Natural Hair Essentials To Buy Right Now

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If you follow @TheSassyNation on Snapchat, then you're ahead of the game and aware that everybody's favorite natural hair care line, Shea Moisture, has been on promo at Walgreens for a few weeks now. Last week it was a BOGO half off situation. This week it's get 3 for the price of 2. IDK how much longer they'll stay on promo, this is the third week so far. I actually copped mines last Saturday. It seemed like the perfect time to stock up on their Jamaican Black Castor Oil (JBCO) infused Strengthen, Grow & Restore shampoo and conditioner.

I've been having great success with moisture retention using JBCO and other products that use it as a key ingredient. So when I saw that Shea Moisture expanded the JBCO line to include a few stylers, such as the Edge Treatment, I decided to give it another try. 

I've only used the JBCO conditioner and masque in the past, but didn't care for it because I couldn't use it as a leave in, since it seemed to dry my hair out. It wasn't until I later examined the content that I discovered it's conditioner has got protein listed pretty close to the top of it's ingredients list. Hence, the drying effect as a result of prolonged use (as in a leave in). For my hair, this is a no-no, and should be avoided unless the intent is to follow up with a moisturizing treatment.

However, my hair has been severely lacking protein and until recently I'd forgotten about this line and what it could be used for. So in addition to restocking it to restore my protein balance. I also got the cult fave Aubrey Organics GPB Balancing Protein Conditioner.

Now, about Aubrey Organics... When I first started my natural hair journey I was obsessed with only using products that were natural. This line was one of a handful that not only had a variety of products that worked, but was accessible on the ground in stores like Whole Foods. 

I remember talking to the regional reps at the ALIVE! trade show about how wildly popular their products were in the natural hair community. They had no idea why they couldn't keep up their hair conditioners on the shelves. I explained to them that most naturals washed their hair primarily with conditioner and used shampoo sparingly.

So, when I found out from my local health food store that one of the co-founders was recently deceased and they'd been manufacturing and distributing way below the norm, I figured I'd better stock up. If you use Aubrey Organics and are having trouble getting your hands on, really, anything in the product line (lotions, soaps, etc.), you may want to consider stockpiling a few things as well.

In the meantime I plan to resume my normal routine of using this specific conditioner as a part of my 2-step deep conditioning process, which I wrote extensively about here. Let's just say having both protein and moisturizing conditioners in one's curly hair arsenal and knowing when to use which is critical, yet very easy to learn. For now, here's a quick look at the result from my dry twistout using that JBCO edge gel. As expected, moisture levels are waaayy up, I feel blessed! :) 

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Talk back: What are your go-to holy grail moisture or protein-rich products? Leave a comment below or on social. We're always listening!

 

I Need New Friends Brunch: Bay Area Edition

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I met Ahiyana Angel of Life According to Her probably over a year ago at her book launch held at the Curl Box headquarters in Atlanta. Her energy, focused determination and desire to help women to cultivate meaningful connections was immediately evident. Although she was touring to promote her book, she took care to encourage the women at the book circle to engage in a meaningful, personal dialogue which (expertly) complemented themes present in her novel. This impressed me. It was smart, yet genuine. Having been to countless networking socials in the past, making real connections can sometimes be a challenge.  

Nevertheless, I've been following her journey and accomplishments ever since. So, after the first 'I Need New Friends' (INNF) brunch in NYC, I left her a comment on one of the FB photos that the bay (and ATL) was desperately in need of that same energy. Then we ran into each other over the holidays and I pressed even harder-- especially for the bay. And especially since I'd just returned here after a very, very long absence. I truly felt I needed new friends. Several weeks later the announcement popped up on my FB & IG that #INNF was coming to the bay. GLORY!!! Lol. 

I'm really thankful for the work that she and other ladies like her are doing to bring women together. I hope this is the first of many opportunities to connect with each other. If you were there, please stay in touch. You can message me here, at any of the social links below or even on LinkedIn.

ALSO, if you're interested in expanding your professional circle, I'd encourage you to join Levo League. It's free. Or at least come check out an event. Here's a link to my profile in case you want to connect there. You can read more here about my experience with this awesome women's network. 

Cheers to new friends!   

See you around...

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Easy Southern Baked Apple Turnovers

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Baked fruit is kinda my thing, y'all. I especially love baked apple (or peach or berry) anything, pretty much. If there is cobbler or flaky dough involved, I'm all in. In fact, this recipe could easily be adapted and would be exceptionally good with some delicious, summertime freestone peaches (mmm... yeah, definitely next time). Nevertheless, I've had apples on my mind for the past several weeks and finally got around to making this this happen. I hope you love it.

Here's what you'll need...

2 apples

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup sugar

2 packages of crescent rolls (8 in each pack)

1 1/2 sticks of butter

9 ounces of 7up, Sprite or other lemon lime soda

 

Here's what you'll do:

  1. Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees

  2. Peel and core 2 apples, cut into 8 slices

  3. Add butter to a saucepan over med-low heat

  4. Add cinnamon, sugar and flour to butter until well incorporated. Sauce will be thick.
 

5. Roll each apple slice with crescent dough 

6. Spoon 1 tablespoon of sauce onto each roll (top off with excess)

7. Pour 7up or other lemon lime soda between the rolls (not onto)

8. Bake for 35-40 minutes

 

Serve hot with whipped or ice cream and enjoy! Serves 8-16.

Shout us out in the comments or on social if you try this; or hit us up with your favorite baked fruit recipes.

 

Give Yourself a Springtime Hydrating Facial At Home in 5 Easy Steps

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So, I've recently been on a crusade to restore my skin to it's former glory. The past few months I've noticed it just hadn't been looking as dewy. Not one to take excuses, I set out to get down to figuring this out. Life is too long for shabby looking skin-- especially at my age. Although, I must confess I had not been drinking nearly enough water of late, and that's an inexcusable fact. I tried to blame my lackluster glow on a new climate and water that my skin's not used to. But if I'm being honest, my skin wasn't in the best condition even before then-- and that's in spite of summer's balmy atmosphere (yes, it's been that long).

My aha moment came after a nasty bout of the stomach flu several weeks ago. I didn't want to eat or drink much for the obvious reasons, but the one thing I found myself periodically sipping on, and I do mean sipping, was Gatorade. Imagine my surprise when I went to get in the shower the next day and caught a glimpse of myself looking quite the opposite of stir-fried poo. It was like magic. Not only did my skin seem to be glowing, but my pores were extra tight. I was shocked. Now, I know what you're thinking, Gatorade is not the ideal au natural, holistic beauty remedy for great skin. And trust me:

a.) I don't do Gatorade. If I tried hard enough I can probably accurately conjure up the number of times I've ever had any in the past. However, I was bedridden, and that's what was offered to me. And that's typically how ever other instance of me drinking Gatorade has occurred over the years.

Aaaand...

b.) You know as soon as I was in my right mind again I hopped online to find a natural, homemade version. I actually came up with some interesting results, but in the end I decided to go with what I already knew is great for hydration-- coconut water.  

Nevertheless, here is the routine that I came up with over the course of the past several weeks of trying different things out, which I feel has helped restore my sad, ashened looking skin-- just in time for spring. YAY! If you're like me and in need a hydrating boost-- our prayers have been answered. And the slay Gods are rejoicing!!

Step 1: Cleanse

Find yourself a good, mostly natural cleanser (if not completely). A few of my faves that I keep in rotation are Neutrogena Naturals, Black Soap, or Yes to Tomatoes Gel Cleanser. Also, when in harsh winter climates, Yes to Blueberries has a nice cream based cleanser that is also pretty fantastic.

 

Step 2: Clarify

Here's a little treat that I've been using to clarify my pores of late. It's GlamGlow's Youthmud Tinglexfoliate Treatment, available here. Now, although I've been using this on and off for some months, I haven't quite built up to committing to a whole jar that retails at $69 in Sephora.

However, I have been enjoying the abundance of samples that are readily available for FREE99 whenever I run out. Ya dig!? I assume that one day, like most products that I sample for a while, I'll suddenly decide I can't live without it and break down and buy it. But for now, the way my budget is setup... you know the rest. Lol.

What I love about this mask is that not only does it seem to purify the pores, but do you see the little dots all over my t-zone? Well, those are supposedly my "problem areas," made evident using a (patented?) mud technology. When I began testing my theory of this hydration routine, I'll admit there were lots more dots the previous week than here (which was week 2). Full disclosure: In between weeks I'd gone to the aesthetician and gotten a hydrating facial, just to compare methodology of how professionals do things. And in week 2 I started to see a vast improvement. Like I said, I've been on a mission to right these dry skin wrongs. When I commit, I go all the way in.  

 

Step 3: Hydration Mask

Now this is what I consider probably the most important step after cleansing. While it's awesome to have the benefit of a clarifying mask (or at the least a clarifying cleanser), the thing about both is that they can be drying, which I mentioned several times before, I was working to eradicate. Therefore, I felt it was necessary find and add a good hydrating mask into the routine.

When I think back on all the facials I've had done by aestheticians over the years, the one thing each experience had in common was that the masks used at the spa were never the kind that dried up and hardened. Like ever. Total lightbulb moment. In fact, even if they were exposed to open air and over time (say, 15 minutes) were allowed to dry out because of their make up, at the spa they always took care to either use a light steam over the face during and after mask application. Sometimes they applied a warm, moist towel, or some other type of applique so that the mask never had the opportunity to dry and get hard. Other times, they avoided using masks that had a propensity to harden in general... such as the one here.

A few days after my hydrating facial at the spa, I went into Lush and explained my issue and asked for a recommendation and this is what I walked out with. Best 7-8 dollars I've spent this year. I love this stuff. The one and only drawback is that because it doesn't have a bunch of preservatives (yay) the expiration to use it is 3 weeks tops with refrigeration, Bummer. However, it did encourage me to use it often to make sure I was getting my money's worth. 

 

Step 4: Tone

Toner is a pretty big deal when it comes to prepping the skin for your moisturizer. This is after you've rinsed off the mask in step 3, of course. I always knew toner helped lift dirt without over drying, but I was reminded of how great toner is to retain moisture when, in a pinch, I used it to remove some matte lip stains I swatched during my recent pre-spring mini-haul. 

The woman who did my facial the other week used a wonderful smelling toner which reminded me a lot of Thayer's Rose Witch Hazel. I'm currently using the original formula, simply because I grew impatient looking for the rose kind when I ran out. So, when working on building hydration into a routine, I'd say go with witch hazel to up the moisture ante.

 

 

 

Step : 5 Moisturize With Coconut Oil

Finally, it's coconut oil for the win. You guys, I swear by this stuff on everything. My face, my hair, my nails, my food. I put it on pretty much everything. No exaggeration. The brand I use is sold at my local Trader Joes for just 5.99 for a 16 fluid ounce jar. This is my moisturizer of choice... maybe coco or shea butter is your jam, but I've used coconut oil consistently for the past 5 years. Actually, before that I was a coco butter lover. I just know what's working for me currently. And if it ain't broke... you know the rest.   

 

So, that's it. My 5 easy steps for an at home facial hydration routine. Give it a whirl and let me know what you think in the comments or on social. Love ya like XO!!!