Thursday, November 14, 2013

Nidasii Beauty: Apple Cider Vinegar DIY For Curlista's

Beauties for the past few two months I've been suffering from really dry hair and it took a while for me to finally figure out why. I immediately blamed it on the recent change in temperature. Here in NYC the weather became cold and dry rather quickly this year....at least it did to me.  I couldn't figure out why this was happening. Then it dawned on me. I spent the entire summer in wash in go styles. As most of you may know I'm a Curlista and I have a kinky curly hair texture. During summer months I always gravitate towards wash and go styles. I just wet it in the shower apply moisturizer and either let it air dry or I let it semi dry then let take all my curls and brush them up into a messy yet chic top bun. Like most women I don't have a lot of time to fuss over my hair so I always go with simple routines that don't require much time and attention. Unfortunately I neglected to ensure my hairs PH.

When I finally figured it out I realized that my hairs PH balance was totally out of whack and I needed to restore the balance. So I went back to my tried and true DIY solution of apple cider vinegar and water. This is a common DIY remedy that many of you may be familiar with. It's most often used or noted as a natural hair clarifying cleanser that does not strip hair of moisture, however, many curlistas use it to cleanse and restore PH balance to their hair. Unfortunately, many of us curlistas suffer from dry and frizzy hair because our  curly hair pattern often prevents our hair's natural oils from traveling down the entire length of our hair to the ends. As a result this can create dry brittle hair.

If some of you are wondering why PH balance is so important for Curlistas here's why. Beware this is were I get Geeky as I give a step by step break down of PH. For starters the acronym PH stands for Potential of Hydrogen and it measures how acidic or alkali a substance is. PH has a range of 0 to 14. Any substance that falls into the range of 0 to 6.9 is acidic and anything that falls in the range of 7.1 to 14 is alkali. If a substance has a PH of 7 that means it's neutral.

Now here's why knowing proper PH is essential for curlistas. If you had to take a guess which environment would you think is ideal for curly hair...acidic or alkali? If you chose alkali your wrong! Curly hair needs an acidic environment. Did you know that sebum, the oil produced by our scalp and skin, is acidic? Sebum like our Nidasii products is a multipurpose substance. Not only does it lubricate our hair shafts with oil, that same oil due to its acidic nature prevents bacteria and fungus from finding a warm and cozy home in our hair.

The ideal PH range for most curlistas is 4.5 to 5.5. That's also the range for sebum. When a curlistas hair is at it's proper PH balance it seals the hairs cuticle allowing it to retain its moisture. When hair is alkali its dry, dull and maybe even brittle because the cuticle is open. So, although we apply moisturizers to our hair if its in an alkali state it won't retain much moisture. The appearance of hair that is PH balanced looks very different from hair that's not. The best way I can describe the appearance of  curly hair that's PH balanced is that it appears to be smoother with better defined curls. Where as curly hair in an alkali state appears to be frizzy with less defined curls when dried.

So needless to say after I washed my hair with the apple cider vinegar and water solution my hair immediately felt much softer and smoother. It was like it breathed a sigh of relief after taking a long sip of water. If your hair seems to be dry and dull try cleansing with apple cider vinegar and water. I like to use a 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar to 1 cup of water.

Have you ever tried cleansing your hair with an apple cider vinegar and water solution? How was your experience?


Monday, November 4, 2013

Yummers: Guiltles Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Hey Beauties you know I'm a serious foodie, I absolutely love and adore all things food, but I try to keep it healthy.... at least I try to most of the time. I came across this recipe for oatmeal cookies that requires no sugar, flour or butter and I loved it!! So you know I had to share it with you. These cookies are really great as a sort of breakfast cereal for mornings when your in a rush. But truthfully I literally eat them all day long. This recipe makes a dozen cookies, however, I literally ate half of the cookies in the pic above as soon as they cooled down enough to eat without burning my mouth. Here are the four ingredients needed to get started.

2 Ripe Bananas
1 Cup Oatmeal
1/2 Cup Raisins (or to your liking)
Cinnamon (to your liking)

In a mixing bowl mash bananas then add oatmeal, raisins and cinnamon. Mix until it forms a soft doughy consistency. Next spoon individual cookies onto a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. Since ovens vary I would check on them after 10 minutes and determine how much longer they will need.

If you decide to give this recipe a try let us know what you think!