Author Archives: Maicurls

About Maicurls

I got inspired write a blog due to my passion about my Natural Hair. It took me a while to find my way with my Hair...but I wouldn't change a thing now! I basically got to know my Hair through the help I found online (YouTube, Forums, Blogs etc) and want to "give back" by sharing what I have learnt over the years. My blog mainly consists of information about Natural Hair Care, Do It Yourself recipes and and tips I've learnt from all of you. I also share Skin Care and Health (Exercise) tips.

Smoothies

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Good Evening Maicurlies,

photo credit: topsynette via photopin cc

I have been a little preoccupied with hair posts so I wanted to share the other things I do, it is not always all about hair right? 🙂

Smoothies have been around for years and I have been on and off the smoothie bandwagon however, recently I have been a little obsessed. It is said that having 7 servings of fruit and vegetables should be part of being healthy, along with drinking enough water, having a balanced diet, doing exercise and getting enough sleep.

For some, eating 7 servings of fruit and vegetables a day can seem like a lot. so one way of having enough fruit and veg is to make smoothies!!!

The combination of fruits and veggies you use is completely up to you and the options are endless. You can do make a couple of smoothies for the day containing all veg, mixed fruit or even a combination of fruits with veggies (which is my personal favorite). You can add Greek yogurt, regular yogurt, milk, soy milk or almond milk to your smoothie. It is best to use natural unflavored yogurts just because there can be hidden sources of sugar in fruit yogurts. Some people add protein powder, honey or even nuts. If you want a little boost you can also throw in some flaxseed. Like I said the options are endless.

In case you are looking to make your own smoothies I have pasted a table of popular fruits and veg used to make smoothies along with their Nutritional Information below.

Table 1: Nutritional Information for Popular Smoothie Ingredients – Fruit
Data per 100g edible portion	Calories	Carbs	Sugar	Protein	Fat
Kiwi	49.0	10.6	10.3	1.1	0.5
Mango	39.0	9.6	9.4	0.5	0.1
Grape	61.5	15.2	15.2	0.4	0.1
Grapefruit	21.0	4.8	4.8	0.6	0.1
Cherry	49.0	11.2	11.2	0.9	0.1
Pear	34.7	8.4	8.4	0.3	0.1
Pineapple	49.4	11.6	11.2	0.4	0.1
Apple	47.5	11.3	11.3	0.3	0.1
Blueberry	53.5	12.6	9.0	0.8	0.3
Orange	62.1	15.6	12.3	1.0	0.3
Peach	31.5	7.2	7.2	0.9	0.1
Raspberry	25.0	4.7	4.7	1.3	0.3
Papaya	26.1	6.6	4.0	0.4	0.1
Melon	15.0	3.4	3.4	0.4	0.1
Blackberry	29.5	6.0	6.0	0.8	0.3
Strawberry	27.8	6.0	6.0	0.8	0.1
Banana	95.0	20.9	1.2	1.2	0.3
Broccoli	29.6	2.0	1.7	3.6	0.1
Kale	33.0	1.4	1.3	3.4	1.6
Spinach	25.0	1.6	1.5	2.8	0.8
Lettuce	15.0	2.8	0.8	1.4	0.1
Peas	81.0	14.5	5.7	5.4	0.4

Source:

Nutritional Information for Popular Smoothie Ingredients – Fruit http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/recipes/low_fat/diet-smoothie-calories.htm

It is not always possible to get all the fresh fruits you want throughout the year but you might luck out at the frozen fruit section. Of course it would be ideal to always use fresh fruits but lets face it, apart from availability it can also be a little expensive. Some fruits are actually hard to prepare e.g. pomegranate…it LOVE the stuff but getting the little pieces of the fruit is a pain in the (you-know-what) so I head to the frozen fruit section and grab a bag of frozen prepared pomegranate…AMAZING!

Smoothies – By Maicurls

Here are some of my favorite smoothie recipes I have made:

Pomegranate, Apple & Pear Smoothie

Pomegranate (frozen)
Apple
Pear
Orange
Greek yogurt

Orange, Strawberry & Spinach Smoothie

Strawberries (frozen)
Oranges
Peach
Spinach (it really isn’t noticable)
Banana
Greek Yogurt

Orange, Strawberry & Pomegrante Smoothie

Orange
Strawberries (frozen)
Pomegranate (frozen)
Cucumbers
Apples
Peaches
Greek Yogurt

Watermelon & Strawberry Smoothie

Watermelon
Strawberries
Oranges
Cucumber
Spinach
Greek Yogurt

Banana, Peach & Spinach Smoothie

Banana
Peach
Orange
Strawberries
Spinach
Greek Yogurt

What are your favorite smoothies? I would love to hear from you!

Maicurls

Benefits and uses of Apple Cider Vinegar for Natural Hair – Global Couture

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Hey Maicurlies,

Yup, I want to share yet another article I wrote for Global Couture.

photo credit: artizone via photopin cc

The article is about Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV), its properties, benefits and uses. For some of you ACV might already be part of your routine to cleanse your hair, while others use it as a final rinse to close your cuticles but did you know you can actually also make a few homemade recipes using ACV? Visit the blog and check out my article for more details!

Benefits and uses of Apple Cider Vinegar for Natural Hair

Personally, I use it as a cleanser for my hair on a weekly basis which you can read on my blog here. I have also used it diluted with water to make a face toner but I must say my Rosewater toner (I have a video about it) is to die for…that smell :D.

Do you use ACV? If so in what way? I would love to hear from you!

Thanks

Maicurls

Product Free Hair

What I looked at to identify the structure of my hair

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Hey Maicurlies,

One thing us naturals can agree on is (~~our hair needs moisture scratch that)~~ OUR HAIR THRIVES ON MOISTURE. If you are able to get moisture to penetrate the cuticle of your hair, reach the core and (fingers crossed) retain the moisture then chances are your hair will be a happy camper.

I was recently asked to make a video showing what my hair looks like when it is product free after being freshly washed. The lovely lady who requested the video stated she was having issues with her hair and wanted to see what my hair looked like. I will have that video up soon.

Product Free Hair

First I want to point out I am not a hair expert nor am I professional I am however aware of what my hair likes/doesn’t like and can pretty much tell by the ingredients in a product if my hair will respond positively or negatively to it (most of the time not always).

Our ability to grow healthy hair has to do with knowing how our hair is structured such its porosity & width but also the ingredients in the products we use. Some of you might already be aware of this however, if you are newly natural or unsure then I hope this post will be helpful 🙂

I’ve previously mentioned that I wrote about porosity and hair width for Global Couture and have linked the two articles below:

How to Find the RIGHT Products for Your hair (Part 1: Porosity)

How to determine the right products for your hair (Part 2: Hair Width)

I was able to identify that I have medium/high porosity with it leaning more towards high porosity and fine hair strands. If you are unsure of how to do the tests to determine your porosity and width there are simple testes you can do at home which you can read about here.

Porosity – How your cuticle is laid. There are 3 main categorizes:

Low Porosity – difficult to absorb moisture due to closed cuticle but once moisture is in the core it is well retained.
Medium Porosity – easy to absorb and retain moisture due to optimum laid cuticles (lucky people!)
High Porosity – easy to absorb moisture but also to lose it due to highly raised cuticles.

My Hair Porosity

I could not only tell from the results of the porosity test but also because of how quickly my hair absorbs anything I apply and how quickly it can become dry if I do not seal my hair properly. Moisturizing and sealing my hair during the week is necessary if I want it to remain moisturized and avoid breakage. After doing a deep condition I will dilute ACV & water run that over my hair and then do a final rinse with cool water (not always pleasant) but necessary.

In the past I have only ever used oils after moisturizing because I did not have access to butters however all that has changed now. 🙂 With that said, I also have to be careful of how I use my products and how much I use. If I am not careful I can weigh down my curls due to the fact that I have fine hair strands (will be covered below).

It is all about layering products for me so I moisturize (water + leave-in) and the seal (oil and/or butter).

Hair width – Identifying you hair’s width allows you to not only determine which products to use but can also help you with length retention and healthy hair growth. Hair width means finding out how thick or thin your individual hair strand is. There are 3 main categories of hair width:

Fine – The hair strands are thin and can be weighed down if a lot of heavy or thick products/ingredients are overly used. The hair is fragile and extremely susceptible to breakage if it is not handled with a gentle hand and care.
Medium – The hair is neither thick nor thin and is able to handle both heavier and lighter products/ingredients but should still be used in moderation.
Coarse -The hair strands are thick and might require you to “work in” products/ingredients in order for them to be dissipate in the hair. It is said to be “strong” but still requires a gentle hand when manipulating it in order to retain and grow your hair

My hair Width

As mentioned I have fine hair and yes a little too much of ANYTHING can weigh down my hair. I like to refer to it as “mousy” (when my hair is damp/wet). I literally look like a wet cat and detest going out like that! So even “good ingredients” such as creams or butters can really make my hair look lifeless, flat and greasy.

While I need to follow the steps of moisturize and seal, in the back of my mind I always have to remember too much of a good thing can be bad. This also applies for styling products.

When it comes to handling my hair I have to be extremely careful. Rushing through detangling is just screaming for breakage which, I have done more than I’d like to admit. So I also look to strengthen and thicken my hair with the help of my Henna treatments.

How do you take care of your hair based on your porosity and hair width? I would love to hear from you.

Thanks

Maicurls

Porosity & Hair Width Tests

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The tests below are not an exact science but can help give you an idea of your porosity and hair width in order to better understand how to care for your hair.

Porosity Test

photo credit: by claire via photopin cc

Drop a strand of freshly washed (product free) shed hair in a glass of lukewarm water. After 2 minutes check to see if it is still floating towards the top of the water, hovering in the middle or sank to the bottom of the glass. If it:

Floats = Low Porosity
Hovers = Medium Porosity
Sinks = High Porosity

Hair Width Test

photo credit: funadium via photopin cc

Take a piece of shed hair and compare it to a piece of tread for a thickness comparison. If your hair is:

Thinner = Fine
Equal = Medium
Thicker = Coarse

For more details on what your results can indicate please read here.

Maicurls

What are some reasons people have given you why they “CAN’T? go natural?

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Hey Maicurlies,

I have a new contribution article on Global Couture and this one can be considered as a “debate” (a constructive one I hope).

Global Couture asked the question “What are some reasons people have given you why they ‘CAN’T’ go natural?” on all of their social media platforms to start a little healthy discussion.

What are some reasons people have given you why they “CAN’T” go natural

Now, I have to say I am NOT one to force anyone into anything they themselves do not want to do and that includes going back natural. Going back natural should be a personal decision made for the right reasons, basically doing it because it is something you want to do. If you try and force someone to go back natural and they are not ready chances are they will find it even harder, they might regret their decision and who knows they might actually resent you because they feel like you pressured them. So “peer-pressuring” is a no no!

However, I have come across people who have the funniest comments as to why they do not think they can go back natural. If someone says “I do not want to go back natural because I just do not want to and it is my right”. I completely agree with that instead of some of the “funny” comments I’ve heard/read.

Anyways, in the article Global Couture collected the most popular 15 “reasons” that naturals have said others told them why they can’t go natural and provided a few responses to the comments.

You can read the full article here.

Have you come across similar statements? I would love to hear from you!

Thanks

Maicurls

Dressing up Jeans

Coconut Oil & Vitamin E – Update

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Hi Maicurlies,

It has already been 3 months since I started applying Virgin Coconut Oil with Vitamin E to my nails, lashes (and brows) and it is high time for an update (this is late)! In case you missed my posts about how I used the oils as a mini challenge you can read about it here and watch part 1 below.

My application process was: 3x at night for my nails and (nearly) every night for my lashes as well as a little on my brows.

So did I noticed any progress? Yup! I have my update video here:

Nails

My nails are definitely growing a lot quicker than before, I have to cut them a lot more because of their growth (I like long nails but not claws 🙂 ) They also became stronger. The sides of my nails is where they usually are the weakest and what I noticed is that my nails would get brittle and then form layers because of:

The way I filed my nails and
The file I used

You are supposed to file your nails in one direction, which I was not doing and I was not using the best file for my nails either. Not all metal files are bad this one just was not working for me.

Metal Nail File

So apart from using Coconut and Vitamin E Oil I also changed how I file my nails and got a new file which is made out of glass and has made a big difference for me (see below):

Glass Nail File

Overall though the oils definitely did work.

Lashes

My lashes have really taken off! I had this little section of lashes on the inside corner of my left eye that seems to have stunted growth LOL. I do not know why but the lashes there just liked to remain short. I made sure to pay particular attention to that area and they are now equal in length to the rest :). Apart from that, my lashes are longer and stronger, meaning they do not fall out as often as before. I am really impressed with how my lashes took to the oils! They are really shiny and moisturized (if that makes sense), they just look healthy. I think they are even a little fuller! So for my lashes it is a yes yes yes!

Brows

My brows and I have an interesting relationship. I must admit I have naturally quite thin eyebrows and always over plucked my eyebrows. I use to get them threaded a lot but have become too lazy to go to the beauty parlor to get them done so I use tweezers at home. I used the oils because I wanted to get them to be fuller and then “reshape” them properly. Did my brows thicken up? Yes…but the process of letting them fill up makes my already funny looking brows look even worse LOL. I have random bits of brow hair growing so I am just plucking the really oddly placed hairs while still letting the rest grow out. Overall it has helped to thicken my brows …slowly.

Verdit

I have said this before and I will say it again, a healthy diet and lifestyle really really helps! It is not only about making changes externally but also internally. Getting enough sleep, drinking water, eating healthy (vegetables, fruits, reducing sugars & fats etc), getting enough calcium (at least for me) and having the right vitamins (I prefer getting my vitamins directly from the source instead of taking pills) all play a role!

In terms of the Coconut and Vitamin E Oil I would have to say it helped and I would suggest them if anyone is looking to improve their nails, lashes and brows.

Future plans

I have decided to use Castor and Vitamin E Oil for my next mini challenge. I will use them in exactly the same way as I did with the Coconut oil and then will monitor my results. Depending on which I prefer I will stick to using either coconut/Vitamin E or Castor/Vitamin E Oil.

I would love to hear from you if you use either Coconut or Castor oil for your nails, lashes and brows!

Thanks

Maicurls

1 year blog-aversary

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photo credit: ecstaticist via photopin cc

Yes it has been one year that I started my blog and wrote my first post! It has gone by so quickly and I have enjoyed every single minute of it!

I first want to say a big THANK YOU to all of you following my blog, people who have taken the time to read my posts, those of you who were kind enough to leave me feedback and comments and the Emails I have received. It means so much to me that you would take the time to even just give my blog a glance. I can not say THANK YOU enough! 😀

photo credit: ADoseofShipBoy via photopin cc

I hope the second year will be even better! I hope to grow as a blogger, cover more topics that interest you, cover topics I still am missing (a few pages are still missing…terrible I know…shaking my head at myself) and just develop a great relationship with all of you.

I am also so grateful to all the bloggers out there who have reached out to me, those that have accepted me into their circle and those I collaborate with. It is amazing the connection we can make that starts off with the love for our hair! The support and advice is greatly appreciated and I hope to connect with even more bloggers…you can never have enough friends right? 🙂

So once again thank you and here’s to another successful year! 🙂

Thanks

Maicurls

Reminder The Natural Hair Blog Directory GIVEAWAY! (Closed)

THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED!

Hey Maicurlies!

This is just a quick reminder that you still have a chance to enter the Natural Hair Blog Directory Giveaway which ends on August 16th!

The lucky winner will get:

Raw Shea Butter from AntiguaBarbudaGirl
T-shirt from Aphrodite Kinks
Aussie Moist Conditioner and Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie from Lovethyintrovert
Curlkit by Nappyfu.com
Waist Beads from Natural Hair Junkies
2 Eden BodyWorks products from Naturally Glam
BYOB tshirt from The Confetti Collective
Jewelry from Fro and Bro
Design Essentials Stimulations Super Moisturizing Conditioner from Natural Nicole
Sample sizes of Motions Light Styling Foam, Phyto Specific Moisturizing Styling Cream, Parnevu T-Tree Shampoo, Parnevu T-Tree Ultra Deep Repair Conditioner, and Parnevu T-Tree Cream Glosser from Tresses and Treats
Maxi Hair Bows from Yellospace
Natural High T-shirt from The Natural High Blog
Jewelry from Overxposedkc91

The Natural Hair Blog Directory (NHBD) has been running for 6 months and in celebration of already reaching half of their intended goal (to get 500 blogger/vloggers registered) the NHBD is doing this giveaway as a Thank You!

To enter all you have to do is:

Tell them how you found out about the giveaway and subscribe to the NHBD! To enter, click the link below to get to the NHBD page and follow the instructions there.

http://www.thenhbdirectory.com/happy-6-month-giveaway.html

P.S. is you happen to have a blog/vlog channel or know of one that has not been registered on NHBD get it listed! The listing is for FREE!!! 🙂

Good Luck to all those that enter the giveaway!

Maicurls