Liquid Keratin Giveaway!

It's time again for giving. This time I'm really excited to share Liquid Keratin's Filling Leave-In. I stumbled upon this product at the hair show and I was so excited that I bought an extra one just for you!


The giveaway is open to U.S and international contestants. I'll notify the winner via email once that person is selected. The giveaway will be selected on October 15, 2011.

All you have to do to enter is:

• Send an email to relaxedhairhealth@gmail.com titled: Keratin Giveaway
• Follow the blog.

Simple as that. Oh, and I will also include a sample of Gleau for who ever wins as an added bonus.

p.s. I've gotten a ton of products either sent to me, or I've won them in giveaways and such. Since I'm downsizing my stuff, I will be doing more frequent giveaways in the upcoming months. Be on the lookout.

Loose Leaf or Tea Bags: How will you get your bamboo silica fix?

I'm happy to announce that both the loose leaf bamboo tea and the bamboo tea bags are now available. My thanks to you who've tried the tea and shared your feedback about how much you are enjoying the tea. It's got such a wonderful, light and pleasant taste that even those who aren't into herbal teas have quickly become fans.



The moment I stumbled upon this wonderful find I knew I had stock up. I'm just so pleased to have the opportunity to share this amazing treat with each and every one of you. My thanks goes out to the grower of the bamboo leaves who graciously offered to give me special pricing so I can offer the tea at an unbeatable cost.




I've heard from many of you who shared how you are benefiting from the addition of silica into your diet/regimen. Silica supplements are great but they can get a little expensive. Since I now have access to bamboo leaves (which have a higher silica content than horsetail), I can stretch my silica budget much further. Although silica is marketed as a beauty or hair, skin and nails supplement, it's really powerful at impacting our overall health including our joints, bones, organs, etc.



Since having access to bamboo tea, I no longer have the desire to splurge on Figi water for the purpose of increasing my silica intake. All I do is steep a little tea and I'm good. I've been traveling alot lately so I pack a couple tea bags in my purse, pour a little hot water into a cup and I'm good to go. After I've finished my cup of tea, I re-steep the bag and start all over again. Plus, because the tea isn't bitter, I take it straight with no sugar or honey.



What's most amazing about this offer is how fortunate we are to have access to this tea. For those of you who've been searching, you know this tea is not readily available at your local health food store. It's sort of a rare find that I'm fortunate to experience. So now you have a choice, do you prefer tea leaves or loose leaf? Check out the bamboo leaf page to get your silica fix.

Cleaning out my product closet: My way of achieving waist length hair

It all started when I decided to do a quick protein treatment one day via Aphogee's 2 Minute Reconstructor. I rarely do protein treatments but since I recently touched up my hair, I figured now would be a great time to break out my bottle. So there I am standing in front of my hair product closet scanning the contents over and over again in search of the Aphogee. Nothing. I move a few bottles around, take some and put on the floor for easier viewing, and still I can't find it. Weary from looking, I decide to move on with another protein heavy conditioner that I'm able to easily locate. I know that I haven't ran out of my Aphogee. Which makes this experience that much more frustrating. It's in there buried among years worth of collected hair products stemming from various crazes and numerous product junky relapses. Fed up with the collosal mess I've created, I decided to take an action to clear out this massive clutter disguising itself as my hair product closet.

For a while now, whenever I visited the closet on wash day, I would stand there staring at it blankly as my eyes glazed over. After several moments I'd collect various products into my arms not knowing if there was another, more appropriate, product I should be using that was lurking just behind my 1 liter bottle of conditioner.

I'm a strong believer that if one wants results they've never experienced before, they must take an action (or a series of actions) that signify the belief and desire to get there. I call this "building the ark." When Noah was told that a flood would appear and he began to act on it years before the rains came down. When I wanted to land a job where I could work from home, I decided to create a home office space to symbolize my strong intentions to work from home. That, coupled with other actions, led me to realizing this intention. For me this idea of "building the ark" could also apply to my goal of reaching waist length. Waist length hair is a lofty goal for a constant manipulator like myself. And if I continue to maintain the same habits I have today, waist length may elude me or take much longer than it would otherwise. So I wanted to take an action to signify my desire for longer lengths. My hair product closet was in disarray. Could this chaos also be leaking into my hair regimen and routine?

So I went to work, pulling out years worth of products and laying them on the floor before me. Then I grouped them in order by their similarities. Oils were together in one area, conditioners in another, shampoos in another. When I pulled everything out, wouldn't you know it, my Aphogee 2 minute reconstructer was lurking in the background waiting to be discovered once again. I also found some "oldie but goodies" like my Biolage Cera Repair Pro, my pH strips, and various leave-in products that I haven't used in quite a while.

(The picture below doesn't show all the products I owned at the time of the closet cleaning).

In the end, I threw away numerous bottles of product, both full and empty, that I knew I'd never use again. My end in mind was to create space so I could organize what I would keep. An organized closet gives off a different kind of energy than an over-cluttered, disorganized one. That energy will translate to good feelings for me. Every time I stood in front of my overstuffed closet, I would zone out. Now, when I open the closet, I feel good. I am now present when I'm standing there and I'm making better choices of which products I'll be using. By organizing my closet, and throwing out unproductive hair products, I'm creating a butterfly effect that will hopefully lead to a series of events leading to waist length length tresses.

Since writing this post, I've stumbled on a couple sites that talk of the minimalist lifestyle. I love the idea of everything in my home having a purpose. This way of living is so contrary to who I've been in the past. I'm one of those people who buys 3 of something if I like it. The result of such actions is a plethora of stuff. Don't get me wrong, with the exception of my hair product closet, my house doesn't look like an episode of hoarders, but I would love to deplete my belongs to really owning things that I know I will use.


Test

Video: Bronner Brother's Hair Show 2011.

From Kinky/Course to Silky/Smooth: Must see pics of Liquid Keratin treatment results

While at the Bronner Brothers hair show, I came across a booth that immediately gained my interest for several reasons. First off, this booth was quite busy as they had a crowd of fans surrounding them. It took me a little maneuvering to get close enough to see what was going on.



Once I got close enough, I realized this vendor as the folks who created Liquid Keratin. I thought to myself, "how could I have missed this booth when I walked by here several times the day before?" It probably had something to do with the crowd of potential customers who created a barrier keeping the booth concealed.

After a few moments the crowd subsided and I realized what all the commotion was about. Liquid Keratin's hair models were all sporting a half curly/kinky look and a half straight style. They had a mix of relaxed and natural ladies showing of their "half-do's" but there was one model who was the draw of all the attention. This young lady had beautiful, very thick, course type 4 hair that felt someone dry to the touch (and believed me, I touched it). Her other half, on the other hand, was silky, shiny, and soft.

She stood there patiently as random strangers repeated molested her hair. I was probably the worst of all offenders. I would run my fingers through her straighted hair, then touch the natural side, then run my fingers again through the straightened hair, then back to the natural side. I'd also step away and carry on a brief conversation with one of the other models. Soon thereafter, I was behind this model again, staring at her hair, amazed at the wonderful contrast and touching again as if it was the first time. I also had the opportunity to speak with David, the guy who created the product line. He shared with me the story of how Liquid Keratin came into existence. It was after his wive went for a keratin treatment, years ago, that she started having concerns with the potential health issues related to an ingredient found in most keratin treatments at the time, formaldehyde. Soon thereafter, they sought to create their own product which could produce the same amazing results but without the health risk. Plus they wanted to make this treatment available to consumers who wanted to do this at home. After years of testing and formulation, Liquid Keratin was born. My conversation with David was really engaging. This guys passion for healthy hair was undeniable. He talked fervently about all the years of testing to make absolutely sure his products were safe for "even his little girl to use." I admired him for his intensity. He also mentioned that a Professional Line of Liquid Keratin products would be available soon at the salons. My conversation with David influenced me to take a closer look at his products. I've seen Liquid Keratin at the stores before but had yet to try them. So I figured now is my chance since I sitting here talking to the founder. I don't do much blow drying and flat ironing so the straightening product wasn't as attractive to me. What caught my attention, however, was the Liquid Keratin Filling Leave-In. That's why I bought two of them. I love the idea of rubbing a leave-in on dry or damp hair that contains one of the building blocks of healthy hair, keratin. Although my hair doesn't do so well with using too much protein, for some reason, keratin products always seemed to work well for me. I bought two of them, not because I am greedy (which I kind am when it comes to great products) but because I would love for one of you to win one. Yes that's right, I'm giving one away to one of you. Stay tuned for details.

How a pumice stone reminded me of what I need to do to keep my hair healthy.

Last weekend I treated myself to a pedicure.  In the past, I tended to reserve pedicures for special occasions or once or twice a year.  But ever since my gas station experience, one of the commitments I made to myself was to take pride in my appearance.  So there I am sitting in the chair, enjoying my experience, when all of the sudden, I realized something.  The women sitting in the chairs next to me were all getting their feet "shaved" with a pedicure razor.  First off, let me tell you that I've always hated having that razor used on me.  My biggest fear was that my pedicurist would inadvertently shave live skin and thus cause massive hemorrhaging.  So you can image how elated I was when I realized that my pedicurist had skipped this step.  Did she forget?  No.  The reason I was spared this horrible experience was because there was no need for it.  Same goes for my previous pedicure months earlier at a different salon.  How could a woman who barely gets her feet done not have to require the use of this specialized tool?  The answer to this question is the key to everything.....

It all started nearly a year ago when I stumbled upon a video from youtube user yasjencon aka "yepantherone".  In it she describes how regular maintenance keeps us from having to use more extreme measures to get the results we want.  She shared a great tip of keeping a pumice stone in the shower so I could scrub every say while in the shower.  I immediately took action and moved my stone from my pedicure kit to my shower.  Scrubbing my heals in the shower has been a consistent habit since that day and, because of this, I can avoid the unwanted result of having my feet shaved.

 I'd like to expand this wonderful learning to other areas in my life.  There are so many habits I want to develop but, to be honest, sometimes I'm a little disheartened because of my past cycles of being motivated, starting something new, then stopping.  This habit, however, has stayed consistently with me for over a year.  When I look to the success achieved in the "pumice stone experience."  Here's why I think this method worked for me:

• I set myself up for success by moving the stone (my tool) to a place where it was likely to get more use.  Since I wasn't really doing at home pedicures consistently, it made no sense that I would use the stone consistently.  On the other hand, I take showers daily so if the stone was in my shower, I automatically increase the chances of me using it daily by 100%.
• The act of scrubbing my feet daily was not associated with a final result so I didn't loose motivation from not seeing a result.  I was scrubbing my feet with the stone for the sake of scrubbing my feet with the stone. There was no goal attached that could demotivate me.  Because  I wasn't attached to an outcome, it became much easier to continue the habit.
• In the beginning, the act of scrubbing my feet daily was a conscious decision. Soon, the process became more of a subconscious act.  It never fails, whenever I'm near the end of my shower, I always reach for my pumice stone, without even thinking about it.  It became part of my shower ritual.

How do I take the lessons I learned from this and apply to a toner body, beautiful skin, and healthier hair?  What are the actions that I can take daily (or every few days), that will lead to the creation of healthier hair?  One thing I can do is continue whatever actions I take whenever I have a setback.  For example, whenever I notice an area suffering from breakage, I take my sweet time in applying product, whether it be moisturizer or conditioner, to very small sections of my hair.  On the other hand, when my hair looks and feels healthy, I start to get a little lazy and apply product to larger sections.  This shouldn't be.  I don't stop using the pumice stone just because my feet seem to look better. I continue my habit daily no matter the appearance of my feet.

I'm really inspired when I think of the possibilities of taking small, daily actions that allow me to reach my goals.  There's so much more I could do daily with  regards to moisturizing, massaging my scalp or nurturing my follicles with proper nutrition.  Small daily, consistent, actions will create the results I want by next touch up (and going forward).

Video: Creating a smooth sleek look & Protecting your hair during a workout by Johnny Wright

While attending the BB Hair Show, I had the pleasure of attending a seminar taught by Johnny Wright. He is best known for creating the beautiful, healthy looks on First Lady Michelle Obama! As Johnny shared his story, he told the audience that he's been doing hair since he was a child. By the time he turned 16, he secured an assistant to help manage his ever growing clientele. At the session, he had the stylists in the room mesmerized as he shared how he was able to gain celebrity stylist status. During the question and answer session, most asked about how to increase clients and network with celebrities. I wanted to ask about tips on keeping the hair healthy. Unfortunately I didn't get to ask him any healthy hair tips. The good news is that he has great informational some videos online with some nifty hair tips that I'd like to share with you today. Before you watch the vids, keep in mind that he brought in some hair models during the talk to demonstrate his work. Their hair looked incredibly healthy! This first video is on how to creak a smooth sleek look. I learned a good tip from watching this vid that I can't wait to try.



I never thought to use a comb or brush for tension as I flat iron. I think this tip will help in two ways:
1. The tension will help promote a straighter result which means less passes with the iron.
Less passes=Less heat=Less Damage.
2. The tension provided by the comb may allow for straightening on a lower heat setting than if used without the comb.
Lower heat setting=Less Heat Damage.
The only thing I have to make sure I'm extra careful to use a suitable comb that can glide through the hair without promoting breakage. Did you guys  notice the comb she  used strarting at 51 seconds into the video?  If anyone knows where I can get one of those, plelase leave a comment with the details.

In the next video, Johnny shares tips on how to maintain your hairstyle before and after your workout





I really like the tip of adding a heat protectant to the hair line. It's a new idea to me but it makes sense. When Johnny talked about how our sweat contains salt, I thought about how whenever I first used the steam room at my gym, the salt levels in my sweat were so high they would sting my eyes. But after continuous use, the sweat would no longer have the same level of saltiness. A theory I have is that the less salty my sweat was, the better my hair is able to maintain after a workout. If you don't have access to a steam room, perhaps another option would be to drink lots of water as Johnny suggested in the video. Sweat is one method of detoxing the body, urination is another. The more water you take in, the clearer your urine. This could mean less toxins in your sweat because you're constantly flushing yourself out. Hopefully this will translate to a "purer" sweat that won't be as drying to the hair. Again, it's just a theory so who knows.....