Natural Hair May Be Easier!

Wearing my hair natural actually may be easier.  I can't believe that I am saying that!  A year ago, I was struggling on this journey.  My hair was damaged from products that irritated my scalp and made my hair feel hard and brittle.  For years, when I touched the back of my hair it was not uncommon to feel a tiny and dry piece of my hair break in my hand, or worst a bump.  Now I love playing in my hair because it is so soft.

MY EASY MORNINGS
My morning styling routine in the past meant curling my hair each day, or pulling it back into a tiny ponytail.  Most days I pulled it back because I really didn't have time to curl my hair every morning.  My hairdresser told me that pulling my hair back each day was hard on my hair, and possibly caused the breakage in the back.  So I usually tried to make a deal with myself to curl it 2-3 times a week.  I could not sleep in rollers, and the soft wrap type rollers created unpredictable styles.  Over time, I noticed that my hair didn't grow as long.  I blamed age, stress, and hormones.  It wasn't as exciting doing my hair, because it didn't feel right.  Glad all that has changed.  Hair should stretch and be able to handle the various styles that we take it through.  For me, staying away from ingredients that irritate made a 360 degree change.  I also highly recommend protein treatment for the hair to improve the stretch of the hair strands. Now my morning styling is usually done in the car because it is so simple.  I just undo my twist or mini-pineapples (we will discuss details of pineapple method next week - My Easy Night routine).

STYLING TIPS
Pictured is an example of the two strand twist.  Just grab two sections of your hair and twist tightly all the way to the very end. If you still have relaxer on the ends then add a small elastic hair bands to keep them from unraveling.  For the placement of the twists, I use two options. Sometimes I randomly place twist in the hair.  This option normally works okay when I do twist on dry hair.  Random dry twist are normally bigger and more puffy than the wet ones pictured.  Another option is to section your wet hair into 8 pieces like a pie then split each of those sections into 3 sections.  Yes, that means 24 twists versus about 8-12 with the random placement.  I use pie sectioning when I first wash my hair to make sure each section gets enough moisturizing hair product and to make sure the twists last a few days.  There are tons of puddings and hair moisturizing creams on the market for setting twists. Look for a product that contains water for setting your hair.  Just remember to read the ingredients if sensitive.  I use the Fanuppa Hair Moisturizer to set my twists which contains no tree nut oil.  To lock in the moisture, add a little pomade.

Starting Fast Metabolism Diet

Here is the link that gives an overview of the diet.

I have purchased the book, but sad to learn that the app only works on iPhones.  Hopefully you have access, but I don't.

My husband and I will provide updates each week on our experience with the diet.  I am looking forward to jump starting my metabolism.

Have a great weekend!

Declutter Week 2

STILL DIGGING!
Well, I stayed with the goal to spend 5 minutes each day on the area.  It is hard to say no to 5 minutes, so I didn't.  Weekends can be challenging, so I did 15 minutes last Friday to cover for the weekend.  I can actually see part of the desk now.  At this rate, it may be 3 more weeks!  That is fine (better than not focusing on it).  The fact is that progress is being made.  I feel better, and my vision is focused on how the space will look when I get to decorate it!  My decorating inspiration is the desk in this article.

Wish everyone happy cleaning and de-cluttering, and I will update you next week.

Note:  Still researching the laundry/utility soap bar idea.  Many are very sensitive to laundry detergent, so they need a good base bar to make their own detergent or to remove stains.  

The ph Level of Your Skin

My family teases and calls me a mad scientist since I started creating my own bath and hair products. It is really funny considering that I never had an interest in science in school.  I joined the Science Club in high school because they went on the best field trips! Math was always my favorite subject.  Over the years, I have learned that science requires some math skills and I have always been fascinated with how things work.  I guess science has grown on me.  I found the new Cosmos television show interesting too!

Speaking science, there is this wonderful "ph" scale that is used to measure acid and alkaline levels from a range of 1 to 14. Water is neutral at 7, acids range from 1 to 6, and 8 to 14 are the alkaline. The ph strips can be purchased at your local pharmacy to do measurements. Our skin is considered healthy and normal when it measures 5.5 on the scale, so it is slightly acidic.  The goal with your skin is to keep it at this level to prevent dry and oily skin conditions, and bacteria infections.  Soap gets bad press because it normally has a ph between 9 and 10. The truth is that soap has to be at this level to help remove oil, dirt, and bacteria from your skin.  Healthy skin is really good at returning back to normal levels after a bath.  For more sensitive areas of the body like the face, I recommend a good toner to help lower the ph level faster.

Fanuppa's toner has a ph level of around 5, which is perfect for helping to reset your skin after using soap.  It is herb infused, lime scented, and uses vinegar to create the perfect balance for the skin. To learn more click here.

Soap biz this week

Operating a soap business is fun, but it is work too. My main goal is to stay focus and help people who have sensitive skin like me.  Right now, it is a one woman show.  My youngest son likes helping, but no interest from the rest of the family!  That is fine, but it does mean that I have to wear many hats to accomplish everything.  I like to visualize the business in 4 parts.  1) Customers/Sales - individuals and wholesale , 2) Business -banking, budgeting, booth rental, taxes, accounting,  3) Product - supplies, tools, research, production, lab, inventory, purchasing, and 4) Connect - marketing, web, email, social media.

I struggle with balancing my time in all 4 areas.  I usually focus on the Product area, and struggle in the other areas.  All the areas have to work together.  Sales is not my favorite area, but I love sharing how my product may help others.  Even though accounting is what I do full-time, it is not something that I enjoy doing for the business!  However, my accounting background forces me to keep good notes and support detail.  Also, filing taxes is not fun either.  I enjoy marketing, but it is time consuming.  I run the business part-time, so my time is limited.

I hope blogging forces me to focus on all the areas of the business more.  I will set some goals each week, and see if I can master them.  Since my time is limited, I probably should make a weekly schedule so that I am more productive.  Think I can do it?????????

BUSINESS CHALLENGE FOR WEEK:
Okay, baby steps...I think the challenge this week should be to accomplish a baby step in each of the areas since the areas should work together.

1. Customers/Sales:  Mail a sample and coupon to at least 10 customers who have ordered online in the past (include a second set for them to share with a friend).
2. Business:  a. Work on paperwork that is due in a few weeks. b. Hang up a work schedule for the week.
3. Product:  Place log sheet in a binder so it is easier to access when creating products.
4. Connect:  Make at least 25 sample bags to hand out to potential customers.

Alright, I will update you next Tuesday on how I did!

Look for Fanuppa on Etsy, Facebook, or visit here.

The Weekend and Natural Hair

Weekends are great for natural hair adventures.  It is an opportunity to test products and different styles, go places to see other natural hair styles, and if lucky -discuss the journey with others.

TEST PRODUCTS AND DIFFERENT STYLES
During the week, it is hard to test products and styles because if something does not to work, then there is limited time to fix it before work. Also, with allergies it is good to test new products on the weekend in case there is a reaction.
   
GO TO A FREE NATURAL HAIR "SHOW"
Getting out during the weekend is like going to a natural hair show.  I enjoy going to different social events (birthday club, church...) and seeing the different hair styles. A young lady at church had her similar to the picture, but with a braid across the front.  It was really cute.

DISCUSS THE JOURNEY
During the weekend, I also enjoyed discussing with my three sisters the different stages of their journey. "Thinking about it", "just beginning", and "natural for several years."   I have been natural for about a year.  I still have some relaxer on my ends in the back to chop.

STYLING TIPS
My sister who has been natural for several years, actually styled my hair in the picture above. She added an elastic headband, then used a pick comb to lift the roots (don't pick the ends). As a newbie this was a great tip for me. The headband just disappears, and pushed the hair up.  This is great for the summer as my hair shrinks from the heat.  This is my first summer almost completely natural.  Most of my journey, I flat-ironed my hair. However, I knew that would not work that well for the summer heat. So I am excited to learn how to style my "new" hair.

While out shopping, I also met someone who wanted to know how I added texture to my hair. I use a combination of the shingle and two-strand twist to add texture.  There are great videos online that walk you through these methods.  Next week, I will give details on these methods.  Have a great week.  

You can find my Fanuppa hair products here.

I can eat that!

I haven't focused on my diet lately and it is slowly creeping up on me with weight gain, low vitamin D level, low iron level... So blogging hopefully will make me focus on this area of my life again.  I will post recipes that offer options for those with food sensitivity, but everyone should enjoy them. Also, I will list my menu plan for the week and some challenges.  I can't wait. It has been a busy week. Hope you have enjoyed the post so far.

I enjoy nuts but they do not return the love.  I enjoy pecans, but pistachios and cashew are a few that I limit from my diet. This recipe has been on my main website.  Thought I would add it to the blog this week.

SUNFLOWER BUTTER COOKIES

(an alternative to peanut butter cookies)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup salted butter

1/2 cup sunflower butter

1egg

1-1/4 cup flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup white chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

(Make sunflower butter by placing sunflower kernels in food processor and adding a few teaspoons of sunflower oil until the mixture is the texture of crunchy peanut butter)

1.  Cut butter into small pieces and place in food processor.  Add the 2 types of sugars, sunflower butter, and egg.  Mix until smooth.

2.  Mix in the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt) until the batter starts forming into dough.

3. Remove dough from the food processors and add the white chocolate chips.

4. Chill dough if desired.  Roll dough into balls, flatten, and then add the crisscross pattern using a fork.

5.  Cook for 10 minutes.

These taste really good!