JenOni

#amazon

Single Mom Chronicles: My Daily and Nighttime Skincare Regimen

skincareregimen

 

As a teen I  have struggled with acne the dermatologist I saw at the time prescribed Retina A which was very effective.    Now that I am well over 40 I have become extremely serious with really taking care of my skin.   In my late 30s I started using sunscreen more frequently and insist on using a facial moisturizer with sunscreen.  Yes, as an AFRICAN-AMERICAN woman I wear sunscreen.   Our skin does have melanin however it is susceptible to sun damage(therefore skin cancer) as well.  Don’t BELIEVE THE HYPE, if you think otherwise!  I say PRESERVE it NOW OR pay for it LATER! with sun damaged skin and premature aging.  

After reading a skincare regimen shared by a previous makeup artist I stepped up my skincare regimen!  My new rules include 1) cleanse 2)tone 3) exfoliate 4)moisturize 5)nighttime  retinoid creme

 

Day

  1. Remove all make up with a make up remover cloth(just tried the Ambi cloths and I do like the feel, no residue) I have yet to find in any of the mass merchandiser.  You can find here at Amazon 
  2. Use a mild facial cleanser(NO SOAP except the CETAPHIL cleansing bar) to remove remaining makeup and dirt.  Soap clogs my pores and leaves a residue.
  3. Use a toner(astringent) with salicylic acid to control and minimize my breakouts.   This also helps to remove makeup and remaining dirt.  Yes I am still experiencing acne at 46.
  4. Apply moisturizer with sunscreen, I love the Ambi brand because it really does moisturize my skin and the plus is it has sunscreen.
  5. Apply MAC makeup primer, MAC N9 foundation, Pro Longwear concealer,

*Also I use my Clarisonic Mia 2 x a week for exfoliation ( daily use is too much for my skin).   Just make sure you buy the brush heads for your specific skin type.  Also change the heads every 3 months.  It is more cost effective to buy a dual pack of the brush heads.

clarisonicmiaskincare

Wash makeup brushes weekly with shampoo.  Lay flat to dry.    I learned a valueable lesson from a makeup artist at MAC, do not soak brushes.  I previously soaked them in Dawn and it loosened my brush from the base.    Also toss cosmetics according to the shelf life of that product and don’t share any cosmetics.  After having a stye I no longer use mascara(not sure if this was the culprit) but I have not used in 4 months.

Here’s a great article on life span for cosmetics WHEN TO TOSS OUT MAKEUP

Nighttime

  1. Remove make up with a make up remover cloths.
  2. Use a mild facial cleanser(NO SOAP UNLESS CETAPHIL cleansing bar) to remove remaining makeup and dirt
  3. Use a toner(astringent) with salicylic acid to control and minimize my breakouts.   This also helps to remove any makeup or dirt left on face.  Oh and yes I am still experiencing acne at 46.
  4. My aesthetician suggested I try a Retinoid product to help with breakouts, uneven skin tone and anti-aging.      She suggested  a product by  Avene Retrinal 0.1 Intensive Creme.  I only use this at night without my moisturizer.   I apply a pearl size for my face and neck.    A little goes a long way.    ( I have used for 3 weeks and I can see improvement in my skin tone and no continuous breakouts.

 

If you want to order any of the products mentioned here, check out my Amazon Store, SKINCARE.

Also I love to support womenpreneurs so if you are looking for lip liners, lip gloss and lipstick  please check out  YARIMAKEUPCHIC.   I just placed my first order!!!!!

 

My Kid’s Chronicles: Natural Hair and Swimming

SwimNaturalHair

Summer means summer camp + swimming.   SWIMMING = CHLORINE.   CHLORINE can be harsh on NATURAL HAIR!! We tried a swim cap a few years ago so I know for my DD this is a NOT AND OPTION!!!!  Her main complaint was the cap was too tight and then I wondered what to do if you are wearing a protective style for swimming.   For those looking for a cap for protective styles,  I found these caps at Amazon for long hair, locs, and braids.

What are we to do with natural hair? Natural hair exposed to chlorine requires a daily routine for proper maintenance. I figured out this year since camp is 8 weeks we must have a NATURAL HAIR CARE PLAN!!!! Also protective style(2 strand twists, flat twists, bantu knots, coils, braids) help as well.

I decided to do braids for camp. As a NATURALISTA COCOAMOMMY with my COCOABABY who has oodles of thick natural hair.  I always scour the web for product suggestions and an overall plan!!!  My DD has Type 4C hair(while I have 4b), which is thick/coarse with a tightly packed curl pattern.  Here is a great guide from one of my go to sites Naturally Curly Type 4 Hair on Type 4 hair,

Here’s how we will tackle taking care of MY DD NATURAL HAIR while swimming:

I try to give my DD protective styles each month that eliminates adding unnecessary heat.   My protective styling may consist of either 2 strand twists or braids.   I decided for camp to do braids which should last for at least 2 weeks if not longer.

Day 1 AM routine before camp:

1) Spritz with water and coat with pure unrefined coconut oil (Whole Foods) and Curls Unleashed Leave-In Conditioner(Sally’s and Target).  As I have learned no oil can moisturizer the hair without water.  Water is essential for my DD’s hair for long-lasting moisture.  I squeezed a quarter size amount in my hands and rubbed throughout her braids.

After pick-up from camp I noticed her hair was not dry and brittle.   Despite the heat and humidity from the weather.   Adding the oil and conditioner really helped to coat the hair and seal in moisture.

Day 1 Evening routine during shower:

2) I had DD rinse conditioner from hair for at least 3-5 minutes and then I added clarifying conditioner to remove chlorine.  I thought the clarifying shampoo would cause too much dryness(especially if swimming each day) so I am opting to use a clarifying conditioner.  Avalon Organics Lemon Clarifying Conditioner (Whole Foods). Rinsed out thoroughly.

3) I added Tresemme  Naturals (Target) silicone-free conditioner for at least 10 minutes while bathing and rinsed thoroughly.  Time is limited in the evening so a 20-30 for deep conditioning is a bit of a challenge.  It is kept on her hair until shower is finished.   Deep conditioner on Friday is a great idea.

4) Before bed I applied a small amount of 100% creamy pure shea butter(Wegmans)  this can be found at most hair supply stores) to seal in the moisture.

HairandSwimmingBlogPost062215

Bedtime: Day 1 her feels soft and moisturized.

Day 3:

Day3NaturalHairSwimming

Week 1:  hair was still well moisturized.

Week 2, the braids were a bit frizzy however her hair was still moisturized.  Braids were a bit frizzy so I decided to take the braids out!!!!

Week 3, braids again.  On Friday I did a hot oil treatment with jamaican black castor oil and blended with Tresemme moisturizing conditioner with cap for at least 30minutes.  After the hair was rinsed I decided to do 2 strand twists instead of braids.

We just finished week 5 for camp and have the process down to science!!!!!!

 

Natural Hair: What I’ve Learned So Far

I decided to cut my hair in 2003 and wore it “natural” until 2008 when I decided to grow it out. I grew it out and permed it and loved the length. The stylist at the time decided to cut all of my new growth because she said it was damaged.  I was beyond pissed.   In 2011 I decided to grow out again and stopped dying and texturizing because it was really damaging my hair.     Now that I was back to work and really had no time in the morning for hair I decided to cut it again.    In 2013 I decided again to grow it out and when I decided to start working out I ran out of ideas for my hair.   The weekly sweating and my hair was an issue.  I decided to cut it again and go back to a short natural cut.

COLOR:

I resorted to coloring my hair using boxed colors to save on the salon cost.   After watching a natural girl YouTube video and she mentioned for great color visit an Aveda salon.   Well I was in luck because I have one right up the road.  After scheduling a consultation, the colorist offered two options.  I could either bleach my natural color and then add the desired color$100 per hour to bleach + addition of color start at $48, yikes sticker shock) or lighten my natural color at each 6 week visit.  Her recommendation is to lighten my color at each visit.  The double process could be very drying to my hair.

Natural hair requires experimenting with a variety of products.   I have lost count.   Last night I discovered another method of applying oil before shampooing and this is call a pre-poo.   Also I am conditioning after shampooing but this time I added a protein conditioner with a cap to seal in moisture.

RESEARCH:

The holiday break gave me time to do a lot of research on natural hair care.  My first step was eliminating box color and actually investing in salon color.  After searching various YouTube videos on natural hair I found one who suggested going to an Aveda salon.  Well lucky for me there is a salon and spa less than a mile away.  Hair color in a box is not the best quality and I think color is all in the application technique.   The colorist sectioned my natural tresses and evenly applied color.  I never did this with box color because I thought sectioning only applied to those with long hair.

I think one of the myth is natural hair requires no maintenance and I was so wrong.  In the past weeks,  I have learned my share of natural hair care daily and weekly regimens.  I realize with a chemical treatment I have to show extra TLC for my natural tresses.  I have an arsenal of supplies as I have learned you must experiment with a few products until you find the right fit for your hair.  Another lesson is learning my hair type, I believe my hair lies between 4a-4c.

My daily regimen was to just wet my hair and apply Tresemme conditioner and EcoStyle gel.  Wrong, wrong, wrong.  I also assumed once a week shampooing with sulfate free shampoo and using the Tresemme conditioner as a leave in conditioner was good enough.  Wrong, Wrong, Wrong.  It took a few weeks and multiple products for me to find products that worked for my hair type.

What I learned:

1) Natural hair needs daily MOISTURE, LOTS AND LOTS OF MOISTURE depending on your hair type.  My hair type needs lots of moisture.

2)Natural hair needs a great balance of MOISTURE AND PROTEIN.

3)Natural hair needs weekly deep conditioning especially when it is color treated.

4)Natural hair does not require shampooing every week or at least this is a personal preference.  Hence the term, cowash-washing with conditioner.

5)Pre-poo defined, preparing the hair for shampooing, either with a sulfate free/clarifying shampoo or a sulfate free, silicone free moisturizing conditioner.

6)Dry hair with paper towels or a microfiber towel rather than a cotton towel

7) Purchase a Denman Brush and a Detangling comb, since I still have a TWA (teeny weeny afro) I purchased these for my daughter.

8)Difference between rinsing with warm vs. cold water

9)Experiment with products, try to buy sample sizes to minimize your out of pocket cost.   My go to site for my products is  Amazon.com . This allows me to make use of my Prime membership with free 2 day shipping on items that qualify for Prime shipping.

Since writing this I now have three favorite websites I consult,  MahoghanyCurls MoKnowsHair and Curlmart

I love Mo’s(of MoKnowsHair) explanations on each of the products reviewed , she also has great YouTube video tutorials.   Also I love the fact that her videos offer different options depending on your hair type.   I realized after my research on CurlMart.com my hair type is 4a.

My new go to products well as my daughter’s hair are Dark & Lovely Au Naturale product line.  I also learned to purchase a detangling comb and denman brush.   I have searched for these products in Walmart (depends on location if products available), Target(depends on location if product is available and how many items are available within the line), Walgreens (found one of the Au Naturale products on sale).  In the mass merchandisers the products range in price from $7.99 to $9.99.     I even searched for the product line at the local beauty supply store and it was overpriced.    My new go to place is Amazon.   As a Prime member, I saved on the items plus I get 2 day free shipping.   My advice before you search in stores, check Amazon.   The 10 in 1 gel was $8.69 yet the beauty supply store priced it at $10.79.   It is only 5.4 oz and yet the 14 oz product is $9.99

The Au Naturale line smells sooooo good and blends well with damp hair.  It is a blend of mango and bamboo milk.
I try to do this every 4 days.  Pre-poo, apply Shea Moisture Shea Butter Hair Growth serum or olive oil, with plastic cap for 30 minutes. Rinse with warm water.  Next cowash.

Cowash with VO5 moisturizing conditioner(inexpensive, no sulfates, no silicones) , Tresemme or Curls Coconut Curlada conditioner (rinse with cold water, closes the cuticle), olive oil, Dark & Lovely Au Naturale Curl Defining Glaze

My daily regimen:

Spritz with water or saturate in shower, olive oil, Dark & Lovely Curl Defining Glaze

Nightly regimen:

Spritz with water, olive oil, Dark & Lovely Curl Defining Glaze and wrap with a silk scarf, every other night.

phonto (60)

Cotton or Wool is not kind to  natural hair.

Mid week:

Cowash with VO5 conditioner, Tresemme or Curls Coconut Curlada conditioner, olive oil, Glaze

Deep conditioner with a moisturizing conditioner with a cap for 30 minutes every other week (rinse conditioner with cold water to close cuticle)

Once a month  protein/deep conditioner(once a month)(30 minutes with cap),  ideally after my color treatment

I now have three products within the Au Naturale line, 10 in 1 gelee, Curl Enhancing Glaze and Hair Butter.   Review shortly on all three products.   Oh, I almost forgot I received my Aphogee Curlirific Leave In Conditioner, I tried for the first time after my weekly cowash.   In addition to my hair treatments I am using this regimen for my 8yo hair as well.  In order to enhance her hair growth I am going to commit to 2 strand twists, which gives a lot of flexibility either for a twist out, pinned up do, or just wearing loose with a head band.

Next, a tapered cut so I have more of a style with my new curly look..I am doing a chronicle of my hair growth so I will share shortly.

Some items to add to my hair tool list is a steamer, a diffusing blow dryer and a heated cap for both of us.   MoKnowsHair has a list of her top items for 2014.  This helps a lot on what to buy and brands to buy.

Keep in mind too, you are what you eat!   I am really trying to either eat or drink my veggies and fruit using my Nutribullet.

Just remember patience is a virtue and it takes a lot of patience to grow out your natural hair….