Zuri Eshe

On a Journey

Will you join me?

Remember the saying “Practice what you preach”?  Well for so long, I have been telling and show people how they should take care of themselves, but I haven’t been taking care of me.

 My body (and mind) has been telling me for sometime now that I’m not doing right by it and I have not been listening.  Instead, I always had an excuse for what ever it was that bothered me and was attacking my body.

 After having to have knee surgery on both knees about 10 years old, I'd say I couldn’t exercise because I didn’t want to re-injure my knees.  After having my daughter 8 years ago, I didn’t have time to work out and eat right because I had a child to raise (though I made sure that my daughter had fresh fruits and vegetables and limited her junk food intake, but didn't do the same for myself).  When we moved to another state, I used the excuse that I didn’t have any friends, to keep in the area to help keep me active.  Once I started my business, there was yet, another excuse.  I don’t have the time.  You get my story...

 I use to be a vibrant, energetic person that loved to dance, take walks and find things that would let my creativity flow.  What happened to me?  Well, I stopped doing me.  I stopped taking care of me.

 Now I love being a mom, wife, daughter, sister, friend and business owner, but lets be honest.  These things take a toll on a person when that person does not find the time to be themselves (in my case, being “Tieast”).  I feel sluggish all the time, achy too.  My skin that was once flawless is breaking out and looking dull and my eyes are lacking the luster that use to be there.  I’ve even had moments of anxiety and feeling claustrophobic. Let’s not even begin to talk about the weight that I’ve put on…. 

            So, I had started to take vitamins, go to bed early, but I still lacked the energy I needed to make it through the day.  I even did a little exercise in the morning too.

 Then, just recently, it occurred to me that my body just was not willing to take the abuse anymore.  It’s telling me to STOP AND LISTEN.

 Well, I hear it now and I’m ready to listen.  Will you take this journey with me?

Everything must change

Just about everything in life has a cycle of change.  Fashion has its cycle, and the seasons have its cycle.  But just like fashion and the season, skin goes through its cycle of change as well.  Our skin must adjust from the hot-humid months of the summer, when humid conditions allows the skin to soak up water from the air, giving skin that “dewy” glow, to the cold, frigid months of winter, when we are laden with drying heat from rising thermostats; robbing the air of much needed moisture.  In most cases, our skin is still recuperating from some of the drying effects we may have put it through with the chlorinated pool water, salt water from the beaches, and excessive exposure to the sun, then in comes the winter months.  Instead of rejuvenating it’s self, winter works the skin even more as it tries to defend itself against the frigid winter temps.

 There are steps you can take to help “Winterize” your skin, but first you must realize that what works for your skin in warmer months, may leave your skin dry and chapped (ashy) in the colder months.  Prevention and preservation is a must for winter skin.  Protecting your skin by warding off damage before it occurs can prevent a lot of unnecessary premature aging.

 

Here are some basics to keep in mind:

 *First and foremost, try to cut down on the moisture loss.  Use a humidifier when at home, especially in the bedroom while sleeping.  This allows the skin to soak up moisture (and your hair) that has been put into the air from the humidifier.  (Make sure you have a well maintained humidifier, and clean it regularly.  Because of the constant moisture in a humidifier, it can hibernate germs and bacteria, so every once in a while sterilize it and replace the filter based on the manufactures recommendations.)

 *Wash in warm, not hot water.  We all just love to take a long hot show to relax the muscles (I know I do), but hot water evaporates quickly and takes the moisture with it, as well as strips your skin of it’s natural oils.

 *Use soaps and body washes that do not contain “Sulfates”.  Sulfates strips the skin of it’s oils and leave the skin dull and dry (you know that tight feeling).  Instead, use natural soap and body washes that contain moisturizers.

 *For a special skin treatment, add a little oatmeal or coconut milk (powdered is fine) to you bath water.  This will help to soften and moisturize your skin.

 *When drying off, pat your skin gently with a soft towel and apply a moisturizer immediately (within 3 to 5 minutes) to lock in moisture.  Winter is time to pull our the "big guns", so go for a moisturizer that is a little heavier than what you use in the summer months.

 *Look for moisturizers that not only coat the skin, but penetrates and rejuvenate the skin while allowing the skin to breath.  Avoid moisturizers that are petroleum based.  These products do trap moisture next to the skin, but does not allow the skin to naturally excrete (sweat), which will prevent the skin from eliminating toxins through the pores.  This can cause skin irritations that can lead to scaling and flaking of the skin, sometimes causing the skin to become even drier.  Petroleum based products also blocks the skin from absorbing any natural moisture that may be in the air.

 ** Use Jojoba oil, which closely resembles your skin’s own natural oil.  It replenishes lost oils without clogging the pores or blemishes.  Also look for moisturizer that contain Meadowfoam, Kalahari, Borage or Moni de Tahiti oils.  All these are highly prized oils that penetrate the top layer of skin to nourish and hydrate, while encouraging regeneration of the skin.  Also look for Mango, Avocado, Shea  and Coco butter as moisturizers that help to improve skins elasticity and provide a coat of protection for the skin (and are all great ingredients for special/sensitive skin conditions).

 *Exfoliate, exfoliate, exfoliate!  One of the best things you can do for the skin is to exfoliate.  Exfoliating removes dead skin cells that block the pores and helps to increase circulation, allowing moisture to penetrate to the skin underneath.

 *Drink plenty of water!  Drinking plenty of water moisturizes you from the inside out

Follow this rules and your sure to have beautiful, glowing skin throughout the winter months.

My 2009 New Year Resolution

What I do plan to do is “Live”.  What do I mean by that?  I plan to be in the moment and enjoy it.  Good or bad, I plan to be there and make the best of it.

 

A lot of times, we are so busy with life’s nuances, that we don’t take the time to take everything in.  We hear things, but do we listen to what it is that we here?  We see things, but do we absorb what we see?

 

So, I ask you, do you live in the moment?  What do you do to keep yourself grounded in life’s realities?

 

This is a new year and a new existence for most of us.  This year, we will swear in our First African American/Black/Negro president …HALLELUJAH!  I want to be in the present for this moment, to feel, to see, and to experience this moment in the making.  I want to grab my daughter, hug her, cry with her and let her know, she too can be president if she chooses to.  The way is being paved for her.  I want to cry with my mom, who thought that she would never see the day of an African American president. And I want to embrace my husband, hug him, love him and show him the NEW black mans reality and let him know, that he’s made it.  We’ve made it!  And lastly, I want to shot out to all my African American Sistah’s and say, “ We are beautiful, graceful, and resilient.  We are the strength of our men.  Stand tall and be proud!”

 

We’ve all come to far, don’t let another moment slip away because you choose not to “Live”.

 

Tieast

Natural Styling!

Now I can’t take credit for this, but I can show you the results.

 Recently I’ve been looking for products and ideas to help manage my (and my daughter’s) curly hair.  I’ve been natural for several years now, after having a perm and then locks.  I try to use only natural products for my hair which is fine when it comes to shampoos (ones that don’t strip out the hairs natural oils), but it’s not easy finding natural conditioners and styling aids that will help to mange and control tightly wound curls.

After visiting CurlyNikki’s blog, I decided to try styling me and my daughter’s hair as Nikki did on her blog.  First I washed our hair with Organic Castile soap infused with essential oils.  Then, instead of using the products that CurlyNikki used, I used, Organic Coconut Oil, Aloe and Mango butter.  I twisted our hair and rolled the ends (I actually skipped the rollers with my daughter because she wouldn’t have been able to sleep with them)  as she did, and here are the results.

My daughter Gigi:

 

Me:

 

We decided to do up-dos and I love it.  What I like is the manageable curly hair without all the products.  I think I'll rock this for a bit and leave the styling products for the humid summer months when my/our hair needs a little extra hold.

How do you manage your natural hair styles (curly or not).  Post your comments and pictures here.

Love my Henna Head!

Like most people and their hair, my hair changes from time to time.  One minute it loves a product and does really well with it, the next, it hates that product and needs to find something else (more about products my hair loved in another blog).  So I was on a search to find, yet another all natural product that would work with my hair’s mood swing.

That’s when I came across a site called, CurlyNikki.  On this site, Nikki talked about going natural and how she manages her hair and different products she uses for her curly hair.  One of the things that Nikki mentioned is that she is a “Henna Head”.

 What is Henna you asked (see my previous post on Henna).   It had been years since I used Henna and back then, you could only get it in the drug store in a tin container labeled “Egyptian Henna”.  Little did I know back then, that this was not natural henna at all, but a combination of henna and other ingredients that were not natural.

 Now though I have been natural for quite some time now, I still chemically colored my hair from time to time.  This time around, I decided to take the plunge and use henna instead (sold by the idea of improving my hairs condition because chemically coloring has dried my hair out a bit).  I went to www.mehindi.com and read over the different options they provided in natural Henna (since Henna comes from different regions, the quality varies) and decided to buy the same Jamila variety that CurlyNikki used.  I brought enough to use in my hair and my mother’s (who has permed hair with gray throughout).

 Here is my before:

 Me with my hair blown out!

And after:

 

Me with my natural curl!

I love my “Henna Head”.  I was afraid that since I was covering over my bronze streaks that it would be a bright “carrot” orange/red, but instead it’s a beautiful warm auburn where the streaks use to be, with a reddish tint over my natural brown hair (mom’s hair is firery red in the front where the gray was and auburn color throughout).  I noticed the shine and feel.  I also used the simple styling method that CurlyNikki used in her hair, but I used coconut oil and Aloe with Mango butter applied to seal my ends and I love the look.  Soft, fluffy curls, with out a heap of products.

 So, thanks CurlyNikki for your adventures into the Henna world, for I too am now a “Henna Head” now.

 What about you, have you tried Henna?  What were your results.  Do you have any pictures you would like to share?  Post them here.

Natural color enhancements

Do you have lackluster hair? Bring a burst of life to your color by using things from your garden. Create your own color enhancing hair rinse, just right for your hair color. ► Brunettes: Fresh rosemary sprigs, ► Redheads (with orange tones): chopped carrots ► Redheads (deeper tones/berry tones): chopped beets ► Blondes: dried chamomile Tie the appropriate ingredient in cheesecloth and add to boiling water. Remove from heat and let soak for 10 minutes. Remove cheesecloth and let cool a bit. Shampoo and rinse hair. While your color enhancing rinse is still warm (not hot), pour over hair and let sit for a minute or 2, then rinse thoroughly with clear cold water and style as usual. Do this when every your color needs a boost. Tip 1: For blondes who hair turns a greenish after swimming, add lemon juice to your rinse water. Brassy brunettes, add apple cider vinegar to your rinse water. Tip 2: To get natural highlights, add lemon juice to hair and go out in the sun.

Color me naturally

Looking to change the color of your hair this summer? Why not use Henna. Henna is an herb (from the leaves and shoots of the henna shrub) native to the subtropical regions of Africa, Middle East and India. Henna is a natural dye that, when applied to the hair, coats the hair with a transparent red coloring (the shade varies depending on your hair color). While adding color to your hair, henna conditions and strengthens the hair as well. It also has anti-fungal properties that help in the reduction of dandruff. Henna leaves the hair easier to detangle, soft and more manageable. Don’t be fooled by the henna sold in hair supply stores. Natural henna can be found in health food and herbal stores, Indian markets and natural herb suppliers online. In Indian Markets, you may find packets of henna combined with other herbs to promote hair growth and strengthening of the hair or buy the Henna (powdered) by itself and mix it with your own herbs and essential oils to meet the needs of your hair. Add eggs, floral water or other natural dyes to customize your color and condition your hair. Henna will not lighten your hair. On dark (black or brown) hair, henna provides auburn to burgundy color with red highlights that will be visible in the sunlight. For Blond hair, henna will give a natural red color. White or silver hair will have a natural to deep red color, and red hair will have a deeper, richer red color. So, if your looking for a safer way to add color to your hair, Henna is the way to go. Henna’s history: o Henna was also used as a healing plant and for cleansing and cooling the skin o Ancient Egyptians would dye their hair red using henna to cover their gray o Ancient Egyptians stained the fingers and toes of the Pharaohs and nobles before mummification o Henna is used to create temporary body art called Mehndi. It is practiced in Pakistan, India, Morocco, Africa and currently in the western cultures(tattoos)