The Self-Care Series: Can Black Joy Have a Moment or Nah?

So by now you've heard. You must know the news because even your transitioned ancestors have heard the news.

An oompaloompa is President! Just kidding! (Not really)

No shit, right?! But that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the news that the Beyhive's lord and savior, Beysus, is pregnant with not one, but two... read it, TWO little christ childs! Too much? Ok. My bad. I meant beybies, she's pregnant with two beybies at once. She's having twins!

Bey shared her announcement with the rest of us via a lovely post on Instagram - a seafoam green tulle draped over her head, wine colored translucent bra with tiny pink bow accents, and powder blue satin undies with ruffles as she kneels before an altar of lush greenery and flowers, tenderly embracing her belly and the lives in her womb. Mother Beyonce. Resplendent! Gazing into our souls with the smeyes of a million Tyra Banks. Bey, the veritable Patron Saint of Slayage, matriarch of the house of Knowles-Carter, carries three hearts and shall give birth to twins.

We would like to share our love and happiness. We have been blessed two times over. We are incredibly grateful  that our family will be growing by two, and we thank you for your well wishes. - The Carters

A photo posted by Beyoncé (@beyonce) on Feb 1, 2017 at 10:39am PST

Do you understand what I'm saying? The internet exploded yesterday, the very first day of Black History month.  Even for those of us who do not call ourselves Beyonce fan-atics, don't pay membership dues to be part of the Beehive, and sometimes critique or debate about Beyonce's authenticity, this was undeniably good news. Regardless of what or how you feel about Beyonce as a person (or avatar as some of the great debaters/critics suggest), you cannot deny her significance, nor can you deny her impact on the culture. And by "The culture" I mean all a dem! Seriously, where can we go in the world that at least one human being isn't aware of who she is or what she's done. And if you aren't aware, who gives a damn right? Because homegirl has got the receipts!

As the news spread and our collective hearts filled with joy, it became obvious to me that we, black people, need to have a sit down. A face to face, heartfelt discussion about why some of us feel the need to shit on the joy of others, and then take so much pride in the shitting.

I'm choosing to address us because gahdamn have you seen what's happening?? We are watching our human rights go up in flames in this house called America, and throughout the rest of the world.

Illustration from Gun Show Comic by KC Green

Somehow though, there seems to be a number of us out there who think that any energy or attention not spent publicly addressing the political tragedies unfolding before our eyes, but spent celebrating the joy of another human being's good fortune or happiness means that we are doomed.

I've heard and seen evuhrythang within the past 24 hours:
1) Black people are gullible and always allowing themselves to be manipulated by the media.

• Let's say this is true. Have you been sharing resources to help us get ✌🏾unmanipulated✌🏾? Is it because Beyonce is a celebrated pop icon and anything pop and celebrity news is fluff that we're being manipulated? Or is it because you can't stand to see people, mostly black women, divert (even if momentarily) from an agenda that YOU think is most important for them to be focusing on? Have you ever self reflected on why your immediate response to collective black girl joy, via Beyonce, is almost always negative and critical? Is it possible that you yourself have been manipulated and conditioned to respond to the joy of black women with disgust and disdain? 🤔

2) As soon as Beyonce does anything y'all lose your minds and your focus. Beyonce is a distraction to keep black people ignorant and placated while the fascists take over!

• Let me ask you something. Do you hold your breath while you wipe your ass or do you exhale?  Can you walk and chew gum at the same time? Do you dance or do chores as you listen to music or do you sit and watch the track time on your cd player, or watch the wheels of your cassette tape spin as the music plays? Is this 2017? Can you do more than one thing at a time? Can we have a respite from the Drumpshit for two minutes before you whip out your superiority complex to force us back into caring about what you want us to care about when you want us to care about it? You think we don't know that we're sitting in a burning room and EVERYTHING IS NOT OK? We know that. But if good news gives us a moment to breathe deeply and restore ourselves, aren't we more useful for the fight ahead? Even and especially in moments of crisis, it is important that we are able to step away and pour joy, goodness and positivity back into ourselves. That practice keeps us alive. And if Beyonce's pregnancy announcement is that for some of us, then who are you to say other wise. If there's anything that I've learnt in the past two weeks it's that there are tons of things that we take for granted and regard as frivolous. But to someone else somewhere that frivolity could be the difference between life and death, sanity and insanity, tears or a smile.

3) Y'all so dumb! Beyonce don't even know who the fuck y'all are and here y'all are acting like she care bout y'all.

• LeBron, Steph, O'dell, Migos, Drake, and not nan player on the Man U team don't know you either... Sooooo? 

4) Y'all keep posting capitalist Beyonce's picture but you won't repost a pic of someone you know to support their work.

• I'm not necessarily mad at this accusation. I mean we can write an entire post on this another day. I may most certainly need to dedicate a post sometime in the future to my thoughts on how we spend black dollars, on black things, with black businesses and hold those businesses to a more strict standard than we do established multimillion dollar corporations who aren't pouring back into our communities. But, again, thats for another day! I also have my beef with capitalism as an oppressive system, and what that means for black folk but right now that ain't got shit to do with me being happy for Beyonce. I can critique Beyonce within the context of capitalism, or disagree with her, but that doesn't take away from me or anyone else having a genuine positive response to a black woman just out here winning at life. But right now? Right now y'all need to take up that beef with your friends and loved ones. It may be fair to say that sometimes we find it easier to openly express positive regard for things and people out of our reach. And whether that is out of fear of rejection, jealousy, envy, or our own personal struggles with self esteem or mental health issues it's definitely something that we'll need to work on collectively. But what irony befalls us here that, we could be looking at this out pouring of love and support for Beyonce as an example of what to do in our personal relationships and how to cheer each other on. 

One of the most influential sisters alive right now is carrying two black lives within her, and they are coming into this world at a time that shakes the most hardened of us to the core. A time where black bodies, talent, culture, contributions, intelligence, art, thoughts - our existence as a whole is devalued. We are often stomped out with little regard for the gaping holes left in the universe when our lives are taken. If we can collectively recognize the power and beauty, in all of us deciding to LIVE FULLY and UNAPOLOGETICALLY, with all that that entails at this particular time in history, and allowing our love and will to live to fill the gaping spaces... where is the harm in that?

from www.Beyonce.com

Look. All I'm saying here is Let Black Joy Live. This will be very important as part of a holistic strategy for surviving the next four years, because moments that warrant shared public joy may be forced out of the national awareness.

We need to hold spaces for each other in ways that allow our happiness and bliss to flow unbridled and without judgement. This is an integral aspect to self-care - collective self-care.

I'm not a Beyonce stan, which you probably couldn't tell from this article, but what I do stan for is our freedom to experience joy and happiness collectively. So if you were annoyed by public support for this announcement, and felt the need to shit on people who publicly expressed support, just remember next time that keeping your cynicism and unsolicited opinions to yourself is free.99. No taxes. No fees.

Don't Make These Mistakes With Your Locs (& How I Fixed Them)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! I know, I know! January is almost over and this is my first post of the year. Shame on me... maybe, but regardless of my tardiness to the dancery I mustn't discard my manners. so before we go any further I want to wish you and everyone you love and know the best for the year ahead - health, wealth, safety, joy, love, stability and mental wellness. That last one is especially important in these political times.

This post is a public service. I will be sharing with you 5 Huge (to me) mistakes that I made with my locs. This list is by no means exhaustive as it won't include every single mistake I've ever made or that anyone could possibly make. My goal for sharing this list of mistakes that I've made is to ensure that you won't have to deal with the loc maintenance challenges that some of these mistakes will inevitably cause. For this reason I'll also be sharing with you some of the methods I used to address any damages that occurred as a result of my mistakes. Again, this won't be an exhaustive list of all the solutions I've used, or even all the possible solutions to the problems that I mention, but these solutions worked/work for me.

As you read or watch, please bear in mind that what may be a mistake for me may be something that works for you. Do you boo! I'm not here to rain on your parade. To each their own!

Watch the video and share in the comments if you've made the same mistakes with your locs, and what solution, if any at all, did you use to fix the damage. What mistakes have you made on your loc journey so far? How did you resolve the issues the mistake created? SHARE what you've learned in the comments so we won't all be out here in le struggle with our locs! 😊

• MISTAKE #1: Using Beeswax to Retwist (1:58)

Yes, in the baby stage of my locs I used beeswax on my hair. Not Murray's beeswax, which is literally like softened candle wax. No, I used The Body Shop's Honey Beeswax to retwist my hair. To be fair, it is one of the best beeswax formulas I've ever encountered - it has mostly wholesome & natural ingredients, soft, melted into the skin (due to warmth), and far easier to work with than typical beeswaxes. However no matter how great a wax is it's still a wax, and by nature will have a greasy consistency, therefore encouraging build-up and residue in your locs.

SOLUTION: Washing with shampoo  doesn't always do the job of removing buildup caused by greasy waxes and butters. I've found that with my very kinky hair texture, greasy residue will set up shop, house, and home in my locs, and invite the lint in to stay FOREVAH *Cardi B voice*. One thing that really addresses this a warm apple cider vinegar rinse.

What Have You Done For YOU Lately?

Photo by CreateHerStock

At the beginning of the year I made a pact with myself to be more intentional about practicing self-care. It's an absolute necessity not only for my physical well-being, but more importantly for my mental health.

There is the obvious narrative of those who work too hard - women, millennials, under employed, over worked, underpaid, never a moment to catch a breath etcetera etcetera. The physical tolls of hard labor, long work hours, little to no sleep, poor diet, and sometimes completely forgetting to eat. We are clear on the physical tolls the desire to survive takes on the body. And while we are becoming more open about the invisible strain that is often par for the course, I believe we still have a long way to go with how we receive and react to openness about mental health issues and struggles in certain communities.

This is not a finger pointing post, and I intend to go into more detail about my own personal experiences at some other time. My intent for this post (and others to follow) in #theselfcareseries is to share small rituals or practices that help restore me either physically, mentally, spiritually or some other -ly. Lol.

The hardest bit is being consistent with the practice of self care. I certainly haven't been consistent, but I can give myself credit for being more conscious of when the need to take a moment to reset, restore, remove myself, or recuperate was necessary.

For some of us it's about too little time or too little energy after the exhaustion of a work week. But for all of us it's ultimately about seeing ourselves as worth the time and effort. It's about valuing ourselves enough to say, "I need to pour into me so that I can give my best self to my life, my work, my family... myself."

What I hope resonates over time with this series is that acts of self care are a way to practice and build self-love. And self-love isn't always about some grand expensive gesture like a spa day or vacation ( ballin' on a budget, anyone?) Sometimes it's as simple as reading your favorite book again for the umpteenth time, locking the bathroom door so your toddlers can't interrupt your few precious minutes of solitude while taking a shit, or netflix and chillin' by yoself in yo robe with your favorite beverage.

As I'm laying here typing this I'm struggling with feeling like I haven't been treating myself well. It's the end of the year and my diet has been shit the past few weeks, I've been battling with insomnia for over a month, there's a tangled and matted afro at the base of my locs, my anxiety is too damn high, and I really need to do some laundry. 

So today, I'm going to rededicate my Saturday to grooming: I'm tackling my hair and my really involved skin care regimen (yes, even more involved than the one I just posted). 

At this point I want to offer to you, whoever needs the reminder, that you don't need to feel guilty for feeling better when you think you look better. Society sends conflicting messages, asking us to "always look our best" in order for people to take us seriously, or respect us, while calling us vain, shallow or self involved for dedicating time to our looks, aesthetic, or physical presentation, and deriving any pleasure or sense of self from the aforementioned. You can't win, so I say fuck em and do what nourishes your wholeness.

It's currently 5:45 am as I type. I've been up since 3:20 am because insomnia. So I'm going to go ahead and carpe my diem by tackling this mess on my head, and in my head. Join me. 

What are you going to do today to take care of yourself? What have you done for *you* lately?

My Current Skin Care Routine for Acne Prone Skin (and Changing Weather)

This post is not sponsored, however it may contain affiliate links. I may gain a commission if you shop through these links. These views and opinions are my own and I will always give an honest review. 

Hey Love!

Are we ready for the holidays? I'm not! My sweet tooth and love of salty snacks are currently in a fierce battle, and have been even prior to thanksgiving (aka the "Inflate" setting has been on since November); I have done absolutely NO shopping as yet, which doesn't matter anyway because I have no clue what I'm getting these folk, and I just mourn every year how much of the joy I used to feel at Christmas time has evaporated.

But nothing a little Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers, Boyz II Men, and Songs of Blackness can't fix amirite??? Comment below with your favorite holiday song! Maybe we have some in common!

Any who! Today's post *and* video is actually about my skin care routine. I get compliments on my skin ever so often, and I still struggle to accept these compliments because, believe it or not, I've been fighting acne for the majority of my life. I have finally reached a place where I feel my skin is manageble. Finally! And it hasn't been easy, and I've had to make plenty tweaks, adjustments and complete 180's along the way in terms of methods and products.

I make changes and adjustments for weather and skin concerns, however what I share in this post and video today is the routine that I've stuck to for the past few months with what I think are good results. This is basically the routine I've been using since April. However I'd say this routine has been in effect since September since that's when I returned to the US from Barbados. The climate there is quite different, in addition to which there are natural things there that I included in my regimen that are not readily available to me here e.g. sea baths/sea water (although I could make my own with store bought sea salt😕), humidity, fresh aloe, hot ass sun, and my grandfather's bush tea and bitters.

I highly recommend watching the video as I talk about WHEN and HOW I use these products. The blog post, however, will cover the benefits I've experienced from using the products more in depth, and what they are supposed to address (the WHY). At first glance my routine may seem intense and complicated but it has become second nature to me. When you've struggled to get into a skin care groove, a basic/foundational routine that you can build upon is truly a gift. So read along here as you watch the video!

•  CLEAN YOUR HANDS.... WITH SOAP! This is my typical morning skin care routine so no matter what comes before, I make sure my hands are clean in preparation for placing them on my face. If you inadvertently scratch your booty in your sleep this is even more important for you. No judgement... I'm just sayin'! Inadvertently touching your face with dirty hands can lead to break outs and acne. I tend to fixate on pimples when I'm stressed, so I make an effort to never touch my face unless my hands have been immediately cleaned. This has been an underrated but very successful practice.
• My custom oil cleansing face oil has been a part of my regimen since 2013/14. Initially I used it solely for oil cleansing when nothing else worked to treat a terrible bout of birth control related acne. However, I continue to use it in my routine to prep my skin before cleansing, a part of my make up removal process, and sometimes as a night time moisturizer. The ingredients in this oil have helped to accelerate healing of my acne blemishes, and has also improved the texture and tone of my skin. Not to mention it has aided in the regrowth of my edges over months of sustained use. I tweak the recipe depending on season and skin needs.

THIS WEEKEND ONLY: ALL THE DISCOUNTS!

WE. ARE. BACK AT IT AGAIN WITH THE JEWELS! Short and sweet, here's all the info you need for a weekend at House of La NomRah :

BLACK FRIDAY: 

The code 'BLKFRIDAY' will get you 25% off ANY PURCHASE at La NomRah Designs

SATURDAY & SUNDAY: 

For $5 off purchases of $25 or more use the code 'GIMME5'

For $10 off purchases of $50 or more use the code 'TAKE10'

*** These codes are valid through Monday

CYBER MONDAY:

The code '8BITLUV' gets you 205 off a purchase of $20 or more.

Don't forget to sign up for our mailing list !

Peace & Love,

Nik

How I Deep Condition My Waist Length Locs

This post is not sponsored, however it may contain affiliate links. I may gain a commission if you shop through these links. These views and opinions are my own and I will always give an honest review.

Hey Loves,

What's crackalackin'! Last week I showed you my easy peezy DIY recipe for an Avocado Protein Deep Conditioner Treatment. If you missed it, click here for the video of how I whip up this hair smoothie, and a detailed recipe and instructions.

Today I'm sharing details on my application and results of this deep conditioner. You can watch the video, read this post, or both! Whatever you do, leave a comment and let me know if you will try or have tried a treatment like this!

• Application Prep:

First, I shampooed my hair (I recommend a minimum of two shampoos) with OGX Awapuhi Ginger Shampoo. You don't have to go out and buy this shampoo, it's just one that I had on hand and decided to try. I didn't find it life changing, but it did the job and smells quite nice. For a deep clean I made sure to really get in there with my fingers and work the scalp and the roots (where buildup tends to occur). The first shampoo is always a doozy due to oils and build up in the hair, but the second time around you should get a really nice lather. If your hair is as long as mine (waist length or longer) you may find that two shampoos aren't enough because of oils and build up in the length of the locs. So 3's often the charm.

After rinsing, I applied a Garnier Fructis Anti-dandruff Shampoo to my scalp *only*, and massaged that in until I had a nice lather. I use the Mint Cleanse version which I like, but generally find too drying for my hair so I keep it focused on the scalp. However, Garnier also makes a version of this shampoo for dry scalp (I had no idea) that I may have to try when I run out. I also focus on the scalp because this shampoo has fine microbeads that I'm weary of getting into my locs. Disclaimer: I've had this shampoo a while. The way I use it a little goes a long way, so I'm not sure if newer versions of this shampoo contain these microbeads.

• Application:

The shorter your hair the easier, and less messy this application will be. I divided my hair into 4 sections to make application more manageable. With each section I worked with, I first divided it into two parts and applied the avocado treatment from the ends of the hair to the roots. In hindsight it probably would've been smarter for me to start from the roots. I only say that because I almost ran out  and literally scraped the bowl to have enough to apply to my roots in the last section. Despite this little moment of panic though, it worked out. I started at my ends because that"s where my hair was driest and I just wanted to bring my ends back to life.

When I was done I two-strand twisted, then wrapped each section up into a bun, ultimately ending up with 8 buns (looking like a hot mess smh) although 4 would have been ideal. Once my buns were secure I then put a plastic bag over my head and secured. Yes... a plastic bag (Tarjay, you da best *DJ Khaled voice*). Don't judge me. Reuse, Reduce, Recycle #nshit. Plus, I haven't found a shower cap that adequately covers all of my hair. YOU can however do you and use a shower cap. Whatever works! Next I wrapped a head wrap/scarf around my head just to absorb any liquid that leaked from my DIY shower cap set up.

Now ideally, letting this mixture sit in the hair  for a minimum of 30 minutes should do the job to see some results. You could even add a heating/steam cap to really help this treatment penetrate even more effectively. I was aiming for 4 hours because a) I don't have naan heating cap b) I had ish to do while this DC was percolating... BUT I also knew that is was damn near 6 pm by the time I had finished applying; I was tiahd! I took care of some chores and just went to rest my eyes a bit. Well when I woke up it was Tomorrow 😭... yes, the next day.

Look, I just went ahead and rinsed my hair out really well in the shower. You can't cry over spilled milk.  I ran very warm water (DO NOT BURN YOURSELF then come back to this blog to yell at me in all caps! Use your discretion!), and used that washing motion that grandma teaches you so you know how to wash your clothes by hand to work the conditioner out of my locs. If you don't have locs this may not be necessary, but if you do you want to ensure that you rinse this out thoroughly.

After rinsing out the DC completely I applied  Creme of Nature's Argan Oil Pure-Licious Co-Wash Cleansing Conditioner to my hair. This co-wash is free of sulphates, parabens, mineral oil, and petrolatum, and it was perfect so as not to strip the hair of all the moisture I'd just put in.

• Results:

My hair felt soft, rejuvenated and moisturized. Prior to this treatment I was experiencing dullness and dryness, and while this obviously is not a one time fix-all remedy, there was a noticeable difference with my hair. There was definitely more shine, and what I refer to as slip with my hair. A better term would probably be increased smoothness. I'm going to try this treatment again soon to see if I get similar results.

Unfortunately I did not retwist/re-loc my hair this time around, I just let my loc-fro do it's thing... something I'm sure I will regret next retwist time because I did not pull these babies apart while they were free. Le sigh.

I hope this post was helpful! Leave a comment and make sure to Subscribe to my Youtube channel so you don't miss a video!

Peace!
Nik

OGX Awapuhi Ginger Shampoo: http://amzn.to/2gx8kIq
Garnier Fructis Anti-dandruff Shampoo: http://amzn.to/2f1z9DW
Creme of Nature w/ Argan Oil Pure-licious Co-Wash Cleansing Conditioner: http://amzn.to/2gfF2v8

DIY AVOCADO PROTEIN DEEP CONDITIONER RECIPE pt. 1

This post is not sponsored, however it may contain affiliate links. I may gain a commission if you shop through these links. These views and opinions are my own and I will always give an honest review.

Originally I called this recipe Avocado Pudding Deep Conditioner, then I thought "no, Avocado Smoothie sounds better. However for the sake of not misleading the interwebs, and then having people lament in the comments about this not being an edible recipe, I decided to keep it simple and obvious. 

Now if you decide to only work with the edible ingredients below, you'll actually have the base for a delicious avocado (salad) dressing or a dipping sauce. All you'll need to do is add some herbs, spices, and S&P.

Photo Credit: http://imgur.com/gallery/AZoRxSp

 But that's not why you're here, is it? 

This week I'm sharing this deep conditioner recipe because there's no avocado I know of that deserves to die a dumpster death. Basically, I went on a weekend trip, forgot about this avocado and it was way too soft and too ripe to make for good... anything that needs to be tasted by the time I got back.  So I harkened back to the days before my locs could be put into a ponytail - when all I'd do is play in my hair with endless products and whipped up concoctions.

This recipe is similar to a number of recipes I've tried previously, and avocado is a major key🔑here. This is something you learn after trying this recipe with banana. Spoiler alert! Banana really likes setting up house and home in your locs if you're not careful. If you've got locs... Don't do it! Please don't do it! *Drake voice*

Here are the benefits of the ingredients I used in this recipe:

How Hurt & Pain Taught Me To Trust Myself

How Hurt & Pain Taught Me To Trust Myself

We must remind ourselves that we know ourselves best, and as such we are fully capable of making the best decisions for ourselves. When the Universe supports us, and everything falls into place for us to move forward in our best interests, while it is normal to experience doubt, it certainly isn't necessary to act on or entertain that doubt.

I'm someone who truly believes that sometimes saying yes to something/or someone means you're  saying No to yourself. In this vein, I'm also of the belief that sometimes giving the benefit of the doubt is of no benefit to the giver.

Someone is probably reading this and thinking how selfish this sounds. 

What would the world be without second chances? Forgiveness? People who give the benefit of the doubt?

Your point may be valid. 

As a woman though, I'm very conscious of the immense pressure I once felt to put others' needs before mine, and not offend or upset others. This is a pressure that I continue to experience, though it shrinks the older and wiser I become. My point here is that these social graces we extend sometimes are not truly of our own choosing, but due to culture, social norms, gender roles, familial obligations, and the pressure we feel to make certain decisions because of these things.

When I speak about reconsidering "the benefit of the doubt", I'm not talking about people or situations that deserve a second chance.

I'm talking about instances where we expend a significant amount of time, energy and effort trying to make a decision about a situation or relationship that is just plain bad for us, or no longer good for us. It is precisely because we've cared, loved, and invested time, that we do not make this decision easily nor lightly. It is because of this care and love, and the joy and happiness that we may have once experienced, that when it's no longer good, it's really bad. 

And sometimes it's just bad because it is. 

Sometimes people change - their values, wants and needs change. Sometimes the way people express these things cause real harm  - both visible and invisible. Some of us stick around hoping that time will resolve or dissolve the differences. All the while incurring the cost of this empty hope.

What ends up happening is that in the "Benefit of the Doubt" equation, the giver is left to manage the doubt, which is inevitably to the benefit of the person or situation that we'd removed ourselves from once before. Managing the doubt may then leave us grappling with questions of self-worth, bruises to our self-esteem, and may even go as far as to affect our mental, physical or spiritual health.

Sometimes we do get away. We get away but don't necessarily stop loving or caring or imagining what a life would be like with this person, or reminiscing about how great it felt when we had lovely experiences.

And though we move on, sometimes we forget what that particular hurt felt like. What it did to us. How  our flame was almost extinguished. How we almost lost ourselves for good. How unrecognizable we were when we finally looked in the mirror to see what that time had done to us.

The point of all this is to remind you that that the pain has a purpose.

None of this is easy. We make mistakes, relapse, and return to the familiar. When we do, each time the pain gets worse, and the lesson we're supposed to learn gets tougher as it nudges us to trust the decision we made the first time.

If for no other reason, let the pain remind you that you did the right thing. It is ultimately a test of whether you trust yourself enough to stand by your decision. You knew what was best for you then, and you do now.

Can you relate? Let me know in the comments!

Peace & Love,
Nik

Trash To Treasure: How To Give An Old Pair of Earrings a New Life, Part 1

This post is not sponsored, however it may contain affiliate links. I may gain a commission if you shop through these links. These views and opinions are my own and I will always give an honest review.

Hey Lovelies!

Today I'll be showing you how to upgrade & recycle (Upcycle) a pair of old tarnished hoops into a brand new colorful pair. This is part one of a series I'll be calling Trash to Treasure, where I'll be showing you how I upgrade, repurpose, reuse, and recycle different items and give them a second life.

If you were familiar with my Etsy store, you may or may not remember a style I sold called the Devi Hoop aka the Goddess Hoop. I created the Devi Hoop for my clients (with brand new earrings, OBVS!) using the method I'm about to share with you as the first step in the process.

I'm sharing this method because it's actually a great way to bring new life to your favorite basic hoop earrings. Every girl has a pair! And if you don't, you need to get you some.

QUICK & EASY LOC STYLE TUTORIAL: LOC TURBAN

This post is not sponsored, however it may contain affiliate links. I may gain a commission if you shop through these links. These views and opinions are my own and I will always give an honest review.

Hi lovelies,

I'm back again with another loc style tutorial. Today I'm sharing a quick and easy style I call the Loc Turban. This has recently become my favorite go to style for a number of reasons:

1. It's quick and very easy. This style takes under 10 minutes once you get the hang of it. It may take more time or be more challenging depending on how familiar you are with the style, the length of your hair, the number of locs or braids you have, and the thickness of your hair.
2. It's versatile. This style can be worn for more modest occasions and events, and is also perfect for a casual look or glam dressing up, all you have to do is accessorize appropriately. And to top it all off, each time you create this style it will look different! I promise that's a good thing - watch the video to see what I mean.
3. It's a great protective style. In my opinion, the loc turban is the perfect protective style for your protective style. As I mention in the video below, you can do this style on braided or two-strand twisted locs, or loose locs that haven't been twisted or braided at all.
4. You don't need locs to achieve this style. This turban style can work well on other protective styles such as braids and twists with extensions. You may have to use pins depending on the smoothness of the hair used in your extensions.
5. This is perfect for HOT weather. Once locs get past a certain length, summer months can become a bit of a challenge as we try to keep our hair off our necks and shoulders without repeating the same style over and over. I usually go for a messy top knot, or tying my hair high up in a turban. This is ok except the style repetition can lead to boredom, and also puts your hair(line) at risk by placing stress in the same areas. This style is a great alternative. 
6. BONUS for "lazy" loc rockers, folks with busy schedules, and frequent vacationers:  First of all, by now you'll know that when I say "lazy" loc rocker, I'm including myself. As you'll hear me mention in the video, I washed & conditioned my hair *in* my twists the night before. This means that I did not have to take down and retwist my locs. Now my roots may have been fuzzier than some folks may find acceptable, but the loc turban conceals this well. If you swim a lot on vacation this could be a great style for you to rock while you enjoy yourself, and still get in a good (wash &) condish in between all your vacay adventures.

Have you tried this style before? Would you try this style in the future? I'm curious! Share your thoughts with me in the comments below.

Peace & Love,

NIK