or Coconut Cream (I use the cream and milk) 5-6 cans

2.5-3 cups of Lime and Lemon juice.  

I squeeze both my limes and lemons and strain to remove pulp.

I use more limes than lemons.  In fact of the 3 cups there is only the juice of 2

lemons total combined with the limes.

I add Jojoba oil and coconut oil for a total of about 1/4 cup of oil.

Cornstarch at least 5 Tablespoons 

Cornstarch is not just a thickener it also helps give you hair shine so flour won't do.

1. I blend all the ingredients together and cook over very low heat to thicken.  (20 min)

2. I place the mixture in a container and place in the refrigerator over night or at least 4 hours

3. I put mixture through my entire head of hair, massage my scalp for at least 3 min and then place a 

plastic cap on my head.  Leave it on for 1-2 hours.

4. I then rinse my hair and then co-wash with Wen or Herbal Essence Conditioning Shampoo

Click here if you want the original recipe

Spring And Natural Hair-Time To Get Your Hair Healthy, Manageable, And Beautiful

Okay so we are all worried about swimsuit season and summer fashion.  Many of us are on a diet and working out.  Many of us are failing at diets and our workouts, lol.  We can't just concentrate on our body people.  Remember your hair is your crowning glory.  Frankly it doesn't matter what size you are or how your hair looks but your hair is something you can improve and not suffer in the process. (I'm on a diet right now and I am suffering.  This sucks but working on my hair is fun.) What makes beautiful hair beautiful? For me beautiful hair is healthy, soft, has a personality, and enhances everything beautiful about your face.  I know if I take care of my hair this Spring I will have beautiful hair this summer.  My hair goals are as follows:

1. Cut down on the frizz
2. Cut down on the shrinkage
3. Stop shedding and breakage
4. Healthy in looks and feel (soft and thick)
5. Shiny

You know there is only one major thing I have to do besides eat right to get the above results.  Keep my strands hydrated!!!! I can't slack off.  I must be diligent.  First of all I am changing my routine.  I am not going to do the caramel treatment this spring.  Don't get me wrong I love this treatment but I want to do something a little less labor intensive.  On the same day years ago that I found the caramel treatment I also found (on the same site) a coconut milk & lime treatment.  I chose the caramel treatment because the coconut milk lime treatment was a relaxer.  I don't want to relax my curls I want to hydrate them so I never looked at that recipe again until last week.  I know that the more hydrated my curls are the looser they are that's why I love Kinky-Curly products.  My mind started thinking people put lemon and lime in their hair all the time.   Lime isn't a relaxer.  Coconut milk provides protein and adds softness to hair but it is not a relaxer! Oh snap said the blind woman who couldn't get pass that word relaxer! The coconut milk & lime treatment is not a relaxer!!! It is a serious hair hydrator.

Okay so I made up a batch for every woman in my family.  Tested on my mom's 2c-3a combination hair first.  She never takes care of it so it is always dry.  I worked it through her hair and her hair was absorbing it all in and loving it.  She left it on for an hour, washed it out and bam! Her hair looked healthy, shiny, and shrinkage was cut by about 25%.  Oh and frizz was like way down.  Did it relax her hair? No! Her curls or waves are still there.  So, coconut milk & lime is a super conditioning protein treatment.  I next tested the treatment on myself and since my hair is a 3b-3c-4a combo I thought I needed to leave it in my hair longer.  Problem is I have healthy but not very hydrated hair.  I left it in for 3.5 hours.  It did not relax my hair.  It made my hair soft and less frizzy but I feel like I got too much protein.  I had to really use a lot of conditioner to fix that over protein feeling.  Too much protein on healthy hair can make it brittle.  My hair wasn't brittle but I could just tell I left the treatment in too long.  Bottom line this is not a relaxer.  It is the hydration that loosens the curls and stops shrinkage.

My spring routine will be as follows:

1. Coconut Milk Lime Treatment (click to get my version) Will do once a week
2. Leave-in, Oil, Cream method for styling (I have not chosen which products I will use but you can find more info by clicking on the link or going to my Pinterest page Long Curly Hair Inspiration.
3.Coconut Milk and Aloe "Shampoo"