Getting Smooth Skin for the Summer Months

Dragon skin belongs on dragons, not people. It's about that time again when we all will be bearing more skin for the summer months. You know what that means. You want your skin to look good for shorts, skirts and sandals. I personally like to keep my skin looking good year round, but for those of us who want to get ready for summer skin now I'll share a few tips. The one thing that I have found that is really important for nice looking skin is to exfoliate. Whatever products you like to use to smooth out your skin, you should start now to get your skin looking good. I like to use a loofah pad for my entire body, top to bottom. They're relatively inexpensive and you can find them almost anywhere bath products are sold. I sometimes get mine from Liquidators store. You can sometimes find discontinued ones for real cheap. CVS and other stores of this type sell exfoliation pads for both the body and the face. Get one of each and use it and you'll see a difference in your skin in no time. Pay special attention to your feet ladies, because there's no use in looking good and your feet looking bad. Keep your toenails clipped and clean and ALWAYS POLISHED. After a bath or shower is a good time to scrub off dead skin on your feet. The skin is softened and can be easily removed with the least trouble. I like to use one of those pumice type stones on the back of a grater type thingy. And remember that your toes have hang nails and the cuticles need to pushed back as well as your fingernails. There is nothing more unpleasant than to see a woman with ugly, unsightly looking feet. If you get into the habit of keeping your feet looking nice year round, then they will be summer ready from the get go. Baby oil (gotten on the cheap from the dollar store) is a good moisturizer for feet and legs, especially after shaving the legs. I'm hairy and have hairy legs that I like to shave in the summer. I keep one or two bottles of baby oil on hand at all time. I sometimes like to put a few drops of fragrant oil into my baby oil so I have a nice scent with my moisturizer. Easy, easy, cheap. There's no excuse for bad looking feet or skin in the summertime.

Hair Brush Information

Dry hair can be a big problem with most people, and particularly people with afro kinky type hair. On account that kinky hair grows the way it does, spirally from the scalp, the natural oils from the scalp cannot reach the length of the strand to properly lubricate it, so you are usually left with parched, dry hair. In order for you to get the natural oils to the very ends of your hair you usually have to brush the hair. I'm careful with using a brush on my hair because improper brushing or too vigorous brushing can break the hair. I have three brushes that I use. Two are natural boar bristle brushes (more delicate type brushes) and a detangling type brush. The natural boar bristle brushes I have are two different types. One of them is a bit more sturdy for when I am trying to pull my hair back. The other one is very soft and I usually use it to brush back my hair after I put it in a pony tail, to even out the hair and get the hair to lay down. My detangler brush (Denman knockoff), I use when my hair is tangled and a regular brush cannot remove the tangles without breaking off my hair. I'm going to one day buy the real Denman brush because I've wanted this brush for a long time. Denman makes a lot of brushes and they cost more than regular brushes you buy from the BSS. They're not super expensive, around $7 or $8 dollars for the one that I want. You can get the Denman brushes from Sally Beauty Supply store. I have looked in different stores, but haven't found them in other stores. I have been using natural boar bristle brushes for many many years now. I used to use the nylon type brushes and started using the natural boar bristle brushes after my sister told me about them. They are more gentle to the hair, by not pulling the hair like nylon brushes do. Nylon brushes are definitely a no no for any type of hair, and in particular natural kinky hair. That old adage about a hundred strokes of brushing the hair doesn't apply today. A few strokes with the brush is all you really need. Only enough to get at the natural oils on your scalp and distribute them to the rest of your hair. So brush on baby, but take your time and don't overdo it.

Old Time Fresh from the Kitchen Hair Helpers

In the past I have used all kinds of things on my hair, to get that "perfect" head of hair. Well, as you can see from my postings, I'm still looking for good products that work. I have read so many articles from magazines that tout using things from the kitchen as moisturizers and conditioners from your very own kitchen. Egg yolks, mayonnaise and molasses for conditioning the hair and vinegar and baking soda for clarifying the hair etc. The list of things don't end. I have tried just about all of these things and had no noticeable difference in my hair at all. The only kitchen item that I frequently use on my hair is olive oil. I read an article some time ago where this woman, who had very thick and long hair, said that she used molasses on her hair as a conditioner. I tried the molasses thing, but didn't notice anything special about it either. I also have tried mashed avocado on my hair only to end up with a nasty mess to wash out of my hair. Maybe I need a food processor to finely blend the avocado or something. The vinegar hair rinse is okay to clarify your hair, but only if you regularly use a lot of product on your hair. I don't use a lot of product on my hair, and to date have only used a vinegar rinse once. I like to use a little gel on my hair and maybe a heavy moisturizer on occasion when I want a nicely slicked back hairstyle. I mostly concentrate on hair moisturizers and stuff like that because my hair can get dry very quickly. Lemons are also supposed to be good for the hair to remove buildup and make the hair shiny. Lemons can also be used to lighten the hair slightly in the summer months. You can use a q-tip to apply lemon juice to your hair and have nice highlights without dyeing the hair. I like the idea of using things from my kitchen to condition my hair etc.

The Cutting Edge on Sponge Rollers

On my previous post I put up information about making your own hair "donut" to style your hair in a bun. I have seen the sponge type of hair "donuts" at Salley Beauty Supply store and almost purchased one of these. Now I'm glad that I didn't, seeing that I can now make my own and have any color that I choose to have. I used to use sponge rollers when I was younger and thought that they were everything. I recently was watching a news program on television and saw an older woman and she had the nerve to have one sole pink sponge roller in her hair. I was mortified and couldn't believe what I was seeing. How are you going to get yourself up on television and have a pink sponge roller in your hair?? I guess some things never change. I remember when I used to use those same pink sponge rollers and would use them until they had totally flattened out and would get a very tight curl because they were so old. Sponge type rollers are very damaging to the hair by the way they are made. If you look closely at a sponge roller you can see the sharp edges that make them up. It looks almost like a honeycomb up close. A honeycomb full of sharp edges ready to attack your delicate hair and break it off. At the time that I was using them I guess nobody noticed this and thought that they were okay to use on your hair. They even came out with black sponge rollers and you know I bought some of them too. I think that I still have some sponge rollers in my possession until this very day. I then later went on to purchase hard rollers, with the tiny little spikes on them to grip the hair tightly when you roll it up. I swore by these rollers too. They made a nice curl, but were difficult to sleep in at night. In my opinion these types of rollers should only be worn in the hair during the day because they hurt the scalp when you sleep in them. I still have my hard rollers and sometimes use them. The things we women do to look nice for ourselves and you guys.

Dunkin's Got Nuthin on my "Donut"

As the summer months approach I usually like to have different hair styles to wear. A while ago I found some directions on how to make a hair "donut". Well, I tried it out and I made my own. A hair "donut" is a form you put on your hair after you make a ponytail so you can have a nice uniform bun. Buns are good for work or when you want or have to have a more professional type look to your natural hair. All hair types can use a "donut", just as all hair types can create a nice bun. So many times in the past when I used to hot comb straighten my hair, I used to try to make buns and always had an uneven or ratty looking bun. When you use something to hold the hair it always looks better. They sell "sponge donuts" at many beauty supply stores, but why settle for sponge, that can cut through your hair and damage it, when you can make your own. Below I'm going to give directions to make your own "donut" so when you want a nice bun you'll be ready to style it that way.

What you need: Two old socks or one sock and one stocking sock (which I use)

How to do it:
1)Cut off feet of socks/stocking sock.(bottom photo)
2)Turn both inside out, so it's right side out when finished.
3)Put one sock inside the other. If using a sock & stocking sock, put stocking sock inside of regular sock.(middle photo)
4)Hold both socks with your thumb & fore finger and begin to tightly roll both from bottom to top.
5)When you reach the top tuck in ends and there you have it, you own "donut" (top photo)