EMBRACE YOUR NATURAL HAIR: Hair Pride for Curly Hair Women

Deciding to go natural is only half of the battle. Getting your curls to look their best can often be much more difficult and just plain frustrating. We put together a list of 5 curly hair tips that will completely change your life and the love you have for your curls.

1. Stop Straightening Curlies in numbers agree that the hardest part about being natural is simply doing it. We are often accustomed to changing the texture of our hair, so it is hard to quit and embrace how we look with the hair we were given. Once you can put down the straightening tools and products, you can embrace who you are and work to get the best possible curly version of you. Say “goodbye” to heat damage!
2. Deep Conditioning Moisture is key when being curly and one of the best ways to get moisturized curls is through deep conditioning. Conditioning daily is important, but deep conditioners are made specifically to penetrate your hair’s many layers and give your roots the moisture they need to stay frizz free. Instead of using per-made condition, here is a way to use less chemicals and protect your hair. Use natural oils such as extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, morocan oil, or organ oil on your hair. Simply rub these products in your hair daily and your hair conditions 10x better than the conditioner you buy. Here is the secret: all the conditioners you purchase have one of more of these oils in them! 
3. Trims Every 6 monthsThe length of time that you can go without a trim depends on the length of your hair, but most stylists will suggest that you come in every six to eight weeks (but i suggest 6 months for those with slow-growing hair). Once you get in the habit of getting your hair trimmed on a regular basis, you will notice your hair looking healthier; something many curly girls strive for.
4. Sleep on a Satin Pillowcase Second day hair is not something every curly girl can get, but one way to improve your odds is by sleeping on a satin pillowcase. Just as you don’t want to use a typical towel to blot your curls, you want to take that same care at night when you are rolling all over the place. The right pillowcase will reduce your frizz in the morning as well as keep your curl pattern intact.
5. Use a Sulfate-Free Shampoo or Co-Wash While all of these habits are extremely important, this one will make such a huge difference in your curls that you’ll never go back to your old ways. If you shampoo in order to cleanse your hair, switch to a sulfate-free shampoo like DevaCurl No-Poo since sulfates can be drying and damaging to the hair.
   Some curly girls are lucky enough that they need no shampoo at all and can get away with only using conditioner (co-washing). If you are not sure if you fall into this category or not, spend one weekend finding out. Your curls might love you for it and you can put that money you typically spend on shampoo towards other great products!
   
   
   more tips, visit http://www.naturallycurly.com

EATING AND DRINKING HEALTHY

The Basics

Your body needs the right vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients to stay healthy. A healthy diet means that you are eating:

• Vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk products
• Seafood, poultry, lean meats, eggs, beans, peas, seeds, and nuts

Limit foods high in:

• Cholesterol, sodium (salt), and added sugars
• Trans fats – Trans fats may be in foods like cakes, cookies, stick margarines, and fried foods.
• Saturated fats – These fats come from animal products like cheese, fatty meats, whole milk, and butter.
• Refined grains – Food products with refined grains include white bread, noodles, white rice, and flour tortillas.

Take note that i'm saying "limit" and not "stop", you do need saturated fats, transfats, grains, etc for your body to receive the vitamins that it needs to function properly. However, too much consumption of these foods can be deadly for your health. Don't starve yourself, eat smart!

A healthy diet can keep your body strong and active.
By making smart food choices, you can help reduce your risk for:

• Heart disease
• Type 2 diabetes
• High blood pressure
• Some cancers
• Bone loss

CHEERS!

It's also important to check the amount of alcohol you consume everyday. Nothing wrong with having a few drinks with friends, but too much alcohol intake could lead to more than a hangover or loss of brain cells!

Weight gain: Alcohol is not water. A beer has about 150 "empty" calories that provide few if any nutrients. High blood pressure. Along with being overweight, high blood pressure is associated with many serious health problems. Depressed immune system. Impaired immunity makes you more likely to contract viral illnesses such as flu and infections. 

Cancer: 2-4% of all cancer cases are related to alcohol. Upper digestive tract cancers are the most common, hitting the esophagus, mouth, larynx, and pharynx. Women who drink prior to menopause are more likely to develop breast cancer. Your risk of skin cancer doubles if you drink slightly more than "moderate levels." Some studies implicate alcohol in colon, stomach, pancreas and lung cancer. And let's not forget the liver... 

Liver disease: Heavy drinking can cause fatty liver, hepatitis, cirrhosis and cancer of the liver. The liver breaks down alcohol at the rate of only one drink per hour. 

Alcohol poisoning: Drinking large amounts can result in alcohol poisoning, which causes unconsciousness and even death. Breathing slows, and the skin becomes cold and may look blue. Don't let a person in this condition "sleep it off." Call 911. '

Heart or respiratory failure: Excessive drinking can have serious results. Heart or respiratory failure often means death.

I'm not saying stop drinking, coz we all know that's not going to happen, so instead im saying drink responsibly...drink smart!

GOOD DRINKING

Try to  increase your consumption of natural juices such as orange, apple, carrot, etc as these would give you a lot of vitamins that are good for you skin, bones, eyes, etc. I don't mean buying flavored drinks, i mean the REAL STUFF!

You can personally visit http://healthfinder.gov for more information :)