AS I AM DOUBLEBUTTER CREAM!

So recently I started trying out new products. About 2 weeks ago I purchased the As I Am Doublebutter Cream.

Now on to my experience with the As I Am Doublebutter Cream. First off I purchased it from Sally's for about $27.00 which is more than I would have liked to pay but I'm always game for a new product so it's OK and it's like 16oz so I guess the price is OK because the jar is huge!!!! Now I went home and washed my hair and applied my oil and then twisted my hair (which took 3 hours because I did small (very small) twist). The next day I wore my twist and everyone kept telling me how GREAT my hair looked. So I wore my twist for 4 days before taking them out, then rocked my twistout for a few more days. So the next week I did the same thing and even then I only had to put this product on my hair once and my hair stayed hydrated even though I still put a small amount of Jamaican Black Castor Oil in it every other day just because. This product smells great and I think I'll continue to use this for my twist and also a little bit goes a long way. This product is not heavy at all. OVERALL this is a great product. This product left my hair smooth, soft and my twist were the bomb! So if you are all for trying out a new product i'd suggest this one.

 Moisture is essential for great natural coils and curls. When your hair feels a bit rough and dry, and looks that way too, this is the jar to reach for. The power-packed As I Am® DoubleButter® Cream is a rich emollient blend, graced with the finest array of natural butters and organic oils. It gets the job done. The benefits says that it locks in moisture, gives dull dry hair softness, shine and manageability, ccontains Pro-vitamin B5, (known as Panthenol), to help repair split ends and strengthen hair and  pprovides dehydrated hair with what it needs to look and behave its very best.

The ingredients:

Key Ingredients: Cocoa Butter, Shea Butter, Castor Oil, Jojoba Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Sugar Beet Root, Wheat Germ Oil, Vegetable Glycerin, Wheat Protein, Panthenol and Lanolin

Aqueous (Water, Aqua Purificada, Purified) Extracts: Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) ¹ and Phyllanthus Emblica (Amla) ¹ and Citrus Reticulata (Tangerine)¹ and Beta Vulgaris (Beet) Root¹, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter)¹, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil¹, Theobromo Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter (CocoaButter)¹, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil¹, Emulsifying Wax NF, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil¹, Glycerin¹, Lanolin¹, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil¹ , Beeswax¹, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil¹, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein², Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Oil2, Carbomer, Panthenol, Tocopheryl Linoleate, Triethanolamine, Potassium Sorbate, Diazolidinyl Urea, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Fragrance/Parfum, Limonene.
Source: 1-Natural; 2-Wheat derived

You should use it:
Apply sparingly or liberally depending upon your hair's need for moisture,
manageability and vitality. Rub within palms and scrunch onto hair gently so that coils and curls are
undisturbed. May also be used to set soft lustrous twists and twist-outs

And then they give you tips of joy

• Try using a little As I Am® DoubleButter® Cream along with the Twist Defining Cream for in-between re-twist touch-ups.
• Don't rub oils and butters into your finished style too vigorously. It can disturb coil/curl definition. Instead, rub the product between the palms of your hands, then massage throughout the hair and scrunch onto the ends.
• Don't overuse. A build-up of emollients can actually work against your natural curl definition, and instead of looking shinier, your hair may appear dull and matted.

22 Anniversary Celebration

My gym Your Best Body which is located in Gaffney, SC will be celebrating it's 22nd year of operation Monday, December 10th! There will be a lot of giveaways. It starts at 5pm and the first 100 people will get a FREE anniversary t-shirt! The drawings begin at 6:30 and you must be present to win. There will be food catered by Daddy Joe's BBQ from 5 until 7 and they are even giving away A BRAND NEW FLAT SCREEN TV AND OTHER GREAT PRIZES.

They are even having specials for example Buy 3 boot camps, get 3 free (value of $375), buy 3 partial body wraps get 3 free (which has a value of $105) Spray tans and massage and other things as well. 

SO COME ON OUT AND HELP CELEBRATE 22 YEARS OF OPERATION. 

What I've Learned so far by being natural!!!

I've been natural for several months (2). and it has had it's ups and downs but if I have learned anything it is that you have to have a lot of patience. Patience is the key while dealing with natural hair because it takes time and a lot of TLC! I bc'd and wanted my hair back but it'll eventually grow back and when it does it'll be longer and healthier than ever. Now to grow long hair you will have to have patience because it will not grow down your back over night! Next, I've learned that you have to keep your hair moisturized (hydrated)! Water if your friend but don't just put water on your hair you need to use a sealant to keep the moisture in! (My favorite sealants are jojoba oil, Castor oil, raw Shea butter, extra virgin olive oil). Next that you need to keep your ends trimmed or dusted because the ends of your hair does tend to become more dry especially in cooler weather and you can do more harm than good if you have dry, and brittle hair) So keep those ends healthy as well. Next I've learned that you should not over shampoo your hair it's OK to use shampoo but make sure your shampoo is free of sulfates. I normally just co-wash (co-washing is using conditioner instead of shampoo to wash your hair). Some shampoos can strip your hair of natural oils if they contain sulfates. Then, I know when doing natural hair you always want to put your hands in your hair but low manipulation styles are the best. But when doing a style make sure that you are not putting to much stress on your scalp and hair. Pulling your hair to tight can cause you to damage your hair and your edges pretty bad. Also be mindful of the hair accessories because they can damage your hair. I'm not saying don't use hair accessories but be careful of the ones that you do use. Another thing is to avoid hard bristle brushes and combs. Not saying that you can use combs or brushes but be mindful of them I suggest that you use a Denman brush it's about $10 from Sally's. This brush has helped my detangling process to become shorten and easier. It's okay to use a brush and or a wide tooth comb but try to limit the use of those products! Also you are what you eat. So I suggest that you eat lots of proteins, and your hair can and will reflect that. Also try to get some exercise in even if it means parking out in no mans land at the grocery store. And last but not least   BE PATIENT!!!

I LOVE SHOPPING!!!

A lot you may love shopping but how about shopping and saving at the same time. Yep, recently I went shopping and bought a lot of Christmas gifts!!! I mean a lot but the next day I received a message from my friend who works at the store where I purchased a lot of the gifts from that said TAKE IT BACK AND repurchase everything that you bought because if you use your charge card to that store you'll get 40% off. HMM.... I was like do people actually do that umm yes they do and last week was my first time doing so and BOY AM I glad that I did!!! I actually saved about $25.00  by doing this and even picked up an extra outfit for myself. WOO HOO... so the next day I went back to the store and got more stuff and saved more money. Then on Friday night my husband and myself went shopping for him and I decided that I wanted a new shirt from the Gap so we went it and I found one that I like and it was marked down 60% so I would have paid like $11.00 for the shirt but once I got to the register and was about to pay I remembered that I had a coupon in my email from the Gap. SO I ended up getting MY SHIRT FOR FREE!!! I just love getting stuff for free. I usually let my coupons expire because I forget about them but I WILL not be doing that anymore! Also I purchased some boots from shoedazzle.com and the original price of the BOTH pair of boots were like $40.00 each.   SO I bought 2 pair of shoes for under $40. Which is a steal because if I wouldn't have used my coupons I would have paid about $80 for both pairs. SO if you have coupons or a chance to use a discount use it because you'll save in the end which will allow you to spend that money on something else OR SAVE IT!!! SO I LOVE A GREAT DEAL AND I OFFICIALLY LOVE SHOPPING!!!

GO BACK TO YOUR ROOTS!!!

So everyone knows that I decided to go natural in September of this year and I love it and wouldn't trade it for anything. (Yes it's more time consuming but this is who I am) Anyway I was having a conversation with this guy at work and he stated that NATURAL hair only looked good on dark skinned women and that we that decide to go natural need to go all the way natural! NOW many of you are probably looking and reading with your mouth open and asking the same question I did what does that mean? SO he stated that if we as black women want to look like our ancestors did then we should dress like them as well meaning not wearing shoes, bras or clothes for that matter. I sat there for a minute because I was a little confused about what I should say next. So I finally told him that everyone has ancestors that did all of those things not just Africans. And that I'm happy with my hair and I don't let people dictate to how I should look anymore and just because I'm wearing my hair in my nautral state does not mean that I should wear clothes, or shoes for that matter. I also stated that I no longer let the world dictate to how I wear my hair. Now this guy has an 8 year old daughter who has natural hair but her dad doesn't really love her hair. I can say this because he stated that he wants her to have straight long wavy hair like Europeans. Now, don't get me wrong there is nothing wrong with straight, long, wavy hair or should I say fried and dyed and laid to the side. I told him that he should teach her to embrace what GOD has given her and that everyone is made different! He should teach her how her hair is just as important as the straight hair. Her hair isn't "NAPPY" it's as soft as a cotton ball and that it can and will grow as long as she cares for it properly. (Black hair can grow long if you show it a little tender love and care).

Yes it may shrink when wet but who cares!!! I know when I wash my hair I have major shrinkage and the other day someone said your hair is still short!!! I laughed and stretched my hair out and they were surprised that it was as long as it was but guess what it shrinks but I don't care because it's only hair. The hair on my head does not define who I am and neither should yours. Embrace what GOD has given you and love it to the max.   

SO MUCH TO BE THANKFUL FOR

Well Thanksgiving has come and gone! And I had and have so much to be thankful for :my health, family, friends, life, strength, freedom to express myself, a house to live in, food on the table, a job, my WONDERFUL son (yes I know this is a repeat of family but that boy gives me a reason to want to live) and my husband. Now a lot of you may know that in June of this year I buried one of my great grandmothers and last year on Thanksgiving she blessed our food so this was a real emotional time for my family and I. But I'm very grateful that I still have 1 grandfather, 2 grandmothers, and 1 Great grandmother that are still living!!! A lot of people don't have that. But I'm so glad that my son was able to meet and know my great grandmother Carrie. Family is very important to me and I'm glad that my family are as close as we are. Some of my friends find it weird that my family always get together and celebrate just because not just because it's a holiday. For example every year we take a family trip together when I say family trip (I mean grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, not just my moms brothers and sisters but my grandmothers sisters included). Last year we traveled to Jamaica, Key West, and the Grand Caymans. We had so much fun! This is something else that I have to be thankful for (not only is my son going on these trips but his great grandparents go as well and we are making memories that are going to last a lifetime). Life is grand and I never take any of this for granted because anything can happen at any given moment. For example as I stated earlier my great grandmother passed in June which was very unexpected but I do cherish every moment that I got to spend with her she was 96 when she died. I used to call her all the time and let my co-workers listen to us talk because they thought it was unbelievable that I still had a grandmother that was living and as old as she was. But I remember every year she would call me on my birthday and tell me happy birthday and she'd tell me the same story which was when I was being born she was in hospital having cancer surgery!!! This year it was a little bitter sweet because on my 28th birthday this year she was not here to call me but I know she is in a much better place and she live 96 wonderful years. SO PLEASE NEVER TAKE LIFE FOR GRANTED AND CHERISH EVERY MOMENT WITH YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS BECAUSE AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT SOMEONE CAN BE TAKEN AWAY FROM YOU!!!

RED LIPSTICK AND WOMEN OF COLOR

So recently I've decided to do something that I wouldn't normally do and that is wear BRIGHT RED LIPSTICK!!!! I love love love it!!!

Some people don't like it but does it matter what others think NO!!! Some women of color are afraid to step outside of their comfort zone because they may not be accepted. Some people claim that there isn't a red shade for them!!! That's so not true. So below you will find some tips on choosing the right lipstick color!!!

How to choose the best lipstick colors for people of color. 

For women of any ethnicity, the biggest consideration is your complexion. But because women of color have skin tones that run the full gamut of the color spectrum keep in mind weather you are light, medium or dark..  In addition, the undertones of your skin also have an effect on whether a lipstick really makes your lips pop.

If you are light then these colors will look great on you:

Pale to deep pink

Peach

Taupe

Reds 

Medium skin tones

Red

Medium to deep pink

Bronze

 Magenta

Medium to deep browns.

Dark Skin Tones

Deep red

Fuchsia

Magenta

Chocolate brown

Bronze

Don't think that just because your skin is in the darker range that you can't wear colors that look fabulous on lighter skin. EXPERIMENT!!! You may find lipstick colors that you never thought you would wear. Like I said I never thought me and red lipstick would get along but boy was I WRONG!!! AND I'M WEARING BRIGHT RED AT THAT.

 

There are also some benefits of wearing red lipstick it can instantly make your smile appear whiter, people stare at your lips and actually listen to what you're saying (lol) and  it adds sex appeal.

Now, my next goal is to try some fuchsia's and purple!!!

I will say my dad and my husband hate the fact that I'm wearing RED lipstick but I think it's just because I never wore it before now and they will get use to it. But why do some people feel as if dark skinned women can't wear RED LIPSTICK it's for everyone and I've taken a stand to say if they can do it so can I!! I love it so stay tuned for more pictures of the FAMOUS RED LIPSTICK!! SO IF YOU ARE GOING TO ROCK IT MAKE SURE YOU DO IT WELL AND WITH A LOT OF CONFIDENCE!!!