Quesadilla Casserole

I made a quesadilla casserole from a McCormick spice card. All of the spices were included and I just had to get the ingredients. The recipe card is on the back and it was very simple.

It was really good!! Look for it on the spice aisle at Walmart, there are many other recipes to choose from!

-Good night

4th of July Weekend 'do

I got my hair braided today and I love it!!

I'm gonna undo the twists in the front for a twistout this weekend! Well, back to cooking!!! Pics of my meal una momento...

-Smooches

Quality time+bomb braidout

Me and my sis before an event at her church!! Fun times!!!

Oh yea. And how cute did my braidout turn out??!!! I used Taliah Waajid's Curly Curl Cream.

Adios

Buying FREEZE!!!

Ok, so after seeing that loooonnnngggg list of products I posted plus the millions of samples I got at the World Natural Hair Show, I am putting myself on a product buying freeze until October. Unless I run out of something I have to have like shampoo or conditioner, I will not buy anything until then!!

Please pray for me!!

FUNNY VIDEO SERIES

Ok, so this has nothing to do with hair, but I found a hilarious video series on youtube, "Awkward Black Girl". This is so like me and my BFF....she even confirmed it for me this morning! We're awkward and we're black!!!! Please watch the entire series and come back and let me know what you think: good or bad!

Have a great day!!!

Tips for Natural Hair Care in the Summer - Part One

I love this youtuber, CharyJay, and her videos are so well put together, researched and helpful!!! Enjoy

Natural Hair Poetry

Below is a peom written by a college professor of mine. Really great work, Check it out!

Like My Hair

By Chaz Kyser

I spent years despising it

this kinky, dark, unruly mass upon my head

I spent years wishing it were different and trying to make it so too

I got my hair pressed in my grandma’s kitchen

to make my hard-to-comb mane more manageable like the Black girls at school

who like me, sometimes sported burns on their ears, forehead and neck

along with their jazzy flips, bobs and slicked back ponytails

I got the wave nuevo to turn my tightly coiled strands into

naturally curly ringlets like the mixed girls I so envied

I bought the African Pride perm kit—no lye

so my motionless hair would blow in the wind like the white girls

When I decided I didn’t want to abuse my hair anymore

and let my self-hatred show so freely through trying to alter it

I stuck some braids in my head

this way, I reasoned, I could look afrocentric

but still hide the stuff on my scalp God in all his kindness and wisdom gave me for hair

Yes, I know it’s not the politically correct thing to say

particularly among Black women happily wearing their hair

in styles that are only made possible through torturing their hair follicles

but, like so many sisters, I have hated my hair

ever since I first learned what the word “nappy” meant

But, oddly enough, through all my hating, I have always admired it too

knowing that if only I could be more like my hair, I would be such a better person

Resilient like my hair

for despite me chemically trying to kill it over and over again

and bend it to the will of others who said natural hair just isn’t pretty

and it surely doesn’t look professional

like a boxer it just won’t stay down when it gets knocked out

it always comes back to have the last laugh in the last round

and wins the fight in the form of new growth

Versatile like my hair

for it can be twisted and locked and braided and straightened

to rock a hundred styles with ease

but can always go back to its original form with a quick shampoo

or a little too much humidity

Confident like my hair

who laughs at models with fake hair running down their backs

who just shrugs when someone calls it nappy

who breaks rattail and wide-tooth combs without embarrassment

who doesn’t even give a damn about what I think and how I wish it were

Invincible like my hair

for despite my somewhat light skin

that probably comes as a result of a master’s rape of an ancestor

my hair refused to let go of the dominant genes of those who came before me

and doesn’t show any sign that a white person once touched it

Yes, if only I could be more like my hair

Unbreakable

Unyielding

Uncompromising

Un-brainwashed

then I know I would be a much better person

one who adores her hair

and loves what it stands for

Chaz Kyser is an editor/writer living in Brooklyn, NY. She is also the author of Embracing the Real World: The Black Woman's Guide to Life After College (www.embracingtherealworld.com).

Hairspiration: Yaya Decosta

sourceI have loved her hair since America's Next Top Model and I would have never thought that I would be aspiring to have huge locks like hers growing from my own head!
She is a real beauty, but enough talk and back to the pics....

Source

Products I Use...but not all at once!

Ok, so prepare yourself, this will be a loooonnnnng post.

I decided to post the products I use because people are always asking me, "What do you use on your hair?" I honestly have to think about the things that I used that day or to achieve that particular style! So, I have listed the products that work for ME, everything does not work for everyone!

Shampoo:

Taliah Waajid Total Body Black Earth Shampoo

SheaMoisture Organic Raw Shea Butter Moisture Retention Shampoo

VO5 Herbal Escapes Clarifying Shampoo Kiwi Lime Squeeze (once/month)

Co-Wash Conditioners:

Suave Naturals Tropical Coconut Conditioner

Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Conditioner

Conditioners:

Taliah Waajid Enhancing Herbal Conditioner

SheaMoisture Organic Raw Shea Butter Restorative Conditioner

Uncle Funky's Daughter Richee Rich Condtioner

Detanglers:

Taliah Waajid The Great Detangler

Deep Conditioners:

SheaMoisture Organic Raw Shea Butter Deep Treatment Masque

Bee Mine Bee.U.Ti.Ful Moisturizing Deep Conditioner

Giovanni Smooth As Silk Conditioner

Sof n Free Gro Healthy Milk Protein and Olive Oil Deep Conditioning Treatment

Leave-in Condtioners:

Giovanni Direct Leave in Conditioner

Protein Treatment:

Govanni Nutrafix Hair Reconstructor

Moisturizers (and if I use on wet/dry hair):

Taliah Waajid Protective Mist Bodifier (dry)

Oyin Handmade Hair Dew (either)*

Oyin Handmade Juices and Berries (dry)*

Lily of the Desert Aloe Vera Juice (either)

Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie (either)

Bee Mine Luscious Balanced Moisturizing Coconut Cream (dry/twists)

Stylers:

Taliah Waajid Curly Curl Cream (twists/braids)

Uncle Funky's Daughter Extra Butter (twists/braids)

Uncle Funky's Daughter Curly Magic (wash n go)

Oyin Handmade Burnt Sugar Pomade (dry braids/twists)*

Koils by Nature Nourishing Hair and Body Butter (twists/braids)*

Pooka Pure and Simple Shea and Olive Hair Butter

Sealants and Oils:

Coconut Oil

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

Castor Oil

Jamacan Black Castor Oil (thin edges)

Tea Tree Oil (itchy scalp)

Grapeseed Oil (heat protectant)

Gels:

Eco Styler Blue Gel (light hold)

Eco Styler Argan Oil Gel (strong hold)

All of these prducts were purchased in stores except those marked with an * and they have to be ordered online.
For a one stop shop, please visit Beauty For U, it is a black-owned beauty supply in Arlington and Grand Prairie. All of the products I have bought (except SheaMoisture and Giovanni) were purchased at their store. They don't just sell natural products, but also weave, wigs and anything else that you would get from a BSS. Please show our people some love instead of helping the Asian population capitalize on OUR hair!!!

Beauty For U
5145 Lake Ridge Pkwy
Grand Prairie TX 75052
972-606-2669

2400 SE Green Oaks Blvd STE. A
Arlington TX 76018


Love ya ladies!!!

Need Some Hairspiration???

Ok so I know that sometimes the journey gets rough!! I just want to offer some encouragement. Below I have listed some of my favorite youtubers. Check them out for some inspiration, style ideas and maybe find your "hair twin"!!! In no particular order:

160daystolose2
LoveIslandBeauty
Africanexport
Denimpixie
Ashiek1118
Prettydimples01
Mahoganyknots
LethalPleasure
Ivycharlaine
Kimmaytube
Naptural85
MsVaughnTV
Allthatsgold
LolaKinkz
BlakizBeautiful

I know it's long, but there are soooo many resources!! Have fun!

I LOVE MY BIG HAIR!!!!

I took my twists out after 5 days. I absolutely love the results!!

Not sure what to do next, but I will keep you posted!!

Adios

Blowout and twists

So this weekend I washed with SheaMoisture moisture retention shampoo and dc'd with their Deep Treatment Masque. Then I detangled with Taliah Waajid great detangler, twisted and went to sleep. The next day I untwisted and blower my hair out using the tension method to get this

I used Silk Elements Olive Oil heat Protectant, then I twisted my hair and flat twisted it back on one side. Here's what I got:

I really like it and protective styles are growing on me!!

-Smooches