Pineapple Your Hair

 For those of you who aren’t familiar with the term, when you pineapple your hair, it’s the procedure used to preserve your curl pattern. What it entails is massaging some of your favorite hair oil my favorite is coconut into your scalp and on your ends. Then using a headband (preferably one that’s semi-worn) and using it to put your hair on top of your head-like a pineapple. Now, by doing this, you can sleep on your head however you want, and your curls won’t become flat or looked worn out. Some women use this method when they’re rocking their curls, and it’s helped preserve them for a week. Below is a video from my favorite video blogger African Export on how to do it.

Uncle Funky's Daughter

One of my favorite hair care lines for natural hair. My picks are the Thirsty Curls and the Defunk. The Defunk I love because you can use it to freshen your hair anytime anywhere. I go back and forth between Defunk and Greg Juice from Oyin Handmade www.oyinhandmade.com. I love this site because it is an one stop shop for natural hair and a great resource to learn your curl pattern and what type of products go with your curl pattern. This  is major because sometimes its easy to waste money on products that are not right for your curl type and pattern.  The online tutorials are very helpful and bring a new dimension on education and how to safely style your hair and  what to use and how to use it. Check it out at www.unclefunkysdaughter.com Or if you live in Houston, TX visit their salon and shop at 2428 Times Boulevard, Houston TX. 77005

Inner Beauty

The recipe for beauty is to have less illusion and more Soul, to retreat from the belief of pain or pleasure in the body into the unchanging calm and glorious freedom of spiritual harmony.

~Mary Baker-Eddy

One of my favorite movies is Waiting to Exhale one my best friends Michelle and I would watch this movie over and over in her apartment over on Thomas Street. When either of us had a bad day or a "situation" we would pop this in the VCR along with our white zin, and it became a ritual and to this day if were getting together we ask, "is this a waiting to exhale moment". This was legendary among our male friends as well and  if they came over to her house and saw the movie in I remember my friend Garland would say "are yall on one of those exhale moments?" One of the lines that stick out to me is when the Whitney character said "well if your ugly on the inside then your ugly on the outside" I still love that line because it is so true. I know from time to time the major focus is fixing whats on the outside but doing soul work and finding inner beauty requires that same amount of attention.  As I form my own recipe card for what is beautiful to me and what I want to project is peace, grace and resilience instantly comes to mind. I use to hate to have conversations or be with people who have a pre conceived idea of who I am and what I'm about based on what they think to be true about who I am. Also because  it was usually  an onesided conversation with the tone of I'm so gald I'm not you. Being a single parent often brings an un welcomed  automatic judgment, ignorance, and entitlement from those who are not single parent(s) and often this comes from people who I have established relationships with or have known for a long time. In the past I would retreat and focus on why do people think their better than me because their married. (maybe because they were literally telling me they thought so)Then it came to me that I was focusing on the wrong thing and putting energy in other's perception and pre conceived notions of me and I did not want to project that I agreed becuase I didn't and  I thought the comments, assessments and diggs where some of the most ignorant self serving string of sentances that I have ever heard in my life.  Once I began to boldly buffer these conversations with talking about my happiness and joy of where I am in life and love these conversations and interactions with people stopped thank God.( I guess I'm not supposed to be happy lol) I began to realize that being calm, confident and also thankful and walking in my belief that what God has for me it is for me no matter what. I began to feel a glorious freedom, spiritual harmony and beautiful.

    

For the No Lye Divas Hair Rules!

From now until November 14th enjoy Hair Rules Special Offer of your favorite 16oz products for 24.99

Also what is excited Dickey will be on Skype for a free hair rules consultations. Get answers to all of your textured questions from one of the best textured multi-cultural stylist and nurturer of natural hair. Be sure you have a camera connection before calling in to hairrules via Skype! Don't miss this its not everyday you get a chance to get your question answered by a game changer in natural hair.

Next call dates: 10/16@5pm,10/24@11:00am and 10/30@ 5pm.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month (self exams)

When I started my blog in 2009, I wanted to share about things that were important to me. Breast Cancer Awareness is one of my personal causes that I champion on the front line for prevention and awareness. Self Exams are important and should be Incorporated in your routine monthly. I always do mine the 1st Sunday of the month.  It's important to set a day and time that you will remember. Breast self-exam (BSE), or regularly examining your breasts on your own, can be an important way to find  breast cancer early, when it's more likely to be treated successfully. Not every cancer can be found this way, but it is a critical step you can and should take for yourself.

Try to get in the habit of doing a breast self-examination once a month to familiarize yourself with how your breasts normally look and feel. Examine yourself several days after your period ends, when your breasts are least likely to be swollen and tender. If you are no longer having periods, choose a day that's easy to remember, such as the first or last day of the month.

Don’t panic if you think you feel a lump. Most women have some lumps or lumpy areas in their breasts all the time. In the United States, only 20% of women who have a suspicious lump biopsied turn out to have breast cancer. Below is a video on how to do one properly.

Breasts tend to have different “neighborhoods.” The upper, outer area — near your armpit — tends to have the most prominent lumps and bumps. The lower half of your breast can feel like a sandy or pebbly beach. The area under the nipple can feel like a collection of large grains. Another part might feel like a lumpy bowl of oatmeal.

What’s important is that you get to know the look and feel of YOUR breasts various neighborhoods. Does something stand out as different from the rest (like a rock on a sandy beach)? Has anything changed? Bring to the attention of your doctor any changes in your breasts that last over a full month's cycle or seem to get worse or more obvious over time.

After my  self exam in October, I look forward to the breast cancer research products because their pink statements,  and I know some of the money is going to a good cause and helping many people.   My favorite this year is the Shower for the Cure by Philosophy. You can find it all month long at Ulta or at www.ulta.com.

Primer

Recently on a trip to the MAC counter on the hunt for the new Matchmaster foundation,  I decided to try a primer. On occasion, I use one by Becca Cosmetics called The Resurfacing Primer  which I love but ran out of, so I thought I would give MAC a shot. I was pleasantly surprised on how it made my face and foundation look. Since it is the change of seasons my skin has been breaking out and giving me the blues so instead of  a little power I need a little more coverage. But adding the primer helps me keep the foundation at a minimum. The primer is in the prep and prime line and it is called Refined Zone. I applied it to my T- zone area, which for me, is the most oiliest part on my skin, especially the cheeks. I love that it is oil free, that helps to cloak visible pores while controlling oil or shine. You can apply it wet, for a gentle exfoliating, that dries instantly to create an invisible long lasting matte finish. Locally, you can find this at Macy's or Nordstoms or at www.maccosmetics.com