*Shea moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie* Review



 On the road to Disney World this Spring (13 hour drive) I stopped at Target to purchase something quick to twist my hair.  I purchased the Curl Enhancing Smoothie by Shea Moisture.  I am a big Shea Moisture fan.  Love the way their products feel, smell and work my tresses, but I have never tried their line with the peach label.  This was all they offered so I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best. 

In the car I proceeded to dry twist my hair (section off hair, spritz with water, apply coconut oil and product, twist hair and seal ends with raw shea butter). The twists came out pretty good and I had a LOT of growth since my last set of twists

Before pregnancy



April 2012 (done with the curl enhancing smoothie)



When I untwisted my hair for the twist out it was not so good.  My twists had poor definition and they were extremely dry!

Although we were in Florida (where it was more humid) I still expected a little more definition than this.  By the end of the day I was left with an Afro that was a MESS!

Being that I had this entire container of product I decided t try it on my daughter's hair.  If I had to "type" our hair I would say that my hair is a 4(a,b) and my daughter's hair is more of a 3b.  Because the product is thinner than I would like I wanted to see how it work on my daughter's hair.



I washed my daughter's hair in Shea Moisture moisture retention shampoo.  I then tshirt dried it and applied coconut oil & Shea Moisture restorative conditioner.  I then two strand twisted the back using the curl enhancing smoothie. The end result was worse than I expected.  The product left residue in my daughter's hair.  My daughter's hair was drier than I ever seen it no curl at all.....just a big poof!

CONCLUSION:

This product smells wonderful but it is NOT beneficial as a styling aid. I ended up using the remainder of the product to slick edges of ponies and puffs.  It is great for applying to my daughter's hair while wet and allowed to air dry without any manipulation.  Only problem is by the end of the day it's DRY!

Pros:

Smell

Enhance curl pattern for "moment"

cost

smooths edges (with the aide of a scarf)

Cons:

No moisture

No definition when styling

Leaves residue

Flakes

Luv Latrice







Oh BABY!

 

Lately I have been MIA (missing in action) and I miss you guys terribly.  While I haven't been very vocal I have been reading, experimenting and documenting ways to help care for my tender tresses.  On March 28, 2012 I discovered that I was pregnant with my 3rd bundle of blessings :-) While it was a very happy occasion I became horribly sick.  Hence my absence from my blog :-(  But now I am GREAT! Baby is AWESOME!  And I am gaining my 2nd wind! LOL!



Since becoming pregnant one of the most noticeable changes I have endured (other than the obvious soccer ball underneath my shirt) is the changes with my hair.  When I was relaxed I had horrible dandruff that went away as soon as I stopped relaxing my scalp.  Well.....not only did the dandruff come back.....it brought an horrible, itchy scalp with it :-( Grrrrrrrrrr!!  We all know that scratching your scalp with your nails is not good or healthy for your scalp.  Nails introduce bacteria and other "nasty" things to your scalp causing your scalp to become unhealthy.

Pregnancy hormones causes your hair and skin to change.  My scalp had become dry and itchy and the way I dealt with this was nightly massages.  I mixed 1/2 cup of warm EVOO with 5 drops of tea tree oil and massaged it into my scalp.  This helps a ton.  I may not get to it EVERY night but I try to not go longer than two nights with out it or I have terrible flakes :-(

The other change is a little more exciting and positive....it is the enormous growth and thickness.  I have always had thick hair.  Now there is an abundance of hair and it is growing like weeds.  Check out my before and during pregnancy photos......

10 weeks pregnant

21 weeks pregnant

Have YOU noticed any changes in your hair during pregnancy?




Luv Latrice

700 likes and I thank YOU!!!!!!!

There is no better way to show my appreciation to my loves than to share with you guys one of my favorite obsessions......EARRINGS!!!!!! PLEASE FOLLOW ALL THE DIRECTIONS LISTED BELOW IN ORDER TO BE ENTERED IN THE GIVE AWAY! A pair of Ty the Jewelry Lady's specialty earrings will be given to one lucky winner!!!

Just follow the directions below:

My weeeaaaveee!!!! (Select Goddess Remy)

My favorite protective styling (other than 2-strand twist) is sew ins.  They offer the versatility I love along with the protection I need in order to encourage growth and rest my hair.  Before I do my sew in I prep my hair three days in advance by deep conditioning my hair with my avocado deep conditioner.  I then allow it to air dry in two strand twists.  When I am finally ready to sew the hair in I comb the twists out and cornrow my hair in preparation of the tracks.

I won't go into detail just yet on HOW a do my sew ins.  I'll save that for another post....or a YouTube video...LOL! (Comment if you think I should make a YouTube video).

This time I decided to try something different than my beloved Milky Way-Que.  So I went to www.ebonyline.com and purchased 2 packs of 14" Select Goddess Remy.

I installed the hair and this is how it looked (after I trimmed the bangs and flat ironed it)



This was the first week I wore the hair.  It was a tad bit frizzy so I had to use some Garnier Fructis Hair Smoothing Milk.  I applied it to the dry hair and wrapped or pin curled it at night and wrapped in a satin scarf.....YES satin! I have so many of these and it cuts down on the frizz.  In order for my natural hair to blend I applied Shea butter before I flat ironed the exposed hair.  Even though the majority of your hair is braided still take care of the hair that is exposed.

Here is me with bangs.....what you guys think?  Bangs or swoop??

If you have read ANY of my regimine post then you would know that I LOVE to was and DC my hair!  Well with a sew in that is not always feasible.  So finally after three weeks I shampooed my hair and conditioned it.  You can always tell the true quality of the hair after you wash it.  I shampooed it with Shea Moisture Moisture retention shampoo and applied Garnier Fructis sleek and shine leave in conditioning cream.  My results were HORRIBLE!!!!! My hair was thick course and frizzy!! Tangled, matted and ROUGH! SO I did a cool rinse and my sissy blow dried it.  After the warm blow dryer and a generous helping of oil sheen I was left with.....................

pin curls



flat wrap

The hair was in even BETTER shape than when I first purchased it.  The above pic is from today and I have had the hair installed for ONE MONTH!!!!! Of course I have new growth and sometimes I have to use the Organic Root Olive Oil Edge Control to slick back my curly edges.  But over all I am satisfied with the purchase.  There was a little shedding and tangling at the nape, but with hair this length tangles are expected.  It didn't tangle anywhere else.  SO here are my pros and cons.....

Pros

• Natural shine
• Perfect color match (a true 1b)
• Great bounce back quality
• Reasonable price

Cons

• Tangles in the back
• Sheds a little
• DOESN'T LIKE CONDITIONER

My plan is to keep it one more month *cross fingers and squeezes eyes shut*, and install another sew in.....this time I'm thinking BIG hair.........

 

 

 

 

Luv Latrice



 

Whitney Elizabeth Houston

When I heard of Whitney's death I was leaving the mall....I had just got into my car and checked Twitter while my car was warming up.  I was stunned.....immediately a lump rose in my throat and I said to myself "This can't be true".  Twitter kill people at least 20 times a day so this CAN'T.....I CAN'T.

I checked Facebook, I checked my email....it was true.  The world has lost one of the most influential woman in musical history.  My heart ached for the mother (Cissy Houston) that lost her baby, my soul mourns for the child (Bobby Kristina) who lost her mother.  My tears flow for the lost of myself and the rest of her fans.

Two people you can not talk bad to me about is my Michael and my Whitney.  I love Whitney Elizabeth Houston.  My mom had her albums on tape and I would listen to them on my karaoke machine while singing along.  I remember playing "singers" with my aunt I would pick Whitney songs to sing.  I wanted to be like her....although I couldn't carry a tune in a bucket.  Her hair, her style, her voice.  I will miss her but I thank God that her music is timeless and will live forever....

What saddens me isn't her death, but the fact that she did not get a chance to hear all these wonderful things so many people have to say.  My loves I beg you, give your loved ones their flowers while they are living...they can't smell them when they're dead.  Just a week ago people had so much negative to say about Whitney and now because she is gone they want to shower her with praises.  We have to learn to support each other and even in our down time we must learn how to carry each other rather than push each other down.

So my tribute to Whitney....my favorite song of hers (if I could sing it I would)

I LOVE YOU WHITNEY!!!!!!!!

Luv

Of course I can't go through this month and not talk about love. I mean the name of my blog is Live, LUV, Natural!!! LOL! I am in love with love....literally! I love to show love, be in love, recieve love, give love.  I LOVE LOVE!  I even love hearts and anything that represent love.  With all that love being said it is only natural that I am excited about Valentine's DAy.  Not because I am going to get a gift from my sweetie, but because if u don't feel it 365 then at least for 1 day people feel loved.

If you don't have a sweetie NEVER FEAR! Me and my bestie used to shop for each other....making baskets, sending flowers and just loving on each other.  Show the people around you that you love them.  Trust me....they will appreciate it!  So many times life gets so busy that we forget to show our appreciation or those we love.  A lot of times we feel that Valentine's day is just for sweeties and lovers.  In actuality Vaentine's is for those you love including YOURSELF! Make sure you love on you!  If you don't love you who will?

So to help the "gift impaired" here are 10 inexpensive gift ideas:

1. Flowers- of course! LOL! Everyone likes flowers.  Instead of going to the florist check out Whole Foods.  They always have beautiful stems for under $10.
2. Gift video from Animoto.com.. Got this one from Good Morning America.  You can make a video of yourself and give it to your lovie.  It could be something as simple as saying I love you!
3. Coupon book-make a coupon (or purchase one) for your love.  Make one for your mom that includes lunch on me, washing dishes, etc.  A sweet way to pass out favors to those you love.
4. "100 reasons I love you"- cut out 100 hearts out of construction paper (or purchase them) on each heart write one reason why you love your sweetie.  An awesome reminder through the year of why that person is so great!
5. Romantic dinner-always a WINNER! Download a coupon app to your mobile device or go to Livingsocial.com or Groupon.com to find deals on local restaurants.
6. Photograph of you - mount a photo of you on matte paper and write 14 reasons why you love them (in case you can't think of 100!! LOL!)
7. Inside picnic-pack a picnic basket, lay a huge blanket in the floor and have an indoors picnic.
8. Balloons-sneak to your lovies work place and deliver them a bunch of balloons.  One year (to say sorry) my sweetie filled my car with them while I was at work :)
9. More ballons-Purchase some clear red balloons. Before blowing them up, place either wrapped candies, small gifts, and/or love poems inside each one, and then give them to your loved one as a bouquet.
10. Write a love letter to your sweetie and express your love for them!

Happy Valentine's Day my loves!

Somethings on my chest.....and I'm not talking about titties!

Lately I have been a little...no let's be honest....EXTREMELY frustrated with my people! Yes my people! Blacks, African Americans, niccuhs, whatever you choose to call the strong and beautiful African American race.  I have seen and experienced too many things that makes me ashamed of the people I love soooooo much. 

Let me start off by saying I LOVE MY RACE! I truly do.  We have so much potential and have accomplished great things over the years.  Life is easier today because of the inventions of African Americans.  We are a beautiful people that have a lot to be proud about.  We should carry our heritage around like a crown of glory demanding and giving respect where it's due.

The things I see and hear from women, Black women saddens my heart to no end.  When has it ever been acceptable to share a man?  When has it been okay to sleep with married men?  At what point has it been acceptable to sell ourselves short of anything other than the awesome creation that God has made?  My grandmother married at 18 and had her first child at 19.  By the time she was 25 she was widowed with 5 kids.  I spent a great deal with my grandmother coming up.  So much time that I was convinced I lived with her for years.  NEVER have my grandmother had a man around me.  NEVER! I mean she had to have boyfriends right?  She had another child 8 years after her husband's death.  I said that to say that my grandmother had a certain set of standards and I admire that.  I learned how to look, smell, act and be a lady from my grandmother. I love her to life!



My biggest disappointment doesn't just lie within the women.  But also the business leaders and people who are in positions to better our youth.  We have to realize the value of our babies.  They are the future leaders of the world.  We have to invest more in them than what we are doing now.  They will decide our retirement!  They will decide whether or not we receive health care or funding to keep the rest home open we may live in our old age.  I see so many organizations that are meant to help uplift the community ran by African Americans.  Instead of providing our babies with the best we try and figure out how to cut cost and put an extra dollar in our pocket.  We have to understand that if we have no respect for our own.....no one will.  If we don't invest in ourselves.....who will?


This is not just a my problem or you problem....it's an US problem.  We MUST invest in our youth.......otherwise we will continue to be America's stereotype!

It takes more than just one.

It takes US!

Luv Latrice <3

*Oil on top*

As naturals we all know that moisture is a must.  I mean every article, blog post, expert and wannabe will declare that moisture retention is the key for healthy hair.  I AGREE! Moisture is the key to longer, healthier hair.  One way I try to keep the moisture in my hair is sealing it with OIL.

Yes oil! My favorite is olive oil.  I put that ***** on everything! LOL! No really I do! I put olive oil in my conditioner.  I put it in my homemade hair spritzers among a ton of other products and uses.  The most effective way I have found to use my oil is as a sealant instead of a moisturizer.

When I first went natural I would pour oil on my head like I was anointing my head with oil! Oil EVERYWHERE! It didn't solve any thing put made my pillows greasy and my face bumpy.....no bueno! After researching different uses for oils and trying this and trying that...//I found a better way to use oil that is beneficial for my hair.

Ok so FIRST: I learned to add it to cheap conditioner for super soft cowashes.  When I say cheap conditioner I mean like Suave naturals coconut (that's my favorite $1 condish...LOL).  I pour some over in the bottle and I use it when I cowash my hair.





SECOND: I add it to water and my fav essential oils and make a summer spritz for instant moisturizing.  Nice little refresher for those days were it's hot and dry outside.

THIRD:  I seal the moisture after I wash my hair.  So when I shampoo my hair I go through my normal routine.  At the end I put on a water based leave in conditioner (Carol's Daughter Black Vanilla), I then apply the oil to my hands and rub thru sections of my hair.  After I have applied oil I use a cream base moisturizer in order to style my hair......WATER-OIL-CREAM :-)

So oil on my loves! Oil on!

100 LIKES IN ONE WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well loves...*clears throat and adjust mic* Thank you so much for "LIKE"-ing little ole MEEEEE!!!!! I am so grateful for the 101 (and counting) likes I have recieved in the ONE week that I have introduced my passion to the FB world! My page is still under construction and you guys are right there with me enduring all the changes and adjustments....*tear*. When I stepped out on a limb and created my blog and FB fan page I didn't expect so much love. Soooooooooooooooooo.......................... to show my gratitude I am giving away ONE FREE MINI PHOTO SESSION WITH INSPIRED PHOTOGRAPHY AND DESIGN (valued at $100)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *and the crowd goes wild* The winner of this give away will be the recipient of not only a FREE MINI SESSION but photos and digital images of the shoot!

The rules are as follows:

• Like Live, Luv, Natural (say Hello when you stop by I would love to hear from you!)

• Like Inspired Photography and Design and tell them LLN sent you!

• Go to http://liveluvnatural.blogspot.com/ and follow the Live, Luv, Natural blog. In the comment section let me know that you were there by leaving a comment on the blogpost "100 LIKES IN ONE WEEK". Make sure you leave your FB name so I can identify who you are!

All names will be entered for a chance to win on Tuesday January 24 at 3PM. The winner will be anounced Wednesday January 25 at 3PM!

For additional entries invite friends to like Live, Luv, Natural and write your name on the wall. For every friend who leaves your name it guarantees you one extra entry!! Good Luck!

May the games begin! Again I thank you all for your support! Please share away!

*curtsies, wipes tear, and fiercely walks off stage*

Many faces of........ME!

So I promised that I would post pictures and I wanted to remain true to my word and post pictures of different ways I wear my hair.  Please forgive me....I take the pictures with my phone so they are not the best.  When I first went natural I searched and searched the internet for styles for my short natural hair.  Maybe one day I will work up the nerve to do a video for you guys :)

'Fro Hawk

This is a braid out.  At the time I used Miss Jessie's buttercreame to braid my hair that night.  I wear the braids over night and in the morning I pick the roots to create a fuller effect.  You can use pomade or eco styler gel to slick back your edges.  Take the combs and place them in the sides of your hair and viola! You have the perfect 'fro hawk.  Perfect for those old twist outs!

Braid out

This is the braid out before the 'fro hawk.  To preserve my style I would put my hair in gian plaits and wrap in a satin scarf at night.

Blow out

Believe it or not my hair wasn't that long when I got my first blow out.  I was natural for less than a year and had my hair straightened.  The blow out yielded good results in that my hair reverted back to its natural kinky state :-)

TWA (teeny weeny afro)

Loved, loved LOOOVED this style.  Quick Cowash (washing hair with conditioner instead of shampoo) and a glop of eco styler gel and BoOmP!!! You have a sexy little fro on the go! :-) Don't rush your hair to grow....Trust ME! You will miss this stage once you have longer hair and may even cut your longer hair to achieve your TWA.

2 strand twist

This is my favorite protective style.  Protective styling protects your hair against the elements....especially your ends.  For my two strand twists I use Shea butter melted down to a creamy texture mixed with a little oil.  I re wet my hair with a water and coconut oil mixture and apply the Shea butter mixture to the my fingertips.  I am certain to seal the ends with the Shea butter mixture.

2 strand twist out

After I wear the twist for about 3 days I finally take the twists out and break them apart.  I then find one of my cutesy headbands or flowers and adorn my hair with it.  To preserve this style at night I twist in about 8 big twists and wrap my hair in a satin scarf.  I try and re moisturize with Shea butter or a warm oil and water mixture in a spray bottle.

Twist out with bangs (using three combs and a boby pin)

Ok so you can tell that twist outs are my fav!!! ^_^ This is done on a fresh twist out.  I took the front of my hair pulled it down to form a bang.  I placed a bobby pin in the bang to weigh the hair down on my forehead.  I then took three combs and combed the sides back and the back up.  It created a cute updoish! :-)

Twist out bun combed back

Again another twist out.  I took the front and created a bun with bobby pins.  I took two combs (my second favorite accessory) and combed the sides back.

Some-a-dis Some-a-dat...LOL!

This hairstyle is a combination of a few things.  My twist out was getting a little old so that night when I twisted my hair in 8 big twists I twisted them into knots..........like this:

I used cloth ponytail holders to hold the knots because I didn't have enough pins to place in every knot.  I oiled my hair pretty good because it was so dry and performed the GHE (green house effect)----->oil your hair, cover with a plastic cap, cover with your scarf, cover with your winter hat and go to bed {more on this later}.  When I woke up the next morning I took it all out and allowed my hair to air dry before I took the knots out.  After my hair dried I undid the knots and separated them.

All the styles featured here can be done with a wash and go or a braid out.  Just wanted to give you guys an idea of how to wear your curls :-)

Luv Latrice

Another season another regimine!

I'm sitting here with my head wrapped up like a space alien as I am doing this blog.  See, my regimine has changed since the summer.  With the changing of seasons, and the wealth of NEW knowledge about hair, came a new hair regimine. :-) So in the beginning I was an olive oil and honey type of chick.....now don't get me wrong...I LOVE MY EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)! I still use it regularly and in almost every thing (conditioner, homemade hair spritzers, moisturizers, etc, etc).  But I have added a few more staples to my natural hair products (shea butter, shea moisture products)  Sooooooooo....my regimine for thecolder months is as follows:

Every Friday night is my pamper night (what a life....LOL!!!!).  I shampoo my hair with African Shea Butter black soap or Shea moisture shampoo (which ever I have handy).  I take special care to be extra careful with my delicate, wet hair (heeheehee) and massage my scalp. Remember to put your styling tools in the sink so that they can be cleansed as you are cleansing your hair.  After I have thoroughly rinsed my hair I take a towel and place it on my hair. I don't rub it really rough because sometimes I will do a wash and go and I don't want to disturb the curl pattern (but that's a different post)....where was I??? OH yea! So I dry my hair by patting it dry with a towel.  I then put the avocado mixture on my hair, plastic cap (or plastic grocery bag if I'm out of caps.....#shrug! LOL!) and a cotton head wrap  and do my nails!! Hahahahahaaaaa! No seriously, after I apply the mixture and the caps I leave it on for about an hour or so.

Once the avocado conditioner has been on my hair for aboout an hour or so I rinse it out until the water runs clear.  While my hair is still wet I apply softened shea butter and oil (whatever oil I have on hand) and two strand twist my softened curls.  Double strand twist is my FAV protective styling! I love IT!!!!  I normally wear the twists for about two days and on the extra cold mornings I wrap my hair in cute scarves or put on hats to keep my scalp warm. If my hair starts to dry before I am done (my head is a little large so this tends to happen alot) I spray with a little water and oil and continue to twist until it is all twisted.  At the ends of my twists I take shea butter and apply a little extra.  This helps curl the ends so I don't have those straight ends.  Now some of my hair is heat damaged so before I untwist the twist I have to put a couple of bantu knots in it to curl the straightened hait.  At the end I have a beautiful twist out!! I will post pics later!! **promise**

Luv Latrice

New Year....New________!!

Happy New year to all my lovies!!!

With the new year comes tons of promises to lose weight, excercise, eat right, save money, be on time....blah, blah, blah BLAHHHHHHH!!! LOL! I always say in order to improve on YOU, you must start by setting GOALS.  It is also wise to set a timeline for these goals and set mini goals that will aide in acheiving your ultimate goal. 

One thing I have been working on (and struggling with) is my diet.  Don't get me wrong..I LOVE my size, figure and everything else.  What I AM unhappy with is the amount of junk I put into my body.  You are looking at a person who downs a bag of Pepperidge Farm cookies NIGHTLY......*hangs head in shame*.  So at the end of last year I got the bright idea to construct monthly menus accompanied with weekly grocery lists......yea! <------the teacher in me.  This lasted for all of two months and my kids got tired of eating the same meals.  I was also doing a HORRIBLE job at incorporating veggies into our diet.  Especially because I think veggies are YUCKY!! Ewwww!  Being that I am very computer savvy (and GOOGLE is my bff) I googled healthy (cheap) dinners.  What I got was so exciting!!!!!! From the "fruits and veggies more matters" web page (http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/?page_id=6535) I was able to get monthly menus (that included veggies of a variety of colors and some meatless dishes), along with recipes and weekly grocery lists!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Woohoo! That's not the only thing......*all meals fed a family of four for under $10!!!!!*  ON top of clipping coupons......Oh I was winning big time!  I tried the menu from week 5 and week 1 and my family LOVED the new dishes.  It brought tons of variety to our diet and provided us with healthy eating alternatives!!

When you go natural, sometimes it makes you aware of you.  I mean being natural is so freeing! You are stripped down of what others thought of as beauty and your natural beauty shines through.  You are more self conscience of your body...and yourself.  It's a beautiful thing. But let's remember to take care of our inside as well.  Put good things on the inside because it directly affects how our beauty is on the outside.  Whether you are natural or relaxed, a balance diet including fruits and veggies can be beneficial to healthy hair, skin and nails.  Sometimes we put things into our bodies without a second thought as to how it will affect us.  Some naturals go as far as taking hair supplements by mouth in order to increase hair growth and helahty hair......-___-.  My PERSONAL opinion is a good diet, hair regimine and the right products will result in healthy hair.  Hair growth is a result of many factors, environment, genetics, care.....just to name a few.  DO what's best for you.  If eating right, on a budget isn't for you, then don't stress yourself....find what is for you and stick with it!!!







Luv Latrice