Summertime heat, natural hair, & oily skin!

Today in the DMV (DC, MD, No. VA area), it is supposed to get up to a whopping 100 degrees with an index of 101 to 105 degrees. Can you say blazing?!?! Its so hot, the devil is pissed and sitting in a corner somewhere fanning.

Needless to say, this heat is making me drink more and more water with lemon to stay hydrated and have a good vitamin c in take. However, the heat is still putting a toll on my hair and my skin. The water i drink keeps my skin somewhat hydrated, but because i've been working out more and sweating more because of all that i drink, i'm still loosing out slightly. I can literally see the difference in my skin when i dont have enough water. It starts to look dull and lack of life no matter how much moisturizer i put on or the amount of blush to rosey up my cheeks. One thing it does do for sure is getting super oily when outside. I blot my face with facial tissues, which is a very temporary fix and rubs off my makeup a little bit, which i hate because i really dont like to have to touch up my makeup more than once a day.

In regards to my hair....what do i say?!?! I can DC (deep condition) all day everyday, co-wash, use a leave-in conditioner...it doesnt matter. During this heat, my hair soaks up water and any product. if it doesnt soak it up, i can later find it running down my neck. There's no winning. I'm in dyer need to find something that will keep my hair moisturized during these hot summer days and winter that is soon to follow.

I've been doing a little research and i have found a couple of things i want to try to rid myself of oily skin and dry-undefined curls-no matter how much product you use-hair! :-)

For my oily skin, i found Pallido Rice Paper Powdered Blotting Tissue.

Palladio rice paper tissues "natural" [also comes in translucent and beige] is a very unique, oil-absorbing two-sided tissue made with natural rice which is much gentler for the skin compares to pulp. With added rice powder to eliminate shine and to leave skin feeling and looking smoother. Use to blot off excess oil that causes skin blemishes. The matte side (without powder) is for blotting to absorb the excess oils and the powdered side is for finishing. Packaged in a pull out tissue component with the convenience of fitting in a purse.

In short:
* Made with rice instead of pulp
* Powder-coated for continued oil control
* Eliminate shine and skin imperfections
* Ideal for midday touchups

As for my hair goes, i have been from vblog to vblog and heard raving reviews about Huetiful Hair Steamer.

Huetiful Hair Steamers are designed specifically for your unique wavy or curly hair. We understand that your hair creates unique hair frustrations that can never seem to disappear. Dry hair, breakage, split ends, or dandruff? A Huetiful brand hair steamer can resolve all of these frustrations and allow you to stop buying multiple deep conditioners and hair treatments that never seem to completely restore enough moisture back to your dry hair.

Huetiful Brand Steamers have multiple benefits:
* Restores moisture to your dry hair 5x better than deep conditioners or hair treatments alone
* Opens up your hair cuticle to allow your conditioners and hair treatments to work more effectively
* Bathes your hair follicle with warm, ionized mist to replenish moisture lost from chemical or heat treatments
* Reduces future breakage and split ends caused by dry hair
* In colder months, keeps weather-dried hair moisturized and strong


You can find both of these products here:
Huetiful Hair Steamer - http://www.behuetiful.com/store/index.php (or Amazon)
Palladio Rice Paper Powdered Blotting Tissues - www.Amazon.com

Who can ask for anything more?!?! I'm excited to try both products in the the next coming months and i'll be back to give my results! :-)

SincerelyNiah

True to self...

true love - love that requires you to align yourself with the path of becoming your true self.

Life isn't about finding yourself, it's about creating yourself. xoxo!!

Run The World!!!

Beyonce's new hit single "Run the world" is a nice little anthem, however, it is also a great song to listen to while i'm working out. It gives me that extra umph i need to keep going. Maybe its just the beat, some of the lyrics or the fast tempo, whatever it is, it works! Not to mention, watching the video clearly shows that homegirl is working out and running to get those fabulous legs!!

So no, this blog is not necessarily about her song, but moreso about the word "Run". Back in my younger years, i used to run my butt off. Jogging, especially outdoors, was my thing. But over time, my knees decided they didnt want be nice to me anymore. Technically, i was mean to them first by running on asphalt vs. rubber or sand. Yup, cement is bad for the knees. it has something to do with how hard the joints bang together when you step down with force on the hard pavement over and over again.

Since i've been trying to make the gym a regular thing for pumping weight and getting my cardio on, i noticed that i'm only doing 15 minutes of cardio and the other 45 minutes are geared towards weight training to enduce muscle mass. However, when doing my few minutes of cardio to get my heart pumping and my body warm before my workout, i'm literally out of breath within the first 5 minutes. WTH?!?! I figured something has to give. I need to build up more stamina. And especially since i'm trying to lose a little bit of weight (fat) and gain muscle mass.

After much research, i found out that jump roping is THE BEST way to lose weight. It's even more intense than running. You can burn double the calories jumping rope than jogging and in less time. Little did i realize when i purchased the jump rope was that it wasnt going to be as much fun as it was when i was a kid.

Remember way back when, when you could do like 100 jumps when jumping rope or double dutching before getting winded?!? yeah, well, not anymore. I did 15 and damn near past out! Lol!

So for now, i will stick to running until i build up enough stamina to jump rope again. And to reduce the chances of injuring my knees, i will be running on the grass vs. the sidewalk. The spring from the dirt is way better than the cement. Running in the gym just doesnt do it for me. I'm too focused on the time displayed on the machine and how many calories i'm burning or how far i've run. All i need is nature, my running shoes and my ipod. Time to update my music! Maybe some more up beat Beyonce' joints! :-)

SincerelyNiah

Zara is having a sale...TRUE STORY!

Yes, i said it! One of my favorite stores ever is having a sale and there is nothing that i love more than finding a good sale with great quality and timeless pieces. The next wish would to be able to purchase things online. Zara needs to catch up real soon. It sucks to find what you really like, only to find out that the store nearest you doesn't carry that item. :-(. Oh well, either way, you're winning because almost everything at Zara is worth buying....especially if you can get it on sale. Happy shopping!!! :-)

SincerelyNiah

Addicted to everything Etsy!

There are a few websites i find my self venturing off to on a daily basis like, www.curlynikki.com, www.flygirlblog.com, www.thickandgrowchic.com, www.thegrio.com, www.essence.com, www.addicted2etsy.com and last but definitely not least, www.Etsy.com.

Literally, i have a morning routine when i get to work; log in to my computer, check my emails while eating my breakfast, work on tasks that need to be done that morning and then venture off to one of these sites. The most recent that i find myself on more than anything is Etsy.com. I mean, you can literally find any and everything on this site. i think the reason i love it the most is the vintage items from handbags, to clothes to jewelry. I mean, my wish list and favorites are growing. The hard part is, if you see something, you have to act fast or someone else will snatch it up. That is a good and bad thing. Good because the seller is definitely benefiting but bad because it does not help my issue of being complusive! So far, i have only purchased one thing through Etsy that i had made, but other than that, i've been a good girl.

Looking at Cynthia's website, addicted2etsy.com, you can literally plan your entire wedding purchasing items from etsy.

Not only did i love her wedding idea's but i also love her style of fashion and of course, her natural hair and how she styles it with different outfits.

Oh and did i mention, she was featured in "Real Simple Weddings" and Essence?!?!

After going on Etsy, i vowed to never pay full price for ANYTHING [unless absolutely necessary]! Even when i go to the mall, i'm looking for bargains. I go straight to the sale rack. That was never me before. I hated shopping so much so that if i see something i'm looking for, i just get it and go. Crazy, i know. Now i have a whole new perspective. Thanks etsy and people who love it like me who share great ideas and their current craves. :-)

The Cleaner cleaned and I am Free!!!! :-)

As you all know, i started a Detox a couple of weeks ago, and i want to go on record to say that i am free and cleansed from toxins AND parasites!!! I mean, literally. I was very satisfied with my detox system and it has caused me to gain a great habit of eating better, excersizing and drinking more water. During the detox, i was scared to eat anything heavy or pretty much bad because no sooner than i consumed it, it was coming right back out. It was like, my body was rejecting every and anything that was horrible.

Another benefit to my detox is that i actually saw a change in my mid section area. Nothing major, but enough to see that my soon to come muffin top has now subsided.

If i had to do the detox all over again, i would do it in a heart beat. Yes, it was uncomfortable during the times i wasnt near a restroom but i listened to my body and stayed away from foods that i knew would make my body react.

I dont know if this has anything to do with my detox, but my skin did start to break out a little. I'm not one to get pimples, but they surfaced left and right. It would make sense, however if it had anything to do with the detox because it was literally pushing out the bad in every aspect. I remember my dermatologist told me that when you begin to drink a lot of water, your skin will show the affects of trying to remove the impurities from your body and cause you to get pimples but it will sooon subside. So if it wasnt from the actual detox vitamins i was taking, it was definitely from the amount of water i have been consuming.

All in all, i feel better, lighter and i'm definitely more cautious about what i eat and drink. Since then, 90% of the time, i am only drinking water. I craved apple juice recently but i mostly used it for making dairy free smoothies. The rest i drank but not without cutting it with water first. :-)

Yay me!!!

Mind traveling...

I seriously need a vacation. I haven't seen blue water or white sand beaches in years. This is literally taking a toll on me. I'm used to taking a big trip at least once a year and i haven't done so since 2009 when i traveled to Africa. Speaking of Africa, i'm sitting here at my desk at work and for the life of me, i couldnt remember the name of the resort i stayed at until just now. Zamani Kempinski Resort in Zanzibar, Tanzania. Oh how i miss that place! For so long,it has been like a dream, but i'm sitting here remembering how real it was. The things i saw and the things i did while i was there seemed to be something only people would dream of. It was more than just staying at a resort. it was connecting with the children there, the masai people, touching historical statues and stepping on grounds our ancestors once died. I even went inside a tomb where slaves where kept and chained throughout the day while their masters where away for weeks at a time. It goes beyond words or imagination of what i felt those two weeks. My hands grasped chains and cuffs that someone was once held captive in. I touched a stone where women and children were be-headed inside of an ancient church because they couldnt work and were no use to masters who captured them. I heard the sounds of a muslim prayer that was heard around the entire city 5 times a day. i made friends and family in this far off land on the other side of the earth. i was given a new last name Mhunzi. All of these things meant the world of me. I dreamed of this day for years and years growing up as a child. I've always had a huge heart for Africa as i think back to the poster i made of Africa that said, "Save Africa" and taped to the back of my bedroom door.
I'm realizing that that was a trip that may not ever happen again and that it truly was a time that should never be taken for granted. I will do all i can to get back to that place once again. Until then, i will mind travel and remember how amazing it really was.

Images of where i stayed my last week in Zanzibar, Tanzania, the places i visited, the people i saw...

The view from the second floor looking out by the pool and outside dining area.

My bedroom

My bathroom. Behind the frosted glass doors was an outside shower. Can we say HEAVEN!

The view from outside of my bedroom.

The board walk from the hotel sitting above the Indian Ocean. A nice bar to have drinks and chill.

The path i ran every morning along side of the Indian Ocean.

Approaching Stown Town, Zanzibar from a Ferry ride coming from Dar es Salaam

Women of Zanzibar City walking to collect water and food.

The famous Stown Town Market where whatever is caught that day, is cooked right outside. Fresh! I had a pizza, but not your average pizza at all. Some made of chocalate and others, different types of seafood.

The people of Zanzibar sitting outside their local shop selling fruits and merchandise they made by hand.

A statue displaying how slaves were kept near a church in Zanzibar. It brought me to tears, it was so realistic.

Ruins in the town of Bagamoyo.

A historical church in Bagamoyo

The Masai people.

Me with a few children in the small town of Bagamoyo, Tanzania.

Me with my new friends and family in Tanzania.