Sheabutter Cottage Giveaway~Rhassoul Clay and Henna Combos

26 Jan

Sheabutter Cottage is sponsoring a giveaway of 5 Rhassoul Clay and Henna combos. Each winner will receive 150 g of Rhassoul clay and 100 g of Henna. This contest is open to participants inside and outside of the US.

To enter:

Deadline: February 9th

If your name is chosen and you have not liked both pages, another winner will be selected. All five winners will be contacted by email.

Stop by the Sheabutter Cottage website for great natural products and ingredients.

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Do You Revisit Products That Didn’t Work?

26 Jan

Fatemah asks:

Ladies, have you tried a product again that didn’t work when your hair was shorter?

If you have a question you would like to ask, send it to naturalbyl@gmail.com

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Be Beautiful Natural Products Giveaway

25 Jan

Be Natural Beautiful Products is sponsoring a giveaway of their Hair Replenisher (4oz).

Description:

This Aloe Vera based replenisher is great for refreshing curls.
Adding moisture, shine and softness all day!

Styles: Afro, Bun, Puff, Twist, Twist-out

Great additive to our hair butter.

This product has gotten great reviews!

T0 enter:

    1. Visit the Be Natural Beautiful Products website
    2. In the comments section below say which of their products you’re interested in and why.

Deadline: February 7th

You can also find Be Beautiful Natural Products on

Facebook and Twitter

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Meatless Monday: Black Bean, Zucchini, & Olive Tacos

23 Jan

Rebecca writes:

This is what I am having for dinner today.  My 15 year-old son and my nine-year-old niece love it!

Black Bean, Zucchini, & Olive Tacos

Ingredients
Garlic-Lemon Yogurt
Directions:
  1. Preheat a heavy bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Pour in the oil and add the zucchini and jalapeno sprinkle with the salt. Sauté for about 7 minutes or until the zucchini is lightly browned.
  2. Add the garlic, olives, cumin, and coriander, and sauté for 2 minutes more.
  3. Add the salsa verde and black beans and cook for 5 minutes. The salsa should reduce a bit so it’s not soupy.
  4. Mix the ingredients for the Garlic-Lemon Yogurt
  5. Warm the tortillas in a skillet or wrap in a moist towel & nuke for a minute. Assemble the tacos by adding the filling, yogurt, and topping with scallions. Enjoy!

Thanks for sharing, Rebecca. If anyone would like to share a recipe for Meatless Monday, please send to me at naturalbyl@gmail.com.

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Homemade Whipped Almond Shealoe Butter

22 Jan

Mesha’s recipe for Whipped Almond Shealoe:

Ingredients

1 tbsp Unrefined Shea Butter
1 tbsp Aloe Vera Gel
1 tbsp Coconut Oil
1 tbsp Almond Extract (Yes the kind that you buy at the grocery store)
1 tsp Glycerin
1 tsp Honey
Few drops of Vanilla Essential Oil

Instructions:

Melt Shea Butter in double boiler or place shea butter in a mason jar and place the jar in a pot of water. Heat shea butter at 175D for 20 minutes. This will keep the shea butter from crystallizing (gritty feeling). Pour shea butter into a container and place in freezer for 10 minutes. Take out whip. Place back into freezer. Continue doing this until shea butter resembles buttercreme frosting. Pour in all ingredients and whip together.

If you have a whipped shea butter or shealoe recipe that you’d like to share, please send it to me at naturalbyl@gmail.com. 

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Our Favorite Homemade Hair Recipes

20 Jan

What are your favorite homemade hair recipes?

See recipes in the comments section

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Guest Blogger: She Called Me Nappy

20 Jan

Gina writes:

I have been wearing my hair natural for a few months. I was a weave queen before. Everyone knew me for my long flowing weaves and wigs. No one knew when I stopped relaxing it because it was always covered. After I did my big chop I continued to wear the wig for a little. I got tired of it so I went to work with my new TWA. I got a lot of stares. I expected that to happen. But the first day went pretty well until the very end of the day.

I saw another co-worker. One of the few other black women who work with me. She saw me and her eyes went big. Without asking she pinched a section of my hair and then asked if I liked it this way. I told her I did. She faked a smile and said okay. She walked down a little and stopped at the cubicle of another woman and whispered. Then they both looked in my direction. I felt like I was back in high school.

She didn’t say much to me about my hair for a few weeks.  One day I got to work while it was raining. It wasn’t heavy so I had no umbrella. She came up with a huge umbrella. On the elevator she didn’t understand me being out in the rain without an umbrella. Then she took the conversation a little too far. I guess you can do that since you have the nappy stuff. And she laughed afterwards. The other people in the elevator laughed a little too. I was so embarrassed.

Maybe I’m a hypocrite. I use the word nappy to describe my hair. Other women with natural hair have called my hair nappy. It never bothered me. I guess it’s the way she used it. I knew she was insulting me. I let it slide, but then she called my hair nappy on another occasion. She asked if it was hard to take care of nappy hair. I asked her to use a different word. Her response was that my hair is nappy so she didn’t know what else to call it. I’m in the workplace trying to be professional. I guess I just don’t know how to handle the situation.  I’m open to suggestions.

If you would like to be a Guest Blogger, please contact me at naturalbyl@gmail.com.

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What Are Your Favorite Etsy Shops?

19 Jan

I have a new home that I am looking to furnish, and my mind keeps wandering to Etsy. I love that site because it’s a great place to find handmade items that would be hard to find locally. It’s also a great way to find items that suit you better than the traditional items that are sold everywhere. The issue I have is that searching for new shops can be an exhausting task.

So, I decided to post the question here so that I can always go back to it as a reference. Hopefully, some of you will find a few new shops to check out. I’m also looking for shops that sell art, jewelry, hair accessories, skin and body products, anything interesting and unique. If you have a shop or there are some you enjoy, please share.

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New Year. New Hair. ~My New Haircut

13 Jan

I have been thinking about cutting my hair for quite awhile now, but I put it off.  Eventually boredom and frustration set in, and I considered cutting or going back to locs. Cutting won, and I got a haircut in December. The stylist was hesitant and told me that my hair wasn’t damaged. I told her the haircut wasn’t about damaged hair. I wanted a change. While the other clients and stylists watched closely (and I mean closely- one stood directly in front of me), she cut it off. They didn’t understand why I would cut my hair for no apparent reason.  I know it was the best thing for me to do with my hair. I wish I had cut it sooner.

One of my favorite YouTube vloggers discussed this topic. See her video:

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The Return of Meatless Mondays

12 Jan

I will return to posting Meatless Monday recipes beginning Monday, January 16th. Just in case you haven’t heard of it, watch this short video below that gives more information.

I enjoyed participating in Meatless Monday because it forced me to be more creative with cooking and to plan meals ahead. It also made me focus on eating more fruits and vegetables. My favorite meal that came out out my meatless Mondays was the Avocado Burrito.

While I am going to share more recipes, I’d also like to extend an invitation for all of you to participate with me and to share some of your favorite meatless meals.   If you’re interested, send the recipe and photos to me at naturalbyl@gmail.com. And remember to check back each Monday for recipes.

Thanks to my BBF (Best Blogger Friend) over at Derby City Naturals for encouraging me to bring Meatless Mondays back. She’s the best. Click the link to check out her site. She has tons of great information.

Are you going to go meatless on Mondays?

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