Naturally Obsessed

-Article via BeautyandGroomingTips.com

Cucumbers have a very high water content of around 96% and are excellent body rehydrators. It contains ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) and caffeic acid, fiber, along with minerals like silica, potassium and magnesium. One should eat lots of it, especially in the summer. A widely cultivated vegetable in India, it has a cooling and refreshing effect on the body. This nature's cool customer is also a beauty enhancer.

Some of the many uses for the cucumber include: preventing pimples and blackheads, relieve puffy eyes, sore throats and weight loss. Here's a couple tips on how it can also be beneficial to your hair...

For hair growth: Drinking a mixture of cucumber juice and that of carrot regularly stimulates hair growth. The high content of silicon and sulphur in cucumber juice nourishes the hair, nails and skin.

To treat hair after swimming: Swimming in a pool with chlorinated water can cause much damage to your hair. Try this treatment to keep chlorine damage to a minimum. Blend together 1 egg, 3-4 tbsp of olive oil and 1 quarter peeled cucumber. Spread the mixture evenly through your hair, leave on for 10 minutes and then thoroughly rinse.

You guys should remember "Heartfelt Honey" from the Food For Thought posts on the old site. Well she wanted to drop by and a story about her recent trip to the dollar store lol!

Hair Epiphany
Every now and then I will have a hair break through. An epiphany so to speak. It happened for the first time when I tried Giovanni’s Direct Leave In. It was magical!! I thought I had died and went to hair heaven. Styling had never been so easy. Then earlier this summer I tried the Tresemme Naturals Conditioner. Huge mile stone! It is my FAVORITE detangling conditioner. I will not bother detangling my hair without it. Since using Tresemme, I’ve had less hair loss while detangling, incredible slip, and wonderful deep conditioning. But yesterday after a minor hair episode, due to carelessness on my part, I discovered what I am calling my “2011 Hair Breakthrough” the detangling comb!!! It is one dollar!! Yes, you heard it right ONE DOLLAR at your local Dollar Tree. You know the green and white dollar store? Yea that one lol I am too through with everything else. The Denman brush, wide tooth comb, whatever I have used in the past is no match for this comb! The teeth are just wide enough to catch all shed hair without removing healthy hair strands. It has two rows of teeth rounded on the ends so not to puncture or tear my tresses. It is a breeze! I am in love. The only regret I have is not finding this comb sooner. I am sending this story to all my favorite hair blogs in hopes that you see it and try it for yourself. If you don’t like it hey it was only a dollar right!? Lol But seriously, it is the best dollar I have ever spent. I am running back to the store to by a few for YouTube giveaways. Just to be fair, if I had to change one thing about this comb it would be to have grips put on the handle so that it doesn’t slide when wet. However, I can remedy this with a few rubber bands I have not been paid to endorse this comb or any of the other products mentioned here. I feel like everybody is prefacing their reviews with this statement lately. I am just a young lady who stumbled into a dollar store, found a comb, and fell in love with it. Who knows maybe you will do the same.

Thoughts?!?

Hello NaturallyObsessed readers!!

I know it has been a while but I am back with another “Food For Thought” that I think you all will love. Food of the week (drum roll please lol) COCONUT MILK! I know we have all heard of coconut milk being used in hair treatments whether it be a deep conditioner, pre-poo, or as a substitute for traditional
conditioners. Here, I plan to unveil the secrets behind this frequently used hair elixir and why it is so helpful in our health and beauty regimes.

During my research, I discovered the ingredients in coconut milk not only benefit our hair but give great support to our overall well being. According to www.Hubpages.com, coconut milk contains a unique blend of natural fats, protein, vitamins, and minerals that have the ability to strengthen and fortify cells, and this includes hair cells. Because coconut milk contains lauric acid, which is anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-microbial and anti-fungal, it is also great for our immune systems (ehow.com). This information reinforces the fact that what and how we eat plays a major role in the health of our hair, skin, and nails. Hair is something we definitely have to address from the inside out.

There are so many great recipes on how to incorporate coconut milk into our hair regimes but, of course, I chose to include here only those that are curly girl friendly:)

•From www.MyWomenStuff.com I found this really simple technique for applying coconut milk to your hair:

-Lean your head over a sink

-Slowly poor a can of coconut milk (or more if necessary) over the length of your hair

-Let the excess milk run off

-Put a shower cap over your head

-Wrap your head in a towel for 15-30 min

-Shampoo, condition, and style as normal

•From www.ehow.com I found this coconut milk recipe that helps prevent hair loss:

-1 cup fresh coconut, grated

-1 cup water -1/4 cup coconut milk

-3 tsp. camphor lotion

-1 cup plain yogurt

-Amla oil

-1/4 tsp. powdered fenugreek

-1/8 tsp. black pepper

•My personal favorite:

-1 can of coconut milk

-2tsp honey

-1 ripe avocado

-3 tsp of melted coconut oil

After using these recipes, you should a notice more shine, strength, and less tangles in your coils. The protein and fats in coconut milk are what give us these wonderful results. Click here for a cool article on 100 uses of coconut. Who knew it could be used as a floor polisher?!

It is my sincere hope that you have found this information helpful. My ultimate goal here is to discover more organic ways to nurture our hair and skin and I think the use of natures gifts can be great for this. I am learning so much doing the research behind that brings these posts to life. Heartfelt thanks to KKQ and all of you.

See ya in the next post! HeartfeltHoney ♥

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When and why did you decide to go natural?

I have been natural twice. Once in high school and again my sophomore year of college. I have been completely natural since November 15, 2007.

Were your family and friends supportive of your decision? If not, how were you able to move forward?

My family members did not really care what I did with my hair. They all know I have always been kind of weird and eclectic lol. They love me no matter what. My friends seem to accept my hair totally. Some of my friends are natural themselves! I'm blessed to have people in my circle who accept me for who I am.

What is your current routine?

I change up my hair routine from summer to winter. Right now, because it's warm, I am doing a loose hair challenge on my youtube channel: TheHeartfeltHoney. I am usually in protective styles but I wanted to test my hair and see if I can retain length and grow my hair while wearing it out. I shampoo and deep condition once a week. I twist or braid with a leave in conditioner and Heartfelt Naturalz Honey Due and leave them in over night. I untwist or braid usually on a Monday morning and wear my hair loose for at least 7 days. I do not re-braid or twist every night. I repeat this cycle every 7 days.

What are your hair goals? What steps are you taking to achieve them?

My hair goal is just to keep it healthy. Everything else will come. I am patient with my hair and I have enjoyed it at  all stages. I have had times when I just didn't know what to do with it lol I've learned so much and I'm grateful for the experiences I've had to get here.

What new styles or tecniques have you learned this year?

This year I have learned the correct moisture balance for my hair. I used to put to much oil in my hair in an effort to keep it from being dry. Now I think I have found away to give it just enough.

What is your definition of "Good Hair"?

Good hair is hair that is not breaking, damaged, dry etc. Good hair is hair that is well groomed and taken care of. Everyone has the potential to have good hair.

Curly girls have more fun because...We have accepted ourselves just as we are!

Carolyn, also known as "The Heartfelt Honey" is a guest blogger here on Naturally Obsessed, please check out posts by clicking this link...enjoy :) http://naturallyobsessed.onsugar.com/tag/food+for+thought

Hello Naturally Obsessed Readers,

It’s TheHeartfeltHoney and I’m here with this week’s Food For Thought: Pumpkin! I am going to be honest with you all. When I thought to use Pumpkin as a food for thought I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to find very much information on the benefits of Pumpkin on hair. Needless to say, I was wrong!! Surprisingly enough, Pumpkin whether directly applied topically or ingested is great for hair.

According to ehow.com, Pumpkin seeds contain the fatty oils with linoleic acid and oleic acid, both known to prevent cancer-causing cell production. They are also an excellent source of vitamins A, B6 and C and nutrients such as zinc, magnesium, calcium and iron. Most beneficial to those suffering from hair loss, the seeds contain cucurbitin, a unique amino that may be responsible for Pumpkin seeds' effects on hair growth. Pumpkin is also considered a ‘super food’ by many researchers because it is so rich in arytenoids which are fat soluble substances found in many plants. There are more than 50 arytenoids are found in Pumpkin.

So, how can we use Pumpkin to improve the quality of our hair and skin? Ingesting Pumpkin is an easy and tasty way to help retain hair. Eating two hands full of Pumpkin seeds a day you increase your zinc intake. According to Source 5, a reduced level in Zinc in the body can result in poor hair growth and dandruff. You can find Pumpkin seeds at your local convenient and health stores. They come in a variety of ways including dried, shelled, salted or roasted. If you are looking for another use for those Halloween Pumpkins, try this fun recipe from ehow.com for roasted Pumpkin seeds and there is always the classic Pumpkin pieJ

We can also reap the benefits of Pumpkin by applying it externally. The oil from Pumpkin seeds is believed to effect testosterone and androgen levels in the body. Lack of androgens in the body is believed to be a primary cause of hair loss. You can also purchase Pumpkin seed oil at your local health food store or online by visiting Amazon.com. Also visit BellaSugar.com for a fun and easy Pumpkin facial mask.

I found so many wonderful ways we can benefit from Pumpkin during my research that I decided to compile a short list of them here for you via HairLossSupplements.com:

*Research has been done on the benefits of arytenoids and it is found that foods like Pumpkin can decrease the risk of cancers including lung, cervical, colon, breast, bladder and especially skin cancer, since arytenoids are known to protect the skin (and eyes) from the damaging effects of the sun’s ultraviolet rays.

*One 13-year-long study also noted a strong positive relationship between a diet high in carotenoid-rich foods and a decreased risk in heart disease.

*Beta carotene is not only a powerful antioxidant, but it is also considered an anti-inflammatory, which prevents the buildup oxidized cholesterol on blood vessel and arterial walls (atherosclerosis), thus reducing the risk of stroke or heart attack.

*There are no known side effects to eating Pumpkin or taking it for medicinal purposes. It is recommended however, that when purchasing products for their healing properties, the seeds contain 30 percent of the unsaturated fats (linoleic and oleic fatty acids).

I hope you enjoyed this post. For more fun ways to easily incorporate Pumpkin in to your diet check out ehow.com. Until next time, I wish you all peace and light. For more from me visit me at my YouTube channel TheHeartfeltHoney or at HoneyCee.blogspot.com.

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Hey Naturally Obsessed Readers!

I’m back with another “Food For Thought” for you all this week and this one is a little creamy. This week’s food: Yogurt. So what is in this healthy dessert that can also benefit our hair? According to Katie Did over at DailyGlow.com, Yogurt contains enriching elements like zinc, calcium, lactic acid, vitamins B1, B2, B-6 and B-12, protein, and yeast. It also has rich deposits of friendly bacteria that boost overall health as well as that of the hair and skin. It is made through milk fermentation and bacteria that changes milk from a liquid to a semi-solid. The consistency of yogurt is important here because it is used as the base in many homemade hair conditioner recipes.

Much to the curly girls delight, Yogurt spreads easily along the hair shaft coating it with nourishing ingredients. The protein in Yogurt strengthens hair strands which aids in hair retention. According to Crunchy Betty, the fatty acid in lactic will help to shine and smooth tangled hair, making it easier to comb, and leaving your hair soft.

Yogurt also acts as a gentle cleanser, working to clear the pores of your scalp and eliminating dandruff. Like tomatoes and banana, Yogurt also strengthens hair follicles. Crunchy Betty tells us that the enzymes in yogurt will combat dandruff and help soothe an itchy scalp. Hair that is dry or worn from styling would really benefit from a Yogurt hair mask. Visit ehow.com to try their fun, easy, and curly girl friendly homemade Yogurt conditioner.

Not only is Yogurt good for our hair, but it can also work wonders for our skin! It helps reduce black and white heads, lightens dark spots, and shrinks pores. For a few good face mask recipes visit Tips4.net and Bukisa.com. I actually plan to try a few of the recipes myself:) I hope you all enjoyed this post and I look forward to sharing the benefits of pumpkin with you all next week. As always, I wish you all a peace and light. See ya in the next post!

If you would like to see more posts from HeartfeltHoney please click this link! http://naturallyobsessed.onsugar.com/tag/food+for+thought

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Hello again Naturally Obsessed Readers!

It’s that time again! This week’s Food for Thought is Honey! I’m sure you can tell just from my screen name "HeartfeltHoney" how much I love this food. I use it in everything, especially my morning tea. Though I've found through research that honey can be used for everything from hair conditioner to healing burns!

When researching why a particular food is good for hair I always look at what it is comprised of. According to Bees-Online, Honey contains sugars and minerals such as, glucose, fructose, magnesium, potassium, calcium, sodium chlorine, sulphur, iron and phosphate. Honey also contains vitamins B1, B2, C, B6, B5 and B3 which change according to the qualities of the nectar and pollen. Small quantities of copper, iodine, and zinc can also be found in Honey. All of the above stated sugars, vitamins, and minerals combine to make Honey extremely moisturizing to scalp and hair as well as a natural humectant.

Humectants hold to water molecules and help moisturize hair. According to an article I found at Beauty Brains, humectants smooth the hair shaft so that it feels soft to the touch and looks shiny. So how can we use honey effectively on our hair?

I found endless recipes on how to make Honey hair masks and apply them to hair. However, I choose to include here the recipes that I feel would be curly girl friendly. Jacob Mabille at Healthy Guidance suggests combining two tablespoons of honey with olive oil and shampoo. I liked this recipe because honey is very sticky and does not make hair easy to separate or de-tangle. However, when applied as stated above, our hair receives the moisturizing benefits of honey and olive oil while also preventing stickiness with shampoo. I would also suggest diluting the shampoo if you choose to try this method.

One other quick and easy recipe  I thought would be good for naturally curly hair is mixing1 tsp. of honey with 1 tsp. of olive oil and 2 tsp. of water to make a paste. Massage this mixture onto the areas where you may be experiencing hair loss or thinning (ehow.com). I chose recipes that include water because I know first hand how tightly coiled hair textures can be non-receptive to mixtures that lack moisture. The paste will not spread as evenly over coiled hair if it does not include oil or water.

I was surprised to find out that aside from hair care, Honey can be used to treat burns, insect bites, and mild acne pimples. According to Bees-Online, Honey is a natural antiseptic that prevents infection by killing bacteria around the wound and allowing tissue to grow back. Honey can also be used to sooth sore throat by drinking a teaspoon of honey mixed with lemon juice every few hours. The antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties in honey sooth raw tissues.

For more Honey hair mask and skin care recipes check out IndiaParenting.com. They have a ton of honey based recipes that I think you will enjoy. If you have any questions or comments feel free to post them below as well. I look forward to returning next week to uncover the moisturizing properties of yogurt. As always, I wish you all a peaceful and productive week. See you in the next post!

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Hello Naturally Obsessed!
Bananas are great for recovering your hair from exposure to harsh environmental factors such as pollution, dirt, and toxins. By using bananas in a hair mask, we can help maintain the natural elasticity of our hair strands which ultimately helps prevent split ends.
I have to say I was becoming increasingly impressed by the benefits of using bananas on hair and resolved to do a banana hair mask on my next wash day. As I continued my research, I also discovered that bananas are excellent for preventing dandruff and alleviating irritable scalp.
In an article written by Lori Polluck, I discovered that bananas can be used to heal psoriasis on both the scalp and body. By using the mixture mentioned here, psoriasis can be cured in as little as five days with daily use. Bananas also help control dandruff, flaking and dry scalp. Click here for more on the benefits of using bananas on the scalp.
Hair masks have been used for centuries to cure hair woes. The Taiwano Indians used heated extract of banana for regular softening scalp treatments. They are especially suitable for people with dry or dyed hair. Banana hair masks give hair shine, strength, calm irritated scalp, add volume, soften the hair shaft, and make hair more manageable.
As an added bonus bananas are great for digestion and acne. Feeling a little irregular? Try eating a banana. The vitamin c helps to settle upset stomach. Battling acne prone skin? Try rubbing a banana peal on the problem area. You will remove bacteria and should notice and reduction in redness. I hope you enjoyed reading this article as much as I enjoyed writing it. I felt so inspired that I decided to do my own banana hair mask. If your looking for an inexpensive conditioner treatment or for organic hair care recipes bananas are a good ingredient to start with. Until next time. I wish you all a peaceful and productive week. See ya in the next post!
But before you go, check out this cool recipe I spotted at EHow•Com.  And if your intersted, visit my YouTube channel to see my expierence with a banana hair mask...here's the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzUEHfKghkM....Enjoy :)
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Hello NaturallyObessed readers. I am so happy to have the opportunity to share with you all today. Just to give you a little background as to who I am, I am a blogger over at HoneyCee•Blogspot•Com, a vlogger as "TheHeartFeltHoney" on youtube, a sister, a friend, and an over all lover of life and all things natural. My passion has always been writing. I have a Bachelors Degree in English and Modern Language with a concentration in African-American Literature and I plan to use my knowledge base to bring you all the best possible information I can on food and how it relates to hair. Thank you for having me :)

This week's hair food pick is Tomatoes! Now I know I'm not the only person who has noticed the cosmetic industries recent infatuation with tomatoes. They are showing up as an ingredient in everything! We see tomato in our facial toners, eye creams, conditioners, soaps and the list goes on. Just the talk about Yes to Tomatoes alone is enough to make you take a second look in your own refrigerator. I decided to do a little research on this super food and find out exactly what all the fuss is about... 

I was surprised to learn that tomatoes could be so beneficial to hair health. According to an article by Sandra Piddock, eating or ingesting tomatoes can be good for hair growth as they are a good source of biotin and vitamin A. Biotin is necessary for cell growth, the production of fatty acids, and the metabolism of fats and amino acids. The body naturally produces biotin . Vitamin A is required for development and maintenance of the epithelial cells, in the mucus membranes, and your skin, which is important for the growth of scalp hair.

Tomatoes are also good to use topically in hair after swimming in pool water to prevent hair staining and odor. They also help to balance the pH levels in our hair. However, tomatoes should not be applied directly to healthy hair regularly as they are highly acidic. Click here for more on tomatoes and their acidity.

http://www.mamaherb.com/hair-loss-home-remedy-using-tomato-paste