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?

Whipped Goodness!!

Are you looking for a treat your body will love? If you are, then I think you will enjoy this months special. This month Cocoa Commotion Body Butter is on sale for $5.00. We think your body will really enjoy this jar of whipped goodness. Fall is here and we recognize that cooler temps and dry air can leave skin with a little less moisture. When you add the long hot showers that I am so guilty of taking (the worst thing you can do for skin period) to the mix that's a recipe for radically dry skin. So, feel free to stock up!!!

Have you tried cococommotion body butter? If you have let us know how this product has worked for you. We would love to hear from you!!!

Nidasii Beauty Tip: Glowing Skin

Here's a beauty tip for any of you beauties out there running low on your favorite facial exfoliator.

Let's face it. Winter is here and the colder days are sure to leave many of us with dull, dry skin. It may even cause some of us to delay our trips to the store to purchase our favorite beauty necessities. So, if you're in need of a facial exfoliant, however, you've run out. Try taking a scoop of your daily facial cleanser and mix in a few pinches of granulated sugar. Apply the mixture to a damp face in upward circular motions and in minutes you will have glowing skin.

Do you care to give this beauty treatment a try? If you do post your comments we want to hear about your results!!

Nidasii Beauty Tip: Dry Winter Skin

I think every family has at least one out spoken relative. There are several members of my family that are quite out spoken. They often say what’s on their mind. Recently one of them asked, “Nikki, how come your skin is never dry anymore.” My kind response to this relative of mine was “what do you do after you come out of the shower? Do you apply lotion or some kind or moisturizer to your skin right away?” She said no. So I let her know what the remedy was for my dry winter skin.

It takes three levels of moisture to relieve my dry skin and keep it hydrated for most of the day. Here are the steps for relieving my dry winter skin.

1. Do not take long hot showers. The hot water is very drying to the skin and it will only help to dehydrate the skin further. This is the first step, but, I must let you know that although this true I never follow this step. I always spend waaaay to much time in the shower so to compensate for this I use moisturizing soaps like handmade soaps or Sugar Rush because they do not contain the detergents that most commercial soaps do that will strip the skin of its natural oils and moisture.

2. When I come out of the shower I quickly blot my skin dry. Then apply an oil to my skin. Most of the time I use Jojoba oil, but, I also use olive or avocado oils. They work just as well.

3. After my skin slightly absorbs the oil, for me this is immediately. I apply a rich cream or lotion to my skin. At the moment I use a formulation that I am testing, it seems to work really well for my skin. However, before I started developing my own creams and lotions the Product Junkie, remember that’s me, would use a drug store brand cream designed for dry skin and mix it with a dab of glycerin. This was like heaven for my skin because when I applied the cream and glycerin mixture to my skin it feels and looks totally hydrated and smooth!!!

4. Next, I seal in the moisture by applying shea butter to my skin.

5. Bonus Tips:
•Exfoliating the skin at least once a week will not only help your skin retain moisture by sloughing away dry dead skin. It will also look brighter and healthier. It usually does for me.

•Sleeping with a humidifier on at night can also help to alleviate dry skin. The key to hydrating dry thirsty skin is to moisturize as soon as you exit the shower.

The key to keeping dry thirsty skin hydrated is to moisturize as soon as you exit the shower. I know this regimen is not for everyone. But, what can I say. I can’t stand dry skin and this regimen works for me. Does it work for you? Do you have a regimen for dry winter skin?