Hair Care Weekly #3: Natural Waves Without Heat

 Summer is almost here and tons of people want beautiful beachy waves for this weather. Here's how to get natural waves without heat. 

Pre-Step: Shampoo, condition, and air-dry your hair meaning don't use a blow dry or any source of heat.

Step 1: Comb out your hair and de-tangle it. This will make the steps after much easier.

Step 2: Take sections of your hair and braid them into tight braids. If you want smaller and tighter waves, braid small braids. For medium sized waves, braid medium-sized sections. For big waves, braid big sections of your hair. You want to make sure your braids are as tight as possible without hurting you because you want that wavy effect.

Step 3: Go to bed! You can wrap your hair with something like a bandana to make sure the braids don't come out.

Tip: Try to sleep as straight as possible because you don't want to bend or shape the braids and have them look awkward in the morning.

Step 4: In the morning un-braid your braids and gently comb them out.

Step 5: Use a volumizing spray to add volume to your hair.

You're all done! Hope you try this out and get some beautiful beachy waves!

Advice Weekly #4: How To Ask A Guy To A Dance

Okay, its the end of the year and at most schools, a lot of dances are happening. Almost every girl out there has that special guy that she wants to go with. If you're brave enough, here's how to ask a guy to a school dance!

Step 1: Remember that guys are people and I know you probably don't want to hear this but prepare for rejection. If you are rejected, don't beat yourself up about it. There are plenty other guys out there and at least one of them is bound to like you. 

Step 2: Figure out how you're going to ask him. There are tons of different ways, a note, email, social networking, text, face to face, its your choice. For this I would recommend face to face cause it makes things so much more special.

Step 3: If you're going to ask him face to face, approach him nicely with a hello. Make conversation and then slowly lead in to asking him about the dance and if he would like to go with you.

Example: "Hey ________, you played really well in the football game on Monday. Have you heard about the dance that's coming up? I was wondering if you would like to go with me?"

Something similar to that. You can be creative or ask however you like as long as you don't sound desperate.

Step 4: Be confident! Guys love confident girls and be strong and brave to ask. The more confident you are, the more the guy will respect you.

Skin Care Weekly #4: Morning Skin Care Routines

Morning Care Routines!! This is important step in every day because you always want your face to look beautiful!

Step 1: Wash your face well with a gentle cleanser. You can do this in the shower or at the sink. Make sure you don't use water that is too hot or that will dry out your skin. You warm water. When applying the cleanser to your face, massage it gently in and then rinse. Make sure to apply it everywhere.

 

Step 2: Use a toner. I will be doing a post soon on Skin Toners but if you know what works for you, then use it. I personally don't use toner at all and I never have.

 

Step 3: Moisturize well. Just like in my past posts on types of skin and how to treat them, moisturize depending on your skin type. If you have combination or oily skin, use a light moisturizer. If you have dry skin, use a richer one.

Advice Weekly #3: Ways To Lose Weight

Okay, some girls out there may feel insecure about their weight and may want to lose some of it. Before you even think about it, ask a doctor first if you need to lose any and if you do, how much. You can also use anyone of the many apps out there that calculate your Body Mass Index and can tell you how much to lose and if you are underweight or overweight. You don't want to possibly hurt or damage your body.

Step 1: Set a goal. You want to set a weight goal that you want to reach. For example, if you are 150 pounds you can set a goal for 135 or how much you need to lose depending on how much the doctor or a BMI app tells you.

Step 2: Track how many calories you consume. There are also tons of apps for this. Every time you eat just put in the calories of what it was.

Step 3: Exercise! Okay, this is probably the most important part of losing weights and there are many ways to do it. You can take a quick run in the morning and at night or go to the gym. Treadmills, exercise bikes, steppers, they're all great for exercising.

Step 4: Drink lots of water. You want to do this especially when exercising so you don't become dehydrated. Water is the thing your body needs the most to stay hydrated and healthy. Its better than artificially flavored water or vitamin water.

Quick Tip: Use reusable water bottles to help the environment.

Step 5: Eat a healthy diet. Eating a healthy diet does not mean starving yourself. It means everything that's on the food pyramid/plate meaning grains, veggies, dairy, fruits, fiber, protein, and a small amount of fats.

Step 6: Get a lot of sleep. Sleep is also your friend and is great for your body. Too much sleep is unhealthy though so only get 8 to 9 hours.

Step 7: Weigh yourself once a week and keep track of how much you're losing. You can keep track of that in a notebook and if you don't own a scale, go out and buy one.

Step 8: Give yourself a "cheat day" every once in a while where you can kind of eat whatever! Whatever does not mean junk food though.

Step 9: Don't lose the weight too fast. Don't spend 5 hours in the gym trying to lose 10 pounds. Its unhealthy and that's not the right way to lose weight. Take it slow and lose it gradually. That will be the healthiest choice and you won't gain it back so fast.

An Example Of A Healthy Diet On An Average Day

Breakfast

• A cereal that contains fiber and/or whole grain
• Milk to go in the cereal
• A glass of fresh or real orange juice
• If you plan on making an omelet, include spinach and onions and tomatoes
• Eggs are great for breakfast but or unhealthy to have more than 3 times a week
• Granola Bars! The fastest and easiest breakfasts.

Lunch

• A sandwich on wheat bread containing lettuce, tomatoes, deli meat, cheese, and your choice of dressing like mayo, but don't use too much
• 100% Apple Juice
• Carrot Sticks & Ranch Dressing
• Granola Bar

Dinner

• Chicken breast
• Rice
• Pasta instead of the rice
• Milk or 100% Fruit Juice or Water
• Veggies like salad, green beans, corn, or more

I hope this post really helps! Good Luck!

Hair Care Weekly #2: Hair Straightening With A Hot Comb Using Open Flame

This post is for African Americans who use a hot comb to straighten hair. Here is how to do it the right way over an open flame on your stove.

Pre-Step: Wash your hair well with shampoo. Condition and then blow dry until its a straight as you can get it. Don't do it for too long though.

Step 1: Purchase two hot combs. If you have really coarse hair, buy one where the teeth of the comb are closer together. If you hair is less coarse, you can buy one with wider space between the teeth.

Step 2: Prepare yourself. Get a towel that you won't mind slightly burning and ruining. Make sure you have clear space as well. You will be doing this in your kitchen because that's most likely where the stove is. You might want to grab a mirror that you can set down as well so you don't make any mistakes.

Step 3: Use a heat protection product to protect your hair from the heat from the comb.

Step 4: Lay both of the hot combs on the stove top right where the flame is. Make sure the handles are far away from the flame. If you have an electric stove, this is not going to work. Use two hot combs because it will make the process faster and you won't have to wait for it to heat up because you'll always have another one ready.

Step 5: Lay out your towel and fold it at least twice. Use a hand towel cause they're smaller. Wait about 5 minutes or so and take one comb off the stove. Press it quickly on both sides on the towel.

Step 6: Take a piece of hair from the back of your neck and run the hot comb from the roots all the way to the tips of your hair.

Step 7: Continue this through the rest of your hair until its all straightened.

Optional Step: If you want, you can use a flat iron to make your hair more silky.

Step 8: Spray with a shine spray to make hair look nice.

Day 4: Summer Outfit #4

Jeans: To me, Aeropostale is the best place to find jeans. Here's a link to find dark blue denim skinny jeans. http://www.aeropostale.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=4330109&cp=3534618.3534619.3534623.3541050.3536152

Bracelets: For this outfit, I would go with the Etched Bangles Set for $4.80.http://www.forever21.com/Product/Category.aspx?br=f21&category=acc_bracelet&pagesize=100&page=2

Sandals:  http://www.jcpenney.com/dotcom/shoes/shop-womens-shoes/sandals-flip-flops/cat.jump?id=cat100250193&deptId=dept20000018&N=100410028&pageSize=96&extDim=true I would go with any of the jeweled sandals here.

Bag & Shirt: Okay so I couldn't find these items or dupes anywhere at all. I'm really sorry guys for letting you down but I hope you can find them yourselves or you own something similar. I tried my best, once again, really sorry.

Advice Weekly #2: What To Put In Your Locker For Middle School

I know that the school year is almost over, but before it ends, here are important things you should have in your locker, besides your school books.

Mirror: These are really helpful when you can't go to the bathroom to look but want to take check ups.

Extra Pair of Clothes: These are important because you can never know what will happen. You could get a stain or something could get spilled on you and you never know when you're gonna need it. Its always good to have a backup.

Deodorant: You're gonna want to start carrying this around especially when in middle school and high school. Its even more important if you have a gym class or something.

Hoodie/Sweater: If you get cold, or the weather gets bad, or it even starts to rain, you're probably gonna need this.

Toiletries: Girls, you know what this means and you're gonna need this.

Shelves: These are helpful for organization with books and other things. They're really cheap and probably could be found at Target or Walmart.

Extra school supplies: Pencils, pens, maybe even a notebook, you want to be prepared.

A Small Amount of Emergency Cash: You don't want to keep a lot of money in your locker, nothing more than $10. This is important if you need to buy something or forget money for lunch or anything.

Hope this helps even if you've probably already seen or experienced this advice.

Day 3: Summer Outfit #3

Crop Top: I found the top for this outfit on Forever21.com. http://www.forever21.com/Product/Category.aspx?br=f21&category=top_crop-tops Its only $13.80 and is pretty similar.

Shorts: The closest match I could find where these denim shorts that are called the Braided Denim Shorts. The only thing that ruins it is the braided-in belt but it's close enough. http://www.forever21.com/Product/Category.aspx?br=f21&category=bottom_shorts-denim

Sunglasses: They have tons of these aviator glasses at Forever 21. http://www.forever21.com/Product/Category.aspx?br=f21&category=glasses

Bracelets: It was also very hard for me to find the bracelets but there are tons from Forever 21. http://www.forever21.com/Product/Category.aspx?br=f21&category=acc_bracelet&pagesize=100&page=1

Shoes: I used the Google Shopping Icon and found tons of wedges that would look great with this outfit. https://www.google.com/shopping/product/10915736462361302986?q=wedges&sa=X&ei=y8hxUaO8Ao-u4APJ1IGoDA&ved=0CMABEL8TMAQ4Eg

Hair Care Weekly #1: Straightening Hair With A Flat Iron

A lot of girls out there straighten their hair and I'm one of them. I'm African American so I have thick curly hair and I love it so much better when its straight. Here's how to straighten your hair properly with a flat iron.

Step 1: Pick out the right sized flat iron

The size of a flat iron depends on your hair's length and thickness. For short hair, use an iron that has narrow plates from half an inch to one inch thick. For long hair, use an iron with wide plates from one-half to two inches thick. Make sure your iron is also not too heavy because you will start to hurt after holding it for so long.

Step 2: Choose the right heat setting

This is a very important step. You don't want to burn your hair but you also want to straighten it out enough in just a few strokes. The heat temperature depends on your hair texture and type. For fine or damaged hair, you want 250 to 300 degrees. For medium or average hair, you want 300 to 350. For thick or coarse hair, you want 350 to 400 degrees.

Step 3: Prepare your hair

First you want to shampoo and condition your hair. If you have fine or thin hair, you can just let it air dry. For thick or coarse hair, you want to blow dry it. For coarse hair, you want to blow dry it until its pretty straight. This will make the straightening process much easier. You want to apply a heat protection product to your hair before straightening. Too much heat can damage your hair and this is very important. You can find tons of these at local beauty or hair supply stores.

Step 4: Straighten Your Hair

You want to part your hair into sections and clip or tie them up so they'll be out of your way while straightening. You then want to put your flat iron on its setting and let it heat up for a few minutes. Once its hot, start about half an inch down from the roots and clamp your hair there and gently slide the flat iron down. You might want to look in the mirror when you do this so you don't get too close to your scalp and burn yourself. Its also best to start straightening at the nape of your neck and work your way up to the front of your head. You want to clamp and slide the flat iron on each piece of hair at least 3 times or until its straight and silky to your desire. Make sure your pieces of hair are not to thick or too much or else your hair will not straighten efficiently. Once your done straightening your hair, touch up parts that aren't the best. If you have coarse or curly hair you may see un-straightened roots on the sides and front of your head. If you have coarse hair, a hot comb can fix these up. If you have curly hair, get the flat iron as close as you can without burning yourself.

Step 5: Spray it up

Now you want to spray your hair with a shine spray and maybe even a volumizing spray. 

Warnings

• Do not straighten your hair when wet. Your hair will sizzle and fry and could burn off.
• Do not use old, broken, or chipped hair tools.
• Do not flat iron your hair everyday because too much heat is not good for your hair and can make your hair dry, brittle, or damaged.

You also might want to clean your iron after every use with a professional iron cleaner.

All About: Baby Lips!

Okay, I know that my last "All About" Post was about a lip product but baby lips are also really popular too. They come in tons of really cute colors and shades for your lips. You can also pretty much find them anywhere! 

Baby Lips: First of all, Baby Lips are lip balms made by Maybelline. It moisturizes your lips for 8 hours and renews them. You'll see changes after a week. They also come in flavors and shades such as (from left to right), Grape Vine 020, Pink Punch 025, Peach Kiss 030, Peppermint 010, Cherry Me 015, and Quenched 005. 

Where To Buy Them: You can find these at Target, CVS, Walgreens, pretty much any drugstore, you can basically find these anywhere! I would buy them from Target though because they're a pretty good price there. I can't really remember but I believe its under $5. 

Skin Care Weekly #3: Combination Skin

Combination Skin

This is the skin type that I have and I think its the most difficult to deal with. Here's how to take care of it and treat it.

What is combination skin?

Combination skin is when some parts of your face are oily like your nose, chin, and forehead and other parts are dry. 

Combination Skin Can Produce: 

• Overly dilated pores
• Shiny skin
• Blackheads

How To Care For Combination Skin

• Wash your face in the morning and before bed with a gentle, oil free, cleanser
• Apply a light moisturizer on the dry zones
• Use or make an oil absorbing facial mask and apply it to your face for an hour and then rinse it off

Hopefully soon I will be posting facial masks for all skin types so stick around for that!

Day 2: Summer Outfit #2

This is the next summer outfit. As you can see, it has a lot of items. You don't have to include everything though.

Jean Jacket: H&M have a few cute denim jackets. http://www.hm.com/us/subdepartment/LADIES?Nr=4294963529 Sadly, they're in between $30 and $40 dollars and I think that may be a bit much, but if you already own one or know a place nearby you where you can get it for cheaper, then you're all set.

Shorts: Forever 21 has the shorts for this outfit called the Perma-Creased Cuffed Denim Shorts at this link: http://www.forever21.com/Product/Category.aspx?br=f21&category=bottom_shorts&pagesize=100&page=1 . They're about $16 dollars which I think is an appropriate price.

Belt: Forever21.com also has tons of belts but I think the best one for this outfit is the Woven Faux Leather Belt. http://www.forever21.com/Product/Category.aspx?br=f21&category=belts&pagesize=100&page=1

Sunglasses: http://www.forever21.com/Product/Category.aspx?br=f21&category=glasses&pagesize=100&page=1 Forever 21 has tons of Aviator Sunglasses for $6. Some lenses are darker than others so its your choice.

Tank Top: Okay, I have to admit it was really hard for me to find this tank top. The best one I could come up with was one at JC Penney http://www.jcpenney.com/dotcom/women/shop-clothing/tops-/cat.jump?id=cat100210006&deptId=dept20000013&N=100260307&pageSize=96&extDim=true Its the Joe Fresh Racerback Tank Top for $12.

Handbag: The closest bag I could find for this outfit also was on JC Penney's site. http://www.jcpenney.com/dotcom/handbags-accessories/handbags-wallets/crossbody-handbags/cat.jump?id=cat100640196&deptId=dept20000019&N=1407&Nao=24&pN=2 Its the Call It Spring Monale Studded Crossbody for $40. I know it may seem like a lot of money to contribute to this outfit which is why I say you can just leave it out or use another brown bag you may have.

Necklace: I can barely tell what the necklace is, but it looks like two brown leaves and a white flower. This shouldn't be too difficult to find, right? Unfortunately, I was wrong. I looked especially on Forever 21's site and there is nothing even similar to the necklace. http://www.forever21.com/Product/Category.aspx?br=f21&category=acc_necklace&pagesize=100&page=6 Check out the necklaces they have, and find anything that you like. As long as it's brown charm or golden chains, it will definitely match with the outfit.

Sandals: http://www.hm.com/us/subdepartment/LADIES?Nr=4294959277#Nr=4294959277 H&M has the closest sandals for the best price. Only $12.95. They're the sandals on the first page in brown, white, and pink for that price. I really wish H&M could give their products actual names so I could identify them to you..

Earrings: I think these earrings are so pretty. Sadly, I had the same problem just like the necklace situation. Luckily, Forever 21 has tons of earrings that you can had to this outfit and they can be gold and whatever shape you like. http://www.forever21.com/Product/Category.aspx?br=f21&category=acc_earrings&pagesize=100&page=6

So, this is the end of this "Put Together." I gave you the links to the site so that you can look for yourself because sometimes the actual stores don't have what you're looking for so ordering online might be something you want to consider. Thanks for reading, and I hope you can try putting this outfit together! Send me some of your "Put Together" pics and I will post them!

Day 1: Summer Outfit #1

This is a really cute outfit and sorry about the quality of the photo. Its pretty much a mint green skirt, 2 bracelets, and a black lacy top. I'm gonna give you some tips on how to put this outfit together with items from stores nearby at a low cost. Hope this helps!


Mint Green Skirt: Forever 21 has the prettiest skirts to be honest. And the one you choose doesn't have to be mint green. It can be another pastel color. http://www.forever21.com/Product/Category.aspx?br=f21&category=bottom_skirt&pagesize=100&page=1  That link has a skirt called the Chiffon Skirt and it comes in pastel pink, a light blue, a black, a white, and a yellow. It only costs $13.80 without shipping and handling if you were to order it online.

Black Lacy Top: H&M has a top similar to the one that the girl is wearing in the picture. http://www.hm.com/us/subdepartment/LADIES?Nr=4294962278#page=1&Nr=4294962278&N=30410 Its the 18th top on the second page. It only costs $24.95.

Bracelets: There are tons of options for the bracelets. You just have to find a thick gold one. Forever 21 has loads that you can choose from. http://www.forever21.com/Product/Category.aspx?br=f21&category=acc_jewelry&pagesize=100&page=1 They're all mostly at a low cost meaning under $10.

Shoes: Okay, so I know that in the picture, shoes are not shown, but I would recommend black, white, or pastel colored flats, or even better, sandals since its the summer time!

I hope this post helped you know how to put together a summer outfit!

10 Days of Summer Outfit Advice

For the next 10 days, I will post a bunch of posts on how to put together really cute summer outfits with things from stores near you. I hope this helps you a lot and prepares you for summer!

Skin Care Weekly #2: Oily Skin Care

Oily Skin Care

Do you have oily skin? Well, honestly I think oily skin is the hardest skin type to deal with next to combination skin. Here's how to take care of it and some things you should avoid if you have oily skin.

Oily Skin Can Produce:

• Pimples, and other blemishes
• Shiny or thick complexion
• Enlarged pores

You can make oily skin worse by being stressed too often and when you are exposed to heat or humidity too much.

Treat & Care for oily skin by: 

• Wash your skin twice a day
• Wash your skin after sweating
• Use a gentle cleanser that is oil-free
• After washing, use a moisturizer labeled "light" and "oil-free"

All About: eos Lip Balms

eos Lip Balms

About eos Lip Balms: These lip balms are seriously lovable! They come in a bunch of colors and flavors like strawberry sorbet, passion fruit, summer fruit, sweet mint, and more. They're organic and moisturize your lips well. There's no petroleum in them either. They're natural and use Shea butter and jojoba oil to smooth and soften your lips. Its moisture also lasts long and its amazing. 

Where To Buy Them: You can pretty much find these anywhere! Target, Walmart, Walgreen's  your supermarket, a lot of places. The best place I would say to get them is Target. Its only $2.99 there last time I went compared to the $3.29 at other places like Walgreen's. 

Advice Weekly #1

Middle School: What You Should Put Or Have In Your Bag/Backpack

If you are in middle school (6th to 8th grade), then you probably want to know what you should always have on you in your bag or backpack in case of emergency and what's important. 

Cosmetics: If you wear makeup, you probably want to carry around a mascara and the eye shadow that you wore that day in case of water situations or if it rubs off. You also want to have lipstick and foundation/powder in case of water or rubbing off. If you don't wear makeup you should still have Vaseline  chapstick, lip balm, or lip gloss to help with chapped lips. You also want lotion so your hands don't get dry and as a backup in case you need it. 

School Supplies: Always make sure you have a writing utensil. This is probably the #1 school rule. Make sure you have multiple pencils, an eraser (not on the pencil but a separate one), a black pen, a blue pen, and a red pen, and a handheld pencil sharpener. Teachers don't like it when you use the electric ones, trust me, I know. You also want to have highlighters, paper clips, a permanent marker, a dry erase marker, tape, and post it notes. I know it sounds like a lot, but its needed. For a place to put this stuff, you'll need to buy a pencil case. There are all sorts of cute ones out there and if you don't find one you like, get a makeup bag (that's what I use). Of course you want to have your homework and the books for the classes you'll have in the morning. A notebook would also be great too. Last but not least, a planner/agenda is really helpful. You can write down your assignments there and they also have calendars where you can plan upcoming events.

Lunch: If you bring your own lunch, make sure you have it with you. If you buy lunch, don't forget your money! Make sure you always bring enough and it's good to bring a snack in case you get hungry earlier or later on. 

Cards: If you take public transportation like the bus or train, make sure you have your card for that. If you need to go to the library, make sure you have your library card. If your school does IDs make sure you always have that. If there are any other cards you need, make sure you have them as well. 

Cellphones: If your school allows cellphones, make sure you carry those around in your bag if you're allowed. You might want to bring headphones or earphones too!

Breath Care: If your school allows you to, bring gum and mints for bad breath. Also bring floss especially if you have braces. And if you have braces you might also want to bring a travel toothbrush and toothpaste. If you want, you can even bring mouthwash or a breath spray. 

Toiletries: You probably know what this means and you want to make sure you have extras of whatever you use. 

Medication: If you know you're going to have pain, and your school allows you to, bring pain medicine. If you have asthma, bring your pump. If you have any other situation that requires medication bring that as well.

Glasses: If you wear glasses, bring them, the case, and something to clean them with.

I hope this helps you if you're in middle school!

Skin Care Weekly #1: Dry Skin Care

Dry Skin Care

Do you have dry skin and want to figure out how to treat it and take care of it? Here's a post on what it is, and how to care for dry skin.

Dry Skin Can Produce:

• Almost invisible pores
• Red patches
• A dull, rough complexion
• Less elasticity

Dry skin can get worse in the wind, sun, or cold, UV radiation from tanning beds, indoor heating, long hot showers, ingredients in soaps and cosmetics, and some medications.

How To Treat & Care for Dry Skin:

• Don't let the temperature inside your home get too hot
• Take shorter showers and baths
• Use gentle soaps and cleansers. 
• Don't use deodorant soap on the areas that are affected.
• Don't scrub your skin when you're bathing or drying.
• Apply a rich moisturizer to your face after washing. Do this twice a day.
• If you also have dry skin on other parts of your body like arms, legs, and hands, apply rich lotion throughout the day to those areas.

I hope this helps you if you experience dry skin. If you have anymore questions, just comment and ask.