It’s that time of year again. Kids are back in school. Parents are doing the happy dance. We’re settling into our routines. Then it happens. The letter comes home. It goes something like this.

Dear Parents,

One of the students in your child’s class has been infected with head lice. We believe the problem has been contained however, we suggest you take measures…blah, blah, blah….

Sincerely,

The Principal

You think “Now what am I suppose to do?”.

Head lice are human parasites that infest your hair and scalp. There’s a common myth that head lice infections are due to unsanitary living conditions, but this is false. Head lice can affect all ages and economic classes.

Lice can’t jump or fly from one person’s head to another, so you can’t get infected just being near someone with it. Infection occurs when your child’s head comes in contact with an infected person’s head. You can also spread it by sharing hats, combs, towels or other head wear.

Getting rid of head lice isn’t easy, since most treatments use fine tooth combs to comb out the eggs (nits) and applying medication to the scalp and hair to kill off the adult lice. Now if you’re the parent of a child with course or naturally curlie hair, who typically braids or corn rows it you will have to take out the braids first in order to administer treatment.

Do you want to take this out and start over?

Imagine this: It’s a Wednesday night after work. Your exhausted and dinner still needs to be made. Your child tells you about the note. Now you have use that fine tooth comb recommended for treatment to hunt for bugs while dealing with a hungry kid who’s in pain and crying because she (or He) hates getting their hair done. Then you have to redo that style that you just took out.  You will also have to contain the lice so it doesn’t spread to other members of the household during treatment.

Most of the over the counter products  that will illuminate the problem contain pesticides that destroy the nervous system of the lice but can have negative effects on your entire family’s health.

The good news is there are healthier alternatives that can help you prevent head lice altogether. The preventative tools are available at http://www.bunaturally.com

Tea Tree Oil Infused Shampoo Bar and Daily Styling Aid and Hair Dress

One of the basic ingredients in the “Be You…Naturally!” line is Tea Tree Oil. Tea tree oil comes from a plant called melaleuca alternifolia. Recent studies show this natural tree oil is effective at preventing head lice. They don’t like Tea Tree. Won’t come near it. Using “Be You…Naturally!” Laven-Diva Hair & Body Wash Bar and I LOVE My Hair Butter, made with Premium Tea Tree Oil, in your family’s haircare regime will maintain the presence of this highly effective ingredient in your child’s hair. Also, they will raise your confidence level and help you to breath a bit easier, like I do, when these notes comes home. Plus, used as a styling aid, the Organic Coconut and Olive Oil are wonderful for braids, twists and natural styles. Available for purchase at BUNaturally.com. Remember To Be You…Naturally!

1.Warm bottle of “Pre-Poo” & Hot Oil Treatment in a cup of hot water

2. Moisten Hair with water

3. Apply a liberal amount of “Pre-Poo” & Hot Oil Treatment to damp hair

4. Wrap Hot Towel, sit under heating cap or hair dryer for 15 to 90 minutes depending on damage to hair and styling needs.

5. Wash hair with a moisturizing Shampoo such as Be You…Naturally! Laven~Diva Hair and Body Bar.

6. Style as usual using “Be You…Naturally!” I LOVE My  Hair Butter

Scary curls

Scary Curl and Bad Acne… SMH

I known I’m not the only one who drank the kool aid on this one. Come on spill it! If you lived in the ’80′s you probably had one, too. How many of you bit the poison apple, but instead of having beautiful curls we had greasy collars, stained pillowcases, and couches (y’all remember that scene in Coming to America) as well as bad jacne on your face and back because of the chemicals and the drip. The less said about This era the better.

Poetic justice
Next was braids… again…
I was looking for something that would give me long hair, and a decent look on a daily basis without a lot of maintenance because I was (am) lazy and didn’t want to have to do my hair. I thought I found it with cornrows and extensions. I would go to the African braid shops and sit there in tears while they pulled on my scalp. I couldn’t sleep for two or three nights after that and I would swear I’d never go back to them. But as soon as I took the braids out and saw how much new growth there was, I was back in the chair this time begging them not to make the braids so tight. Long story short the braids left me with traction alopecia around my edges because I was foolish enough to wear my too tight braids in a too tight pony tail.

Creamy crack
This era intermingled with my poetic justice faze. I would braid my hair so it would grow then I’d perm it again. My routine for this made the press and curl situation look easy. I would pin it up in a doobie at night then in the morning I would brush it down and wrap it in the opposite direction for a few. Next was the flat iron to within an inch of its life. Then I would bump the ends if need be. I’m tired just thinking about it. The thing I hated was I felt like I only had 2 or 3 good weeks between perms. The first week it was to new and straight and the last two were not good because my new growth was coming in, my scalp was irritated and my hair wouldn’t lay straight. Then, to top it off, I couldn’t scratch my head ’cause the crack would burn it something terrible of I did.

Ok Whose gonna cope to the Scary Curl or share their burn story from your creamy crack era?

Come on don’t leave me hanging!! Share a story in the comments section…

and Rememner to Be You…Naturally! Ttyl.

http://www.bunaturally.com

Methylchloroisothiazoline is a chemical found in over 1,400  popular body wash, soap and lotions and other cosmetics sold in this country. Most of us don’t know what it does or why it’s used. Here’s the deal. It’s a preservative. The funny thing is it’s also associated with allergic reactions. I know some of may be thing “surely the companies know this and are not putting harmful chemical in my pure body wash!!”, or are you thinking “My commercially produced and marketed lotion has to meet the highest standards, therefore it must be safe!!”

Some may know about these chemicals but wonder what’s the big deal. I’ve been using products containing them for for years and I am fine. I felt the same way until I started adding up how my normal to dry skin was becoming flat out dry and my scalp became more and more dandruff prone.

Unfortunately, It’s a little know  fact that this and other chemicals are harmful. They are in fact it’s restricted from use in Japan and Canada because of their toxic nature. They can cause or lead to respiratory (did someone say asthma?) and skin reactions (eczema and dry skin anyone). The reason they are deemed safe here is because they are used in small doses. The problem with that is if they are in 2 or 3 of the products used in your daily beauty or grooming regime you may be over exposed.

You may be asking what’s my alternative?  1) Seek out Information!! Feed your mind with the truth of what’s in the bottle!! Make and educated choice. 2) Give your body healthy, natural ingredients. 3) Take the Be You Naturally 6 week Challenge. Us our Natural and Organic Olive Oil Soap and Body Butter and see healthier naturally nourished skin. Take a before and after pic’s and share them with us at info@platinumspadiva.com.

I will be posting more articles about other toxic chemicals shortly.

People often ask me about how I arrived at having Loc’s so I have dedicated several posts to the subject. I’ll detail my past experiences and the emotions I went through at each stage. Now, don’t laugh at my journey, or my pictures. Some of y’all have the same ones buried (deep) in a box somewhere. Let me know if you can relate to what I’ve been through.
I’ve had a love hate relationship with my hair since I can remember. Press and curl in my preteen years, jherri curls and braids in my teens and then my addiction to the creamy crack into my 20′s. The tears I cried, literally. Dealing with the burning, stinging, and the headaches. I still have burn marks on my ears from the straightening comb.

Me (2nd row from top) in the blue shirt and slicked back pony tail.

Straightening combs and Barbie…
When I was little there weren’t too many dolls out there that looked like me. I would put a mop on my hair and pretend my hair was long and straight. My mom and the rest of the women in my family wore wigs so the  seed was planted. Sadly, I thought my kinky coily hair wasn’t good enough. I hated the Sunday night routine of washing, blowing, pressing and curling my hair.  But, ohhh how I loved my bouncy curls when I went to school on Monday morning. I thought I was too, cute.  By the end of the week I was in a slicked down ponytail with a bang that would stand up straight because I played hard everyday in my roots would revert.

What was your least favorite hair memory from your childhood?

Stay tuned… I’ll share more on my hair journey soon…

The products we use in our day-to-day life make a tremendous impact on everything from our appearance, health and self-esteem to the environment and beyond. The less chemicals used in out little part of the world (and the people in our world) the better, and in order to keep our families healthy and thriving.

Be You… Naturally! Natural and Organic products and made with only the best materials. Organic coconut and olive oils, premium kokum, cocoa and coconut butters and other high quality ingredients are the basis for this amazingly effective line.

The Olive Oil Soap and Body Butter are perfect for the whole family and if you deal with skin concerns like eczema or dry skin you will notice improvement in skins overall health very quickly.

Take the Be You…Naturally! Challenge. Use the Olive Oil Soap and Body Butter For 2 weeks and compare for yourself. Take before and after pics of your skin or problem area. Post a comment here and/or submit the picture to info@platinumspadiva.com to let us know what’s happening.

Total Mom ($99) is a Unique Mix of our Product Line. It includes our Natural and Organic Body and Hair Butters, Hot oils treatments Scrubs and then some

H2T Mom (Head 2 Toe) ($81) Will leave that lady with Kissable Lips, Fab Hair and a perfect palette for her next Pedi. She can even take the scrub to the salon for a professional pampering.

Pampered Mama ($25) She works hard, in 4 inch heels at that. This package is perfect for her overstressed feet. She’ll have super soft lips for that thank you kiss, too .

Smooth Mama ($35) This will leave her feeling smooth and silky for days.

They can all be found on our Specials page found at www.bunaturally.com .

Very excited To be a part of The Party of the Year for Mommy’s!!!

My blog is a place where I share information ask questions and promote my hand crafted, natural and organic hair and skincare product line. Be you…Naturally! found on bunaturally.com.

Feel free to comment on the posts and check put my site!

Tweet me @byounaturally

Like me on facebook/beyounaturally

Hair is such a hot button topic. We are trained from birth to think of our hair in negative or positive ways. When you were little were you told you had “good hair”?  Did you cover up your “bad hair” with a sheet pretending it was long and flowing? Sadly, as adults, we are still dealing with the drama and consciously or unconsciously passing down our feelings about hair to our own kids.

Your mama thinks it should be long, you like it short. Your man likes it straight. Your girlfriends think its cuter, curly. You want to rock a fierce fro but think your boss will hate on it (and you). Will corporate climate’s allow for loc’s in the boardroom? There are as many options for your hair as there are negative opinions about it .

When it’s time to change-up your tresses, how do you go about deciding on a style? Do you lean on your bestie or let your mate take charge? You want to go natural but, are your co-workers over your shoulder pressuring you back to the relaxer?

The pressure to fit the status quo is daunting to say the least. Couple that with our desire to be seen as beautiful by, yourself and, those around us. It’s a wonder more of us aren’t found crying our eyes out in the beauty supply store with loc’ing cream in one hand and a flatiron in the other… Ultimately, you are the one looking in the mirror every day. It’s you that has to love, or at least like, what you see!

So my question is….What’s a girl to do? How did you come to your current style? What influenced you to wear your hair the way you do? Leave a comment below.

Tamar needs to make a decision. She made the commitment. She’s loc’ing her hair. The problem is she doesn’t like how loc’s look during that first 6 -12 months known as the “transition stage”. So she wants your opinion. Until she’s more comfortable with her hair’s new style…..

Go to our website and Vote in out Web Poll… Click on

http://www.bunaturally.com/Hot-News–.html