Slaves to Curl Definition?

As I was blog surfing this morning (I am soooooooooo behind on reading blogs), I saw this post by Natural Belle: Slaves to Curl Definition? And I started thinking...yeah, sometimes I am. I, and many other naturals, talk about our curls "poppin" or achieving "maximum curl definition." There are so many YouTube videos on the subject. And I don't really know a natural around that isn't on the search for their "holy grail" product that will help them achieve maximum curl definition.

 

This summer, I have struggled (internally) with the humidity undoing my style that I usually worked hard to achieve literally on the walk from my car to my office building. And as a result, I've resorted to wearing protective styles or wearing my hair up most of the summer (plus someone set the heat on HELL in NC LOL). But as I read this post, I said to myself (and myself said, "huh?"), "FULLY embrace your natural hair. Even the frizzy, undefined, humidified (made that up) hair that you encounter this summer."

Right now I'm in a sew-in (because I was tired of the humidity), but I think I'm about to take this joint out and just rock my hair in all it's undefined glory! This is was probably one of my better hair days this summer, but I thought it was great big ol' pile of nothing LOL

Thanks to Natural Belle...I'm going back to this 'do sooner, rather than later!

What say you? Do you feel you have become overly concerned with achieving curl definition? Did Natural Belle's blogpost change your way of thinking at all?

Day #4 of Happy Black Woman 31 Day Reset: Top Ten Reset Values

Today's assignment (I'm behind :)) is to identify our top ten "reset" values. We began this exercise by identifying all of the values that hold near and dear. From that list, we were then to narrow it down to our top ten "reset" values...the top ten things we value most in life.

Here is my Top Ten Reset Values. Outside of Number 1, they are in random order:

1. Relationship with Christ
2. Having a family (husband and children)
3. Personal and professional Success
4. Influence
5. Ministry
6. Intimacy
7. Companionship
8. Public Service & Philanthropy.
9. Leadership
10. Living a Purposeful Life

Honestly, I did not include things like honesty and fidelity because I think those are character traits. It is definitely something I value, but I guess it's just a given for anything I do. I do try to be honest and have integrity in my dealings, personally, professionally, socially and emotionally.

The next exercise is to envision these values in action...

SULFATE FREE Shampoo List

Thanks to my Nikko's cousins over at LHCF and Dominique at All Things O'Natural for this pretty exhaustive list of SULFATE FREE shampoos. Hope this helps!

Key:

Product is natural, ie. made with whole ingredients, extracts, or is a castile-type soap.

Product has one or more mild cleansers.

Product has non-sulfate cleanser that may be drying.

*No online list of exact ingredients.
# Paraben free.
! Contains silicone.

ABBA True Curls and True Shine #
~NaturallyCurly.com, GoddessWithin; health food stores.

African Black Soap #
~Nasabb; Agbanga Karite.

Alba Botanica
~Life's Vigor, Drugstore.com; health food stores.

Alchemy #
~Adore Beauty (Australia); The Exton (Australia), Purist USA (USA); A'kin (UK).

Aleppo Soap #
~eBay.

Alpenglow Shampoo Bars #
~Alpenglow Skin Care.

Alterna*
~Salons; web beauty suppliers.

Angel Baby Shampoo and Body Wash #
~Kate's Caring Gifts; Earth Mama Angel Baby.

Aubrey Organics #
~Vitamin Shoppe, VitaminLife, health food stores; There Must Be a Better Way (UK); Organics Australia Online (Australia).

Auromere Ayurvedic #!
~Auromere; Life's Vigor; Organics Australia Online (Australia).

Avalon Organic Botanicals # (not all formulas paraben free)
~Life's Vigor; health food stores; Organics Australia Online (Australia).

Azida Hemp Oil Shampoo #
~Azida; VeganEssentials.

Back to Basics Blue Lavender Color Protecting Shampoo*
~Beauty Deals, salon stores; Ulta.
~Partial ingredient list in post #104 of this thread.

Beauty Without Cruelty (non-olefin AND olefin sulfonate formulas)
~Kokopelli's Green Market, Life's Vigor; health food stores.

Blended Beauty Soy Cream Shampoo and Curl Cleansing Conditioner #
~NaturallyCurly CurlMart.

Brocato Cloud 9*
~Monster Hair; other beauty suppliers.

Burt's Bees Baby Bee and Rosemary Mint Bars #
~Balm Works; health food stores.

Burt's Bees Herbal Treatment and Grapefruit & Sugar Beet Shampoos #
~Drugstore.com, Balm Works, Walgreens & CVS; health food stores.

California Baby
~Drugstore.com, Life's Vigor; health food stores.

Carina Organics - Canada #
~Carina Organics.

Carol's Daughter #
~Carol's Daughter.

Chagrin Valley Bars # (my favorite)
~Chagrin Valley Soap and Craft.

Chemistry Store Organic Castile Liquid Soap #
~The Chemistry Store.

Cheryl's Herbs #
~Cheryl's Herbs.

Cornrows & Company Coconut Shampoo and Herbal Deep Cleanse #
~Cornrows & Co.

Creme of Nature
~Walgreens; Walmart.

CWS #
~All Natural Cosmetics.

Desert Essence Daily Replenishing
~House of Nutrition Online, Life's Vigor, Drugstore.com; health food stores.

DevaCurl Low-Poo ! and No-Poo
~NaturallyCurly CurlMart.

DGJ Hair Clinic Hair Juice* - UK (Not all formulas are sulfate-free)
~Waitrose stores.

Dr. Bronner's Pure Castile Soaps#
~Drugstore.com; health food stores.

Dr. Hauschka #
~Essential Day Spa, Skin 1; health food stores.

Dr. Woods # (Castile and no-sulfate formulas).
~Dr. Woods; My VitaNet.
~Ingredients in post #124 of this thread.

Druide Baby Shampoo #
~Kate's Caring Gifts.

Druide Ecological and Organic #
~Kate's Caring Gifts.

Duchy Originals - UK #
~Duchy Originals; UK supermarkets.
~Ingredients in post #125 of this thread.

Dudu-Osum Herbal Shampoo #
~Africa Imports.

Earthly Delight #
~Willner Chemists; Whole Foods.
~Ingredients in post #53 of this thread.

Ebene #
~Ebene Naturals.

Ecco Bella Botanicals
~Life's Vigor, Kokopelli's Green Market; health food stores.

Eco Store - New Zealand #
~Eco Store; Organics Australia Online.

Elucence Moisture Acidifying Shampoo
~NaturallyCurly CurlMart.

Emma Organics Organic Shampoo - Australia #
~Organics Australia Online.

Enjoy*
~Salons; web beauty suppliers.

Evan's Garden #
~Evan's Garden.

Ferlow Botanicals - Canada #
~Ferlow Botanicals.

Florestas Organic Botanical #
~Internatural.

Freeman Pure Color Fresh Shine Shampoo #
~Ulta.com; Rite Aid Drugstores.

Gary Null's Heavenly Hair Cleanser #
~Gary Null, Vitamin Shoppe; health food stores.

Ginesis Shampoo #
~Ginesis.

Giovanni #
~Mountain Rose Herbs, Life's Vigor; health food stores; Organics Australia Online (Australia).

Gourmet Bars and Liquid Black Soap #
~Mia Simone's Boutique.

Graham Webb Daily Strength Strengthening Shampoo
~1st Chair Salon; Ulta.

Green People - UK #
~Mariposa.

Halo Shampoo #
~Anna Bellina Organic Skin Care.

Hamadi Hair Washes #
~Sephora, NaturallyCurly CurlMart.

Haven Scent - Australia #
~Havenscent.

Heartland Natural™ Mint #
~Heartland Products.

Heart of Iowa Soapworks Shampoo Bars #
~Heart of Iowa Soapworks; Prairieland Herbs.

Herbal Choice #
~NaturallyDirect.net; Rubber-Ducky.

Herbon - Australia #
~Eco Shop; Organics Australia Online.

Hope's Shampoo* - Australia
~Planet Blue; Organics Australia Online.

I Dream Body Wash and Shampoo #
~Kate's Caring Gifts.

J/A/S/O/N (Not all formulas are sulfate-free) #!
~Life's Vigor, Willner Chemists; health food stores.

Jessicurl Cleansers #
~Jessicurl; some stores, mostly in CA.

J. R. Liggett's Old Fashioned Bar Shampoo #
~Life's Vigor; health food stores.

Kenya jordana #
~Kenyajordana.

Kettle Care #
~Natural Solutions - Holistic Beauty Body & Bath; Refreshingly Free (both offer samples).

Keyano Aromatics*
~Salons; web beauty suppliers.

Kiss My Face
~Life's Vigor, Kokopelli's Green Market; health food stores.

Koils by Nature shampoos and conditioners
www.koilsbynature.com

Kosmea - Australia #
~The Exton; Organics Australia Online.

Lamas Botanicals (non-olefin AND olefin sulfonate formulas) #! (one formula has 'cones)
~VeganEssentials.

L'ANZA Anti Aging White Tea Shampoo*
~Oasis Place; UK Hairdressers (UK).

LaVida Given By Nature Conditioner and Shampoo Bars
www.lavidagivenbynature.com

Le Savon Populaire Bars - Canada #
~Savon Populaire; stores listed on the website.
~Ingredients in post #84 of this thread.

Living Ecology Royal Organics #
~Living Ecology.
~Ingredients in post #140 of this thread.

Living Nature #
~Natural Solutions - Holistic Beauty Body & Bath; There Must Be a Better Way (UK).

Logona (not all formulas are sulfate-free) #
~Internatural; Natural Solutions - Holistic Beauty Body & Bath.

Logona LavaErde Rhassoul Powder and Pre-Mixed Cleansers #
~Internatural, Natural Solutions - Holistic Beauty Body & Bath, Logona UK; There Must Be A Better Way (UK)

Long Lovely Locks Cleansers #
~LongLovelyLocks (Fragrance-free available on request).
~Ingredients in post #7 of this thread.

Mastey #
~Mastey; beauty supply stores.

Max Green Alchemy Scalp Rescue #
~Max Green Alchemy, Whole Foods; other health food stores.

Melrose - Australia #
~Melrose, The Cruelty Free Shop; Organics Australia Online.

Melvita - France #
~Beauté-test.com; Bio shops.

Miessence #
~All Natural Cosmetics (USA), There Must Be a Better Way (UK); Organics Australia Online (Australia).

MOP Modern Organic Products C-System
~GoddessWithin; Salon Collective (UK).

Morrocco Method #
~Morrocco Method, Natural Solutions - Holistic Beauty Body & Bath; some health food stores.

MyHoneyChild Cleansers #
~MyHoneyChild.

MyUtopia - Australia #
~The Cruelty Free Shop.

Naani # (Castile formulas paraben free)
~Naani.com. (Castile AND no-sulfate versions of each shampoo)

Natural Shop #
~The Natural Shop.

Nature Clean - Canada & US #
~ShopNonToxic.

Nature's Baby #
~VitaNetonline; Internatural.

n-fruizon* #
~n-fruizon; Ulta.

NuHair Volume Maximizing Shampoo #
~Drugstore.com

Onesta #
~Onesta Hair Care.

Organic Children Organic Formula - UK #
~Organic Children; UK supermarkets.
~Ingredients in post #86 of this thread.

Organic Excellence #
~OutletNutrition, MyVitaNet; Natural Solutions - Holistic Beauty Body & Bath.

Organic Selections - Australia #
~Herbal Serenity; Organics Australia Online.

Organikah #
~Organikah.

Organix #!
~Store list.
~Ingredients for the Coconut Milk Shampoo in post #217 of this thread.

Paul Penders #
~VeganEssentials, Life's Vigor; health food stores(?).

PAVES Professional #!
~HairBoutique; Walgreens & Eckerd drugstores.

Prairie Naturals - Canada #
~Q10.ca; health food stores.
~Ingredients in post #69 of this thread.

Pravana*
~Salons; web beauty suppliers.

Pure & Basic
~Internatural.

Pure 'Nuff Stuff - UK #
~There Must Be a Better Way.

Pureology !
~Drugstore.com.

Qhemet Biologics Egyptian Wheatgrass Cleansing Tea #
~Qhemet Biologics.
~Ingredients in post #195 of this thread.

Queen Helene Mint Julep Shampoo With Protein #
~Cosmetic Solutions; Sally Beauty Supply stores.
~Ingredients in post #152 of this thread.

Rainbow Research Organic Herbal, Henna, and Baby ! Shampoos
~Henna by Cynthia(henna shampoo gallons); Life's Vigor.

Real Purity #
~Natural Solutions - Holistic Beauty Body & Bath; Refreshingly Free.

REN* - UK #
~REN Skincare.

Savonnerie Gluten Free #
~VeganEssentials.

Sensibility Hijiki Seaweed/Soymilk #
~Sensibility Soaps.

Shaman Earthly Organics #!
~Life's Vigor; Fresh & Wild (UK)

SheaMoisture Shampoos and Conditioners

www.target.com; www.walgreen.com (both available in store)

ShiKai #! (some formulas)
~Life's Vigor; Kokopelli's Green Market.

Soapnut Washing Powder - UK #
~Soapnut.

Stephen est. 1985 Healthy Hair Cleansers #
~Fashionplanet; Hampton Court.

Sukesha All-Nutrient*
~All-Nutrient; Spiral Haircase.

Terressentials Pure Earth Hair Wash #
~Terressentials; some health food stores.

Trader Joe's Pure Castile #
~Trader Joe's Stores.
~Ingredients in post #100 of this thread.

Ultra Botanicals, MSM #
~GoddessWithin.

Uncle Harry's #
~Uncle Harry's.

Un Jour En Provence #
~Drugstore.com.

Urtekram Pure Balance Shampoos - EU #
~Auravita (UK), Mariposa (UK), Swedish health food stores; Danish stores.
~Ingredients for the Wild Rose Shampoo in post #193 of this thread.

Warm Spirit #
~Warm Spirit.

Young Living AromaSilk #
~Young Living Essential Oils.

Your Crown and Glory #
~Your Crown and Glory.

credit: info found at long hair care forum

Day 3 of the 31 Day Reset: Love Letter to Myself

After Day 2 listing the things I like and dislike, today's assignment was to write a love letter to our future self (at the end of this 31 day reset).

I have to tell you this was just what I needed.The honest evaluation of my life was a bit disconcerting. So the opportunity to commend myself on growth and development was awesome!

The assignment was to write a love letter to ourselves and schedule to send via futureme.org. I think this is an awesome service! I think it's a great tool of reinforcement for goal-setting. You should try it!

I won't post the letter here, but I may post it after I receive it in a month :)

31 Day Reset Day 2: Honestly Speaking...

Today's activity was to take an honest assessment of 7 areas of our lives: Lifestyle, Work, Education, Finances, Health, Family, and Relationships. To be honest, I would be on time with this 31 day reset if I did not subconsciously not want to complete this exercise.

I know there are areas in my life that I am not happy with. But to actually fully acknowledge it by putting it in print was not something I really wanted to do. But as Dr. Phil says, you can't change what you don't acknowledge. So I did the exercise.

I wish I had the inner strength and be totally transparent and share with you the totality of these exercises with you, but I just don't. But here's a brief synopsis...

I am college-educated woman who has a good, relatively close relationship with her family. I have a job that has flexible hours and offers me the opportunity to experience new things. Unfortunately, the pay is not the greatest and I do not feel I have the financial freedom I would like to have, especially at this stage in my life. I would like to further my education, but I need to figure out internally why I will not take the step to apply to graduate school. I need to learn to live beneath my means and reduce debt so I can have the freedom I crave. Money isn't everything, but it does create opportunities. I am in relatively good health, although I could stand to lose about 10-20 lbs. I feel like I still have a few things I could work on in therapy, but I haven't been able to find a good therapist fit since my last therapist. I stay busy doing things that I am sure are good, but a lot of times they are not what I really want to be doing.

That's the state of my life in a nutshell. A lot of the discontent in my life is of my own making and thus my own changing. I actually have begun to take baby steps in that regard and that is providing some peace and contentment that has been a bit elusive for a while.

I will tell you, it's only Day 2 and this reset has already caused me to really look internally. The next 29 days should be interesting...I am excitedly anxious for the rest of this journey.

Pressing Reset: Trendy Socialite Does The 31 Day Reset

Let me just say that God always brings things back to your memory. Last month I saw someone I follow on Twitter talking about a 31 day reset via the Happy Black woman website.. I said I was going to participate, and then it completely left my mind.

Well for the past couple of weeks I've been feeling the need for a reset. A time to replug and recharge. The semester will start in just 3 short weeks and work will increase exponentially. Sorority year starts in September. Things ramp up at church as well. I have several projects in the works. I need to take some time to myself--to recharge and to refocus.

I was editing a video response to something I recorded almost a month ago and was brought back to the 31 day reset. I said to myself, myself said "huh" LOL (I love doing that) "There is no time like the present to do it."

So here I am. Journal in tow, mantra and theme song picked out. Ready to reset and refocus. I will post updates (if not too personal) here...otherwise it's between my journal, my Lord and me :)

Want to participate? Read this blogpost and get started. And stay tuned to my blog for my journey...

My mantra: A wise woman thinks twice and speaks once--if at all. ~Maya Angelou
Theme Song: "You Are My Peace" Juanita Bynum