New Cleansing Conditioners That Are Great For Those Who Co-Wash (Herbal Essences is Wen Alternative)

Herbal Essences Naked Cleansing Conditioner

This cleansing conditioner is the real deal.  I have used it for the last two months and have loved the results.  Detangling my hair comes easy with this conditioning cleanser and it really cleans my hair.  In some ways it is better than Wen.  My hair detangles faster with this product.  In fact no other product works as well as Herbal Essences Naked Cleansing Conditioner at detangling my hair.  For a long time I wanted to find an alternative to Wen.  I love Wen but the cost not so much.  Herbal Essence Cleanser is better than just co-washing because it leaves my hair soft, clean and feeling healthy.  The price is also a money saver.  One thing, this conditioner cannot be left in your hair as a leave in conditioner.  I wish it could and frankly so does my little sister Faith but the scent is very strong, too strong.  We have allergies and this cleansing conditioner must be washed out due to the strong fragrance. 

Herbal Essence also claims you don't need to condition your hair after rinsing out the product.  This is true for most hair types but not all.  Plus I use conditioner to style my hair so...I always add a conditioner or a leave in conditioner after.  The fact is my hair feels and looks great after rinsing the product out and if I had my mother's hair type (2b-3A) I could rinse and go, but I don't so I can't.  That said this is a great product for all hair types.  If Herbal Essence would come out with a leave in conditioner with the same chemical make up and a softer scent well my life would get a whole lot easier.

Please note: My husband would proofread my blog for me and now that he has crossed over I no longer have a way to check my mistakes.  I am a typo waiting to happen but at least I can laugh at myself.

Get Ideas For Your Diet and Exercise Routine

Sometimes you just don't know where to start when trying to improve your body.  Should you start with diet, exercise or both really depends on you and your body.  You can't look at only what works for a guru, or your friend.  I personally feel that each body is different, just like our hair.  No one person's hair grows in the same pattern as another.  Like finger prints our hair is unique and I believe this is true of our bodies as well.  The best thing to do for your body is to learn what works for you.  Study what works for others.  Use your own imagination and creativity.  Find what works for you.  That's what this blog is about, finding your own way.  Combine the knowledge of others with what you know about yourself.  I am providing links to help you find your own way.  Some of the diets I have tried.  Some blogs I really like but I cannot say I agree with everything.  I must say some of the ideas that I like you may hate.  Things that I find useless may be the very thing you need.  This is a place to start your body journey.  The number one way to lose weight is to accept who you are.

Diets, Books, Programs & Blogs

The 4-Hour Body   The Bulletproof® Diet   DDP YOGA   The Beginner’s Guide to Intermittent Fasting   Experiments With Intermittent Fasting  The 5:2 Fast Diet  Correct Food Combining Principles   6 Food Combining Rules for Optimal Digestion  Ayurveda Food Combining  Suzanne Somers Diet  Ketogenic Diet Plan  Lose Weight by Achieving Optimal Ketosis  30 Day Ketogenic Diet Plan  Starting a Raw Food Diet  Raw Food Diet  A Low Carb Diet Meal Plan and Menu That Can Save Your Life  How Much Carbohydrate is Right for You?  The Benefits of Calorie Restriction  Want to Live Longer? Don’t Try Caloric Restriction  Counting calories: Get back to weight-loss basics  CalorieKing   Calorie Counting - A Guide to Calories & Weight Control   Tracy Anderson


Exercise

Butt
How to Get a Better Butt: Step Up Your Knowledge
Butt-ology 101: How to Enhance Your Gluteal Muscles
The biggest problem areas for runners : the results!
6 Glute Exercises to Improve Your Runs By Nikki Kimball
 Runner’s World
Clams: The Ultimate Pilates Butt Exercise
Gluteus Medius Hip Exercises
Gluteus Medius: Activation and Strengthening Exercises Note: Had a hard time adding so had to share this video as its own blog

Gluteus Minimus Stretching Exercises : Training & Stretching Tips

Gluteus Minimus

Exercises to Isolate the Gluteus Minimus : Working Out the Body

Exercises for the Gluteus Minimus & Piriformis : Tone & Trim the Body

Gluteus Medius Isolated Activation

Get a firmer butt like Beyonce using a pillow

The Beyonce Butt Workout

Butt Workout - The Best

Abs
Fast Abs  

Pilazies! Sexy Abs from Bed

Standing 10 Minute Ab Workout Real Time: Melissa Bender

more STANDING ABS, how to get a flat stomach, ab workout

Jillian Michaels: Standing Abs Workout

Legs

How to Strengthen Your Adductor Magnus   Biceps Femoris, Semimembranosus and Semitendinosus…ever heard of them?   

2Min Challenge: Legs!

Active Isolated Stretch for the Adductors

Open All Three Hamstrings and Attachments - Active Isolated Stretching

How to NOT stretch hamstring and get MORE Flexible! Stretching is making you tighter!

Tight Hamstrings Freed without Stretching -- Feel It Happen.

Tight Hamstrings? Don't Stretch, Do This Instead

How to Restore Tight Hamstrings

Combo Exercises

POP Pilates: Serious Standing Pilates for Legs, Butt & Obliques

Standing Workout Thighs, Hamstrings, and Glutes (Real Time)

Release Tight Hamstrings in Seconds

Gluteus Medius: Activation and Strengthening Exercises

Sunscreen/Skin Protection Is Needed For Black People, White People And Everyone In Between (Summer Skin)

My Favorite Sun Protection Sunday Afternoons

Yes, I wear sunscreen.   Yes, black people need sun protection.  Yes, black people get sunburn and have sun allergies.  Guess what some white people never get sunburn but they still need to protect themselves from premature aging.  Yes, Asian girls do get great tans but they still need to protect their skin from sun overexposure.  Heck even pets need sun protection! Are you human? Do you want to look 10 years older than you are? Well, if you are human you can get skin cancer and age prematurely due to sun exposure.  Don't be lazy.  You are worth the time it takes to protect your skin.  Your skin will thank you.  Your life will thank you.  Your reflection will thank you.

There is a major debate about how healthy using sunscreen is, especially in America, where sunscreen advances are 12 years behind Europe and Asia.   Okay, so you don't want to use sunscreen. You can still protect yourself.  You can protect your skin using supplements, clothes and choosing the right hours to go outside.  Just making a few adjustments can make all the difference.

1. Avoid Peak Hours: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM (Go to the beach/pool before or after these hours.)
2. Clothes: Wide brimmed hats, thin light colored long sleeved T-shirts and linen pants/skits really help.  I know it is hot but just wearing long sleeves in the car will prevent that ugly drivers tan.  I often will wear long sleeves over a summer outfit just to protect my skin and I will take off the long sleeve top once I get to where I am going.  If you are going for a walk put on a hat it does make a difference.  Sunglasses are not just a fashion statement; they are also protection.
3. Supplements: Yes there are some supplements you can take to help you protect your skin.
Zinc, Astaxanthin, and Vitamin E/C/D are a few easy ways to protect your skin.

Do your own investigating.  There are clothes that are treated with sunscreen and supplements that are sold together just for the purpose of protecting your skin.  What the heck I'll even help you get started with some web links:
8 Natural Ways to Prevent a Sunburn (And Sunscreen’s Not One of Them)
Can a Pill Replace Your Sunscreen?
Buy Heliocare capsules, the original sunscreen pill
5 Reasons to Take Astaxanthin Every Day
Wholesale - S5Q Summer Shirt Female Long-sleeve Sun Protection Clothing Thin Anti-UV Cardigan Jacket AAABOH
Sun Protective Clothing by Solumbra 100+ SPF
Sunscreen Clothes: Do They Work?

Okay You are a dark skinned human like me and you hate that white/blue look some sunscreens give you.  Well, not all sunscreens give you that horrible look.  There are some really awesome sunscreens that make your skin tone look, dare I say, even better.  A spray on sunscreen will almost always look good on darker skin.  There are oil based sunscreens that are really good on dark skin, too.  For the face you need to be a little more selective.  Avoid zinc based sunscreen, it gives dark skin that horrible sick look. I have used Olay Regenerist Regenerating Lotion With SPF50 for my face but I am still experimenting.  When I find a facial sunscreen I love I will be sure to update this post.  Oh, and just so you know, wearing sunscreen will not stop you from tanning.  Everyone tans in the sun.  Yes, black people tan and we tan quickly.  If you don't want to tan don't go outside when the sun is up.  Sunscreen is not the same as no sun at all.

Please note after a day of being in the sun please use an after sun skin lotion.  After sun lotions are not just for sunburns but for restoring your skin.  Plus using an after sun lotion or organic oil at night will make your fresh tan a pretty color (this is a good idea for all skin tones).

List of sunscreens I will use and other info:

L'Oreal Paris Advanced Suncare Sheer Protect Sunscreen Oil Spray, SPF 50+
NEUTROGENA Beach Defense Sunscreen Spray
Sunscreen salvos: US products pale next to Europe's protective salves
FDA review of new sunscreen ingredients languishes, frustrating advocates
New, Better Sunscreens Could Be Coming
Many blacks are unaware of a skin cancer that primarily affects dark-skinned people

PS don't be embarrassed to buy sunscreen.  Buying sunscreen does not mean you hate your skin color.  Buying sunscreen means you love your skin.

The Way of Fire: My Primo Passo Using The Color Red And Fire To Take Control of My Body

Okay it is late.  There is a storm rolling in and I can hear the thunder.  It shakes the walls of the room and now I hear the droplets of rain.  Oddly enough, I am showing one of my sisters, Joy, RDG (Red Data Girl) but don't get it twisted I have had this "Way of Fire" idea for months.  I have a slight migraine with nausea.  I am doing better than I was this morning.  I was vomiting at 5:00 am.  It is now 10 minutes until 10:00pm.  It is a new moon and I have put off implementing this little idea for far to long.  The new moon is a good day to take my first step, my primo passo on The Way Of Fire.

My brain and hands seem to be the only living parts of me, every other part of me at best seems to be in a coma and at worst...well a rock seems to have more life.  I thought about it for a long time. My body and I are losing our connection.  I have allowed my physical form to go the path of destruction.  Being in mourning makes it hard to acknowledge the need to get up and exercise. (My dog is demanding my attention at this very moment.) I can't go on a diet. The thought of exercising to improve my health just is not motivating.  There is only one thing that can fix my physical form, my imagination. (Now my dog is hiding under me.  The storm is getting worse.)

I have researched and I have decided to play with the color red, the frequency of the color red and the element of fire. (The electricity cut out for a second, this night has the makings of a good horror film right now.)  My goal is to wear red for one, everyday even if it is just lipstick.  My hope is that by wearing the color red my eyes and soul will awaken.  I have the frequency sound of the color red on disc.  The frequency of red is said to penetrate the body deeper than any of the other colors. There is a warning for people with high blood not to use the frequency red.  No problem for me I have extremely low blood pressure.  They also say people with anger issues should stay away from red.  I will have to take that risk.  I have an infrared sauna, which is also good for the body.  I will use the red frequency tone while in the sauna.  I will also play with the element of fire when choosing my food.  There are websites that talk about the element of fire and the color red.  I am a little too sick right now to write.  What is important for me is to hold the thought of the element fire and the color red.  I need to experience it in a way that makes my body a priority.

Below are links to get you started on your own play with color:

 Colour Therapy   Colors and Color Healing   Colour Properties    Sound Color Therapy

Colours and their Sound frequencies    5 Element Food: About The Five Elements of Food

Grooming and Detangling Natural Hair: My Detangle Hair Plan

Let's be honest the four of us have been in mourning for a very long time.  Taking care of our hair has taken a back seat to mending our souls.  Mom and Joy are lucky they have an ability to at least give some attention to their hair.  Plus mom has wavy hair so, her hair never really tangles as bad as mine.  I have the type of hair that really needs to be detangled at least twice a month and it can be a hard job.  Now picture a woman who has been having a hard time just getting into the shower, yep, that's me, lol.  Detangling my hair rarely happens these days.  My hair is neglected but I do know how to detangle it.  I know how to save it.

Normally I use a wide tooth comb while in the shower to detangle my hair.  The force of the running water actually helps move the comb through my hair with ease.  Plus I use a ton of conditioner so normally this is all I need for proper grooming.  Using a brush on natural hair is almost always a no no.  Grooming for me, is always a wide tooth comb and my fingers if my hair is in good shape.

Wide tooth hair comb for curly hair 

Right now my hair is not in good shape.  My hair is a tangled mess.  This is when I must use a brush. Never use a small tooth comb to detangle your hair.  Always use a brush that is 100% nylon.  Never brush you hair dry and always use conditioner on each section of hair you are brushing.  I use a brush that is 100% nylon because it does not tear my hair and the bristles detangle my hair with ease when wet and full of conditioner.

100% Nylon Hairbrush 

Note: I also like Michel Mercier Ultimate Detangling Brush for thick hair.  It really detangles my worst tangles but the bristles bend.  Even so, they do not seem to break.  It really works and when you are in matted hair hell this brush will save you.  I just don't know how safe it is for my hair but it really does work and cuts down on detangling time.

 My detangle plan:

1. Get in the shower wet hair down completely
2. Apply a large amount of conditioner to your hair and use you finger to "comb through" your hair
3. Rinse hair and apply a second coat of conditioner.  Use wide tooth comb and start to detangle your hair.  Detangle as much as you can with the wide tooth comb.
4. If you are having a hard time with tangles, place that section of the hair under the running water of the shower and comb with the wide tooth comb.  The force of the water should work with the comb.  Usually your hair should be without tangles after using this trick.
5. Okay, you have some really tough tangles.  Wet your hair down completely again. Then get out of the shower.  Take a section of your hair (soaking wet), apply conditioner to this section and brush this section of hair with 100% nylon brush.  Use the conditioner with the brush to remove any remaining tangles.  This takes time.  Be patient, don't rip your hair.  Do this section by section until all tangles are gone.
6. Do not rinse, leave conditioner in your hair.  Use a wet T-shirt to remove extra conditioner sitting on the top of your hair.

Faith Note: We use t-shirts because it prevents our hair from frizzing.  A towel is too drying.  So if you need to dry your hair use a dry t-shirt.  Use a wet t-shirt to remove/manage excess product in your hair.

My mother told me to remind everyone: Having the proper tools is half the battle.  Try different shapes of brushes to find the right one for your hair.

One day I will do a video.

What To Do In Louisville, KY

Ok, you are in Louisville, KY and you have no idea what to do. Louisville is the home to the Kentucky Derby and the Louisville Slugger.  Louisville, KY is a major food mecca.  Many stars from your favorite food shows visit Louisville and not just for The Kentucky Derby.  There is also Old Louisville which is the largest preservation district for Victorian homes in America.  Of course, there is also the University Of Louisville (U of L Go Cards) and  U of L lies between Old Louisville and the famous Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby.  When the Louisville Cardinals aren't playing at the KFC YUM Center there is always a concert.  There are plenty of things to do in the city.  Oh, and our mother has a great place for you to stay in Old Louisville on Airbnb.

Below I will list some of the places to go eat, hang out, visit and just have fun.  Some of the places we frequent and some we plan to visit soon.  I will add things to the list as I think of places or you may also click on our Pinterest page Love Joy Faith- Louisville Choices.  I tend to add more to the Pinterest pages.

Food

 Ward 426
Burger Boy Diner (Old Louisville) Open 24 Hours
Ollie's Trolly (Old Louisville)
Dizzy Whizz (Old Louisville)
610 Magnolia (Old Louisville)
Bucks (Old Louisville)
Nord's Bakery (in Germantown near Old Louisville) (Our Favorite Doughnuts)
Proof On Main (Our Favorite) note: Love their bar, too.
Decca
The Village Anchor
Pearl Restaurant (Love the pho) (Located in Horseshoe Casino)
Ghyslain
Wild Eggs

Recreation

Kentucky Bourbon Trail
LOUISVILLE URBAN BOURBON TRAIL
Kentucky Science Center
Louisville Zoo
Louisville Slugger Museum
Louisville Mega Cavern
Kentucky Kingdom
Louisville Metro Parks and Recreation
The Louisville Bats -Baseball
University of Louisville Sports (Basketball, Baseball, Football)
Louisville City FC Pro Soccer 
Baxter Jack's  Sandbox Volleyball
Bernie's Volleyball


Arts and Entertainment

Actors Theatre Of Louisville
The Kentucky Center
21c Museum Hotel
Asia Institute Crane House
Kentucky Museum of Arts and Crafts
St. James Court Art Show
The Speed Art Museum
The Muhammad Ali Center

Bars and Clubs

Nowhere Louisville Video Bar
Proof Bar
4th Street Live
Garage Bar
The Connection- LGBT Night Club

The Caramel Treatment For Natural Hair – Stop Frizz and Shrinkage

The original recipe can be found at The Caramel Treatment – A Natural Hair Softener.  I always love to tweak recipes and make them my own.  I do it for food and hair recipes.  I know my hair isn't one size fits all so I studied different versions of this hair treatment.  I suggest you try different oils that suite you.  The recipe below was my latest batch.  It is enough for four applications.  Important note: DON'T USE BABY FOOD FOR BANANAS!!! You need real overripe bananas.

This recipe does work. It needs to be repeated every 3 weeks or whenever you just need a little help.  The treatment helps with the frizz situation.  Your hair will still frizz but not so drastically.  My hair shrinks a lot and it does help with that as well.  I do this in the summer because well it helps with summer hair.  I heard this works well for transitioning from relaxer to natural hair as well. *Everything in parentheses is a measurement for a single batch.  I make the treatment for four people and you may only need a single batch so use those measurements.  

Honey – 1¼ cups (single batch 6 tablespoons)


Olive Oil – 1¼ cups (6 tablespoons)
 note: mixed grape seed and safflower oil with the olive oil.  My personal touch.

Bananas – 7-9 (2-3) 
overripe and very soft

Molasses (Treacle) – ¾ cup (3 tablespoons)


Water – 1 cup (4-6 tablespoons)


Apple Cider Vinegar – 3 tablespoons (1 tablespoon)


Cornstarch – 6-8 tablespoons (1-2 tablespoons) depending on how thick you want the mixture to be
 (also helps with shine for hair)

Wheat germ oil – 3 teaspoons (1 teaspoon) – This can be substituted 

I add all ingredients to a blender (Ninja) and blend away.  Then I warm the mixture over low heat just to thicken it to a pudding consistency.  I leave the treatment on my hair for at least 4 hours.  I put a plastic bag on my hair to help with the treatment but I don't always use a plastic bag.  I rinse my hair after but I never shampoo.  The treatment coats your hair strands and you don't want to strip that away.

What To Do With Grief

It has been a while since I posted anything.  Grief does that sometimes.  It cuts you off from the world.  It gives you Sleeping Beauty disease, literally making leaving the bed near to impossible even when there is beach outside.  So now here I am, back from a long sleep and here is My Royal Family 4's grief playbook:

1. Counseling
2. Reading Blogs
3. Shamans
4. Spas
5. Mediums
6. Road Trips
7. Fasting
8. Medicine Wheel with Barbara Bloecher
9. Fasting
10. Reading Books
11. Qigong with Master Ding
12. TV On Demand/Netflix/Hulu Plus

As you can see the four of us have been busy and not so busy.  I have slept many days away; while the other three Ladies have fought hard to keep the walls from tumbling down.  I feel guilty but I don't know what else to do.  I do what is on our schedule.  We are all reading the same books together.  We are all studying together.  We are all searching together.  Somehow I have managed to sleep so many days away in spite of our packed schedule.

I am going to give you the list of books that the four of us are reading.  If you are grieving or even if you are not you might like the reading list.  You might find it interesting or not.  If you are grieving it may give you some temporary peace.  If you are bored well it might change your thought process.  I don't have much to share right now.  WE, My Royal Family 4, are grieving and we are also reading.  It is part of our search.






     





    





All books listed above can be found on Amazon:

Sepher Rezial Hemelach: The Book of the Angel Rezial by Steve Saved

Matrix Energetics: The Science and Art of Transformation by Richard Bartlett

Into the Matrix: Guides, Grace, and the Field of the Heart by Richard Bartlett D.C. N.D, [ The Matrix

Energetics Experience Kit [With Cards and DVD and Study Guide] ] THE MATRIX ENERGETICS EXPERIENCE... by Richard Bartlett,

The Physics of Miracles: Tapping in to the Field of Consciousness Potential by Richard Bartlett DC ND,

E-Squared: Nine Do-It-Yourself Energy Experiments That Prove Your Thoughts Create Your Reality by Pam Grout

Ask George Anderson: What Souls in... George Anderson, Andrew Barone

Walking in the Garden of Souls... George Anderson, Andrew Barone

We Don't Die: George Anderson's...

The Pleiadian Workbook: Awakening Your Divine Ka by Amorah Quan Yin

I Am the Word: A Guide to the Consciousness of Man's Self in a Transitioning Time by Paul Selig

The Third Jesus by Deepak Chopra (2008), 

archangels and ascended masters by doreen virtue

Biocentrism: How Life and Consciousness are the Keys to Understanding the True Nature of the Universe by Robert Lanza and Bob Berman

Oneness by Rasha

A Journey to Oneness: a Chronicle of Spiritual Emergence by Rasha

We are reading more than the books listed above and I will add more to the list when I feel like it.

In addition to reading we are doing major TV marathons: Supernatural, Resurrection, Believe 

These three shows are just a few we are watching.  They tend to get our minds off the things we don't want to think about.

One day I hope to do a vBlog about what we are doing so check back later.

Living While Mourning

I loved my husband and tried to integrate him into every part of my life.  My sisters loved my husband like a brother.  My mother loved my husband as if he were her son.  None of us could imagine living in a world without him physically being present.  It seemed impossible. 

Bryan left the physical world December 13, 2013.  That is right, he moved on to the other side less than two months ago.  We celebrated Christmas, New Years, my birthday and went on our first road trip without him during the roughly month and a half since I last physically saw him.  (Note: my sisters, my mother and I have seen him in spirit a few times but we are so distraught that I feel it affects those experiences.)

We did our best to get through Christmas, New Years and my birthday.  If it weren’t for my Aunt Crystal, cousin Shawn and Erik we really would not have made it through.  They dropped everything in their lives to help the four of us at great inconvenience to themselves.  They gave their very best for us and allowed us to mourn while celebrating all the holidays. 

Bryan’s parents and siblings handled his loss with a grace I did not have.  They were completely beautiful in handling the loss of such a wonderful son and brother.  I could only hope that one day I could be as graceful as they were.  (Note: May we never have to show such grace because of a tragedy again.  May all of us show grace in the way we live and may we never experience this kind of pain again.)  Bryan’s cousin was the only person who could calm me down on the day I discovered my husband’s body.  She may not know it but she gave me information that I needed.  She and my sister Joy together handled getting information to all family members on both sides.

We are all trying hard to live with the way our world is now.  Dealing with me is not the easiest thing during normal circumstances and right now it is near to impossible.  I am not a social person but as part of a group I am very social.  My sisters look at going out as fun.  I see going out as my job, which is a good thing, because if it weren’t my job I would never leave the house.  The point is, because I see being out as part of my job I went out New Years instead of staying at home.  I cried all night.  The lyrics of the songs just tore me apart.  Same thing on my birthday, we went to a casino to celebrate and to hear a live band.  I cried so hard that I was embarrassed.

The road trip we took was a trip Bryan had planned for us years back but we never took.  It was strange because Joy made the arrangements without remembering that Bryan had made plans for us to go there many years ago.  While Joy was booking the resort she kept commenting that Bryan was picking the resort.  She was right, he was.  It was very healing for us to be there.  We received several treatments including Body Talk, which has really helped us.  The Body talk treatment was so powerful we will continue to have them with our local practitioner.  I felt good at the resort all day and all afternoon but by dinner (every dinner at the resort) I cried.

Faith came up with a wonderful idea today.  She basically said that maybe we need to figure out how to have fun at home and it will help us have fun out.  That isn’t what she said but I can’t put it the way she did.  I just know that she had us play Black Jack today in the breakfast room and I feel better.  I can at least attempt to write.  Faith allowed me to feel happy.  I think that she believes that if we practice living at home as if we are out that maybe one day we can go to the real Black Jack table or dance floor or spa or fancy dinner and make it through without crying.  We can live the moments we are in and not the moment we want most to change.