The Hair Gains!

I'm Natural and Now What?

Hapyy New Year! Bye Bye Finger Detangling!

Best and Basic Hair Detangler!

Strengthening Hair Tea is Awesome!

Done With Overnight Conditioning!

Length Retention success...So Far, So Good!

Final Thoughts on Water Only Washing

Recovering from a case of the F#@ck Its.

Hey, Hey, Hey

Spring is in the air, I've come out of hibernation and form dealing with a case of the f#@ck its. So fresh from recovery and I hear we're in Mercury and some other planets' retrogrades so.... mmmm Ok what to do?  Whether you believe in planetary influences or not, I feel why not take the opportunity to maybe re-evaluate somethings, re-charge or just rest. Did see what I was doing there? Yup using the RE in retrograde as my inspiration. Sometimes, especially with our very noisy lives, mixed in with anxiety, fear, other people's demands and our harsh judgments on ourselves we need to step back or else you get a case of the f#@ck its as I like to call it. Now this is not a bad thing, it's not fun but it's not bad. Sometimes a case of f#@ck its is what you need to be like, "you know what something's gotta change" and sometimes that change can be as simple as how you perceive / choose to see things. So you've just come out of or an in the midst of a case of the FIs  to only enter a retrograde period, Whaat?!?!!  Well rather than freak out and feel stuck it can also be a time to nurture yourself and amp your faith and trust in yourself and universe (or however you do you spiritually). Just thought I'd share, but I gotta say I've quite been enjoying this quiet time of introspection and cutting out the excess noise in my life. I 'll say it again the f#@ck doesn't feel pleasant and it can sometimes take you uncomfortable places, but coming through to the other side and having this opportunity to just enjoy calmness and recharge...well I'm thankful and gratitude is a beautiful thing.

Cheers!

Hello Again and Had to "Trim" the Hair

Expand Your Heart, Enjoy Love and it's Time to Raise Your Glass!

A Few of my Favourite Things…

When Expanding Beauty invited me to write a wine-themed article for Valentine’s Day, visions of dancing bubbles swam before my eyes and clearly the theme had to be sparkling wine.  Granted, I will take any excuse to talk about bubbly, ESPECIALLY the pink kind, but there is a legitimate link to Valentine’s Day as a supposed day of celebration.  However, the yearly arrival of the big V-day (yes, rhymes with D-day and that’s exactly how many feel about it!) can often feel less than celebratory, so this year I want to challenge everyone to make it a personal celebration, no matter what their relationship status.  And the bubbles would love to help you with that.  But more on that later…

If you are in a relationship, this can be a day to truly appreciate the one you’re with.  However, too often we insist that our significant other perform the herculean task of proving beyond a shadow of a doubt how much they love us.  This could mean rushing us through an over-priced restaurant dinner to finish before our seating time is up (sorry to my restaurant peeps but we all know it’s true!), spending inordinate amounts of time and money choosing a gift we maybe won’t hate, or daringly going rogue and attempting a more creative expression of love which may elicit the dreaded ‘I wanted the over-priced dinner’ face.  No wonder it is known as one of the peak breakup days of the year.

If you are not in a relationship, you can look forward to navigating the merciless media barrage of  ‘this is perfect love’ images and sound bites that begin soon after New Year’s Day.  Even happily single gals (who have deftly escaped the guilt at being single mostly aimed at the ladies) can succumb to feelings of self-doubt and inadequacy, suddenly faced with a world in which you only exist if you are part of a duo.

So this year, I encourage all of you, singles and couples, to give these destructive trends a swift kick in the pants and make Valentine’s Day about appreciating what you have!  And what better way to celebrate what you have than – you guessed it – bubbles!!!  Although you are most definitely worth it, I have not included Champagne in this list, but some fun and less known options to try.  In this spirit, here are my top five Valentine’s Day picks for sparkling wine (a.k.a. also my every day favourites):

1. The Rosé – De Chanceny Crémant de Loire Rosé, Loire, France

Crémant is a lightly sparkling style of wine made in several regions of France.  Although it can be made from a greater variety of grapes than Champagne, Crémant is still made in the Méthode Traditionelle (the meticulous process used to make Champagne) and is therefore an excellent quality alternative at a significantly lighter price tag.  This rosé version from the Loire Valley in the northeast is made from Cabernet Franc grapes and tastes like fresh raspberries.  Enjoy it on its own, with grilled salmon or rare lamb.  I also love it with dark chocolate.  Either way, the gorgeous colour and gentle bubbles always bring me pure pleasure!

http://www.lcbo.com/lcbo/product/de-chanceny-cremant-de-loire-rose-brut/211466#.VrTrSjYrJPO

2. The Cava – Parés Baltà Cava, Penedès, Spain

Cava, the sparkling wine of Spain, is also made by the Méthode Traditionelle, although cavas tend to be more fruit-driven and have less pronounced yeasty flavours than Champagne.  Parés Baltà is a small producer in the Penedès region, home of the best cavas in Spain, and produces a full range of white, red and sparkling wines, all through organic and biodynamic practices.  I’m in already at this point but it gets better – this is a proudly family-run business for three generations and today the two winemakers are women.  And their wines are excellent.  Try this lovely pear and apple-driven cava with Ibérico ham, goat’s cheese or any other pre-dinner snacks.  Also a nice match for fried fish.

http://www.trialto.com/on/en/our-wines/our-wineries/pares-balta/cava-brut/0/661586

3. The Wild Card – Blomidon BMD, Nova Scotia, Canada

In the interests of full disclosure, Nova Scotia is my homeland, so I couldn’t possibly exclude it from this list.  Its spot is well earned however, since the rapidly expanding wine industry has produced some unarguably world-class sparkling wines in the past few years.  The BMD from Blomidon Estate Winery in the Annapolis Valley is a nod to the red sparkling wines of Italy, but made from a rotating blend of red varietals typically grown in Nova Scotia, such as Marechal Foch.  I enthusiastically flogged this as the perfect turkey dinner wine to everyone I know between Thanksgiving and Christmas last year!  But its dark berry flavours and subtle earthiness can also take you effortlessly through a charcuterie board or a pepperoni pizza.

http://blomidonwine.ca/our-wines/sparkling/

4. The Best Kept Secret – Barone Pizzini Animante Franciacorta Brut, Lombardy, Italy

I consider Franciacorta to be one of the best-kept secrets in the world of sparkling wines.  Like most of the wines on this list, it is made in the Méthode Traditionelle, but Franciacorta also has to be predominantly made from two of the traditional Champagne grapes, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.  And to warm your heart as much as the bubbles will warm your cheeks, Barone Pizzini is at the forefront of sustainable production, from organic certification to the construction of their bioarchitecture winery.  With its robust flavours of spiced apple and bread, enjoy this Italian stunner with grilled pork or treat it like a side of chutney for Indian takeout!

http://www.baronepizzini.it/en/

5. The Classic – Château des Charmes, Brut Méthode Traditionelle, Ontario, Canada

Château des Charmes is one of the oldest and most picturesque wineries in the Niagara region.  Winemaker Amélie Boury has been bringing her own touch to the Bosc family business for almost 5 years now, and if the wines are any indication, the relationship works!  This elegant sparkler is also Méthode Traditionelle and made from traditional Champagne grapes Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.  The fruit is more citrus-driven than in the Franciacorta, but the wine still maintains the yeasty aroma characteristic of most Champagnes.  This classic bubbly is the perfect compliment to so many foods, whether your Valentine’s Day this year means lobster dinner, wine and cheese (my pick would be the divine La Sauvagine from Québec) or movies and popcorn!

http://www.fromtheboscfamily.com/chateau-des-charmes

Tiffany has spent the past fifteen years honing her skills in Toronto restaurants. As General Manager and Wine Director for CRUSH Wine Bar + Kitchen, a mainstay of the Toronto wine world since 2002, she had the good fortune to manage a 600-label cellar and one of the most extensive by the glass programs in the city. Tiffany is a strong believer in Canada’s proven potential to produce world class wines from coast to coast, and enjoys exploring our local wineries whenever she has the chance! Tiffany loves wines that are representative of their regions, and believes that the best wines tell a story of the place and people that made them. http://tiffanyjh.com/

  

5 Reasons Why Fitness is Part of a Successful Beauty Regimen

 Hello Loves and Happy New Year and yeah to Black History Month! To kick off this year of celebration (what I've decided to call 2016, why not?) Here is a post that was written for my blog by Paisley Hansen:

Although having the best facial cleanser, hair products, and clothing can really play a large part in improving your appearance, some of the most beautiful and successful people in the word understand that the essence of fitness is a healthy mind, body and spirit. If you want to appear your very best for as long as possible, embracing total fitness can help you now and in the future. Consider some of the reasons why a solid fitness regimen works well for improving your appearance at any age.

1. Workouts Lead to an Amazing Body

Really attractive people know that being in great physical shape is a significant part of looking your very best. Developing those glorious abs and taut limbs is easier to do once you become seriously committed to working out. When you sculpt and tone your body through exercise, more people will think that you look beautiful, and you will feel great too. According to WebMD, exercise is similar to cleaning your skin from the inside out. When you sweat during intense exercise, your body has the opportunity to flush harsh toxins and other elements that cause a lackluster appearance and ill health. Exercising enhances your circulation, helps you build collagen to reduce wrinkles, and it adds a radiant glow to your complexion that lingers for hours.

2. What Goes in Your Body Shows

No smart fitness routine would be considered complete without a balanced diet. Individuals who devour diets that lack nutrients will undoubtedly experience the negative effects on their physical appearance. If you consume every meal with no regard to the amount of fat, sodium, and artificial ingredients that it contains, your physical beauty and BMI will suffer as a result. By consuming the right type of foods, you can stay lean, fit and more attractive for decades. Aim to eat life- giving, nutritious selections like leafy vegetables and fruits every day to keep your skin, hair, nails, and organs healthy. Avoid smoking and drinking alcohol in excess as doing so regularly will sabotage your fitness efforts, destroy your natural beauty, and make you age faster.

3. Exercise Rejuvenates the Mind and Spirit Too

Many people experience a sense of calm and forget their current problems by taking a jog around the block, or by playing sports. According to the American Psychological Association, exercise is great natural mood enhancer. Not surprisingly, folks in general are more prone to breakouts, rashes, and other skin conditions when they are stressed out, but exercising relieves that stress that can sabotage your beauty. Yoga is an excellent form of invigorating exercise that has the power to clear your mind and nourish your spirit as well.

4. To Maintain An Optimistic Attitude and Aura

There's nothing like a pretty or handsome face adorned with a frown, as it can make anyone look less attractive than they could be. Endorphins are the hormones that make us feel good and happy about life. Exercising vigorously at least once a day encourages the release powerful, mood-boosting endorphins into your system. When there are low levels of endorphins in your brain, you're likely to look and act in a dull manner. When you are happier, you are likely to smile much more, and joyful women and men are some of the most attractive people on earth.

5. Fitness Requires a Commitment that Yields Results

People who maintain a high level of fitness often stay good-looking and energetic far longer than their dormant counterparts. It takes time, perseverance, and motivation to achieve the level of physical fitness that can boost your attractiveness, and you must remain consistent to be most successful. Cultivating healthy fitness habits and sticking to them contributes to your overall beauty over time more than money, attire, or plastic surgery can.

The fitness-beauty connection should not be underestimated if looking gorgeous is a priority for you in life. Don't leave your looks to chance by neglecting to develop a total fitness regimen now. Keep in mind that total fitness is only a part of a beauty regimen, and combining it with the proper products and beauty treatments further enhances your looks. Adopting fitness as an integral part of your daily life can help you look more radiant, healthy, and attractive for years to come.

References:

“Exercise for Healthy Skin”

http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/acne/features/exercise

“The Exercise Effect”

http://www.apa.org/monitor/2011/12/exercise.aspx

 * This article was written by Paisley Hanson a writer and blogger that covers topics on health, home-decor, DIY and cooking. You can find her on twitter or contact her at paisley.beauty.life@gmail.com 

I would like to thank Mz. Hansen for her contribution to Expanding Beauty!

Water only Washing 1 month update

October 2015 Favorites

Blacstrap Molasses and Why You Might Need This in Your Life

I had never really heard about blackstrap molassess until I had to buy a big old jar for my cherry lola treatment (refer back to my post on Max Hydration Method). Once I was done with the treatment, I was stuck with this big jar that I didn't know what to do with it. I decided to check the worldwide internet to see what to do with this stuff and boy oh boy am I excited about incorporating this black, luscious gem into my diet and beauty regimen. Blackstrap molasses is a byproduct of the sugar cane refining process but unlike sugar it 's chocked full of minerals and vitamins. This baby has magnesium and calcium which makes it great for your bones. Blackstrap molasses is a good source of iron making it a great addition for those who suffer from anemia, is a diabetic friendly sweetener, and filled with potassium. Now on to its hair benefits, it has been shown to help with grey hair, frizz and softer hair. There haven't been any scientific studies done but the anecdotal testimonies definitely got me curious enough to add this to some of my hair mixes.
I've been adding blacstrap molasses as a sweetener to my herbal teas, or sometimes just to boiling water with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar (strange, but tastes surprisingly good) or when I have hot cereal. I add it to my henna mix and bentonite clay mix.  This stuff is super sticky and viscose so I would always advise to use it with warm water or liquid for any hair or skin purposes. Oh, and did I mention that this stuff is cheap, winning!


Cheers!

Nanoblur! Loving this product!

What Do you Want?!?

Hey Loves,

Recently I've been having a some interesting conversations with my female friends and a lot of it circulates around relationships. Now I am in no way shape or form a relationship expert at all, not even remotely close, but something that struck me when listening to my friends' woes was that not once in the conversation did they state what they wanted. How on earth can one expect any form of resolution? I look at things like this, whether it be a love, family, friend or work relationship you leave yourself so vulnerable to confusion if you don't know what the heck you want.   Confusion can lead to frustration, anger, fear and a whole plethora of self defeating behavior that gets us nowhere. I feel a lot of times we are so focused on what is wrong and get so overwhelmed by our emotions we never figure out what we want and end up feeling lost. So rather than let all those feelings bog us down, which does no one any good, let's look at them as indicators of, maybe I need to figure out what the f@#ck I want! Once you know what you want, you can start to figure out what you need to do in order to get it and what you'll need from the other person. Simple, right?  And as with a lot of simple things in life they get lost in the noise of drama, because simple things usually come without bells and whistles and  force you to confront/acknowledge things you just might not want to. On that note,  next time that feeling of plateau, frustration or you're at your wit's end at another person or situation, check in to make sure you at least know what you want.

What I'm Using On My Hair For Now....

My Entry into Water Only Washing

Hey!
So if you read my last post you know that I'm trying to build a healthy hair regimen. I began this journey with the Max Hydration Method. I loved what it did for my hair, discovered a lot but is just not practical for my lifestyle and involves (in my opinion) too much manipulation of the hair for us kinky haired gals/guys.  I stumbled upon the water only washing method which has been receiving a lot of attention on YouTube. My first reaction was to roll my eyes, but then I happened to watch a video by Naptural85 and her updated washing routine. I was intrigued, liked what I saw and it kind of made sense to me.  So if you don't know the water only method consists of washing your hair with only water in order to allow your natural sebum to coat and protect your hair strands. You assist the "washing" (I consider it more rinsing) with the following steps:
1.Massaging - your scalp on dry hair anywhere from 5 -10 min.
2.Scrinching - not quite scratching but sorta scratching your scalp lightly in order to loosen up debris and the sebum on your scalp. This can be done on wet or dry hair
3.Preening - Smoothing the sebum down the strands of  your hair. this too can be done on wet or dry hair.
You rinse your hair under warm or as hot as you like it water. In the beginning you won't get full sebum coverage on your scalp so you can supplement this by adding an oil (preferably light) to coat your strands until you get full sebum coverage.
For a more information check out: http://wateronlyhairwash.com/
Before embarking on this method you should clarify your hair first either with ACV, clay wash, co wash or shampoo (sulfate free if you don't use silicones, heavy oils or waxes). I decided to try this and guys I must say so far, so good! I pretty much follow Naputral85's way of doing it except I keep my hair in twists. I use coconut oil and then after for my sealant I use flaxseed gel and my hair seems to like it (the sealant isn't part of the method, but so far it's working for me). I love that the whole process is quick, which means I more likely to be consistent with it and my hair feels great, I have amazing sheen and my twists look so damn juicy I can't get over it. With all that being said I do feel at some point I will need to go in and wash my hair. I plan to wash my hair with  bentonite clay and I will deep condition with my diluted conditioner. My thoughts so far? I like it! It's simple, easy, cheap, my hair loves it. Oh!  I forgot to mention, I don't rinse my hair everyday, I plan on rinsing twice to once a week and once a month I'll go in with my clay wash and deep conditioner in my amended version of the Max Hydration. I'm still in the testing phase of this routine. I'm going to try this out for a good solid month and if all goes well, I might just have found a regimen that works for me!

2nd time of water only washing, can you see the sheen?

close up

one more, my twists seem fuller

My Max Hydration Experience

Hey Girl (and Guy) Hey!

I'm back from my life was happening hiatus and it's good to be writing again.  During this haitus I let my blog, my YouTube channel and my hair slip. Folks my hair took such a backseat and was so disrespected that things finally came to a head and it said ENOUGH!!!! I had extreme dryness, breakage and my edges, the horror!!!! Gone were the monthly henna treatments, deep conditioning and protective styling became code for neglect. I am trying to reform and turn over a new leaf. I now want to nurture an environment for healthy hair and realize the full potential of my hair. What does this have to do with the Max Hydration Method you ask? Well in my quest for Operation Hair Resuscitation, I decided to try the 7 day Max Hydration Method (http://maxhydrationmethod.com/). I had heard about it before, but those steps, I mean who has that kind of time?!?!? It's amazing what desperation can do, because I found the time.  So for seven days I did the 5 steps religioulsly. I chose on the third day to switch to an  ACV rinse (apple cider vinegar) to claritfy because I wasn't comfortable with using baking soda on my hair that much. The results after this seven day challenge were awesome!!!! Will this be my new regimen? HELL NO! I don't have that kind of time, I don't want to manipulate my hair that much and I have concerns about hygral fatigue. My goal is to have moisturized hair that is relatively easy to detangle, I'm really not that concerned with my hair clumping and my ability to wear a wash and go.  In conclusion, I am glad I tried this because it added the much needed moisture my hair needed. I feel it has put me on the right track of creating a hair regimen that I can be consistent with. Doing this forced me to really get to know my hair in regards to density, porosity and texture, so I could understand why things worked and why certain things don't work. Things I learned:
I need to deep condition my hair
I love washing my hair with clay
lighter products are better for my hair
I need to wet my hair more often, this going two weeks without washing is not the business
Flaxseed Gel Yaasss!!!
Consistency, Consistency, Consistency
I will definitely keep elements of the Max Hydration Method but I will not be doing the 5 steps every three days. Would I recommend this method? Yes and No. If your hair is in desperate need of moisture and you are at your wits end try it but if you are currently happy with your hair and you have a solid regimen that is working for you then why fix what ain't broke. On that note lovlies, Ciao!

day 1

day 2

day 7