Hello Dolls!! :)

I have put together a list of my favorite blog posts from the past as well as posts that readers really seemed to enjoy or find useful.

The articles are broken up in to categories to make for easy exploring.

ENJOY!! And be sure to comment, subscribe and spread the word by liking or sharing via Twitter or FB!

***J'adore's Faves***

**Are Your Beauty and Hair Products Killing You??! - A very informative, important post on the hazards and dangers of some ingredients commonly used on hair and beauty products. many of them are simply not good for your hair...others ar detrimental to your health. A definite must read and must pass along. 

**Skin Care No No's- a fun, informative post that dispels many of the myths and misconceptions about black skin and how to care for it. Full of great tips to replace the bad habits with.

**Tips to Transform Your Hair  -  Tips that helped me during my journey. Many useful and simple tidbits that will help aid in growth as well as a more pleasant relationship with your tresses.

Natural Hair Tips 

  (great starting point for newbies, transitioners or those considering going natural)

Ask J'adore: Newly Natural Q & A - A great post that addresses many common issues with newbies like finding the right conditioners, co-washing, greasing scalp, dryness issues, heat damage and caring for color treated hair.

Tips to Transform Your Hair  -  Tips that helped me during my journey. Many useful and simple tidbits that will help aid in growth as well as a more pleasant relationship with your tresses.

Soothing Sundays - Pamper your hair, skin and body...tips on how to spoil yourself with decadent skin and hair treatments that promote glowing skin and beautiful growth.

 Natural/Ayurvedic Ingredients and Treatments

Henna: My New Hair Boo - my enthusiastic account of the beginning of my henna experience. It was love at first try!

Soothing Sundays: Bentonite Clay for Natural Hair and Skin - introduction to Bentonight Clay, a naturl clay that is great for cleansing hair, skin and creating spa like treatments (ie bodywraps) at home. Includes recipes to get you started.

Ingredient Spotlight : Mother Nature's Glam - Natural ingredients to add to your arsenal.

 Skin/Nail Care

Skin Care No No's- a fun, informative post that dispels many of the myths and misconceptions about black skin and how to care for it. Full of great tips to replace the bad habits with.

Our Skin: Going below the surface of Black Skin with Dr. Mona Gohara- A very, very indepth article about that addresses common issues with darker skin, the "black dont crack" myth, and ingredients to avoid from Dr. Mona Gohara, assistant clinical professor at the Yale University School of Medicine Department of Dermatology.

Red Carpet Fail: Simple Remedies for Puffy Eyes aka Bag Lady Syndrome 

Minx Up Your Nails - a look into the oh-so-popular Minx nail craze that took over entertainment and nail fashion in 2010.

Thanks so much to all of my loyal readers that constantly remind me why I started this blog in the first place. And BIIGGG welcome to all of my new readers! Be sure to comment, subscribe and SHARE!

Hello Dolls!! :)

I have put together a list of my favorite blog posts from the past as well as posts that readers really seemed to enjoy or find useful.

The articles are broken up in to categories to make for easy exploring.

ENJOY!! And be sure to comment, subscribe and spread the word by liking or sharing via Twitter or FB!

***J'adore's Faves***

**Are Your Beauty and Hair Products Killing You??! - A very informative, important post on the hazards and dangers of some ingredients commonly used on hair and beauty products. many of them are simply not good for your hair...others ar detrimental to your health. A definite must read and must pass along. 

**Skin Care No No's- a fun, informative post that dispels many of the myths and misconceptions about black skin and how to care for it. Full of great tips to replace the bad habits with.

**Tips to Transform Your Hair  -  Tips that helped me during my journey. Many useful and simple tidbits that will help aid in growth as well as a more pleasant relationship with your tresses.

Natural Hair Tips 

  (great starting point for newbies, transitioners or those considering going natural)

Ask J'adore: Newly Natural Q & A - A great post that addresses many common issues with newbies like finding the right conditioners, co-washing, greasing scalp, dryness issues, heat damage and caring for color treated hair.

Tips to Transform Your Hair  -  Tips that helped me during my journey. Many useful and simple tidbits that will help aid in growth as well as a more pleasant relationship with your tresses.

Soothing Sundays - Pamper your hair, skin and body...tips on how to spoil yourself with decadent skin and hair treatments that promote glowing skin and beautiful growth.

 Natural/Ayurvedic Ingredients and Treatments

Henna: My New Hair Boo - my enthusiastic account of the beginning of my henna experience. It was love at first try!

Soothing Sundays: Bentonite Clay for Natural Hair and Skin - introduction to Bentonight Clay, a naturl clay that is great for cleansing hair, skin and creating spa like treatments (ie bodywraps) at home. Includes recipes to get you started.

Ingredient Spotlight : Mother Nature's Glam - Natural ingredients to add to your arsenal.

 Skin/Nail Care

Skin Care No No's- a fun, informative post that dispels many of the myths and misconceptions about black skin and how to care for it. Full of great tips to replace the bad habits with.

Our Skin: Going below the surface of Black Skin with Dr. Mona Gohara- A very, very indepth article about that addresses common issues with darker skin, the "black dont crack" myth, and ingredients to avoid from Dr. Mona Gohara, assistant clinical professor at the Yale University School of Medicine Department of Dermatology.

Red Carpet Fail: Simple Remedies for Puffy Eyes aka Bag Lady Syndrome 

Minx Up Your Nails - a look into the oh-so-popular Minx nail craze that took over entertainment and nail fashion in 2010.

Thanks so much to all of my loyal readers that constantly remind me why I started this blog in the first place. And BIIGGG welcome to all of my new readers! Be sure to comment, subscribe and SHARE!

*BLOG SALE*BLOG SALE*BLOG SALE*BLOG SALE*BLOG SALE*BLOG SALE*BLOG SALE*BLOG SALE*BLOG SALE*

As you all know, I am a self-proclaimed product junkie. I hear products calling my name everytime I enter a store with a beauty or hair aisle. Recently, I moved into a new condo and realized that my closets had way too many products in them. So, I decided to do a little spring cleaning so I can make room for my future splurges. Most of the products are unopened or barely used. Products range from ayurvedic powders to styling products.

Items for sale are:

**BAQ Jamila Henna

 **Miss Jessie's Curly Pudding

 **Organic Root Stimulator Lock & Twist Gel

**Amla Powder

**Tulsi Powder

**Kinky Curly Knot Today

**CHI Volume Booster

**Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition Oil

Since I love my Luxe Glam divas so much, I decided to give you all the opportunity to snatch up these great products. Though I already sell many of these things via the Glam Shop, I am selling them at a discount since they are from my personal stash.

TO PURCHASE, PLEASE COMMENT AND CLAIM THE PRODUCT(S) YOU WOULD LIKE TO BUY AND A NUMBER BETWEEN 1-100 FOR A CHANCE TO WIN FREE SWAG!

HAVE FUN WITH IT!

 (: One lucky shopper will recieve a free gift :)

FOR SALE:

Body Art Quality Jamila Henna Super Sift (Summer Crop 2010) -  $5 a piece

- ayurvedic powder made from the Henna (Lawsonia Inermis) plant that naturally contains a red-orange dye. When made into a paste and applied to hair, it  leaves an auburn or red rinse-like glossy cast and has amazing conditioning qualities. Benefits include less shrinkage, added strength,  blinging shine, faster drying time, heavier/thicker strands and stretched, defined, popping curls. Some also experience curl loss but another ayurvedic powder, Amla can be mixed in to combat that.

Miss Jessie's Curly Pudding 16 oz (opened but only used once)- $27

Organic Root Stimulator Lock & Twist Gel (unopened) - $2

- a premixed gel that adds both moisture and hold without build-up or flaking. Perfect for locks and twists.

Amla Powder (100g) - $3

 - is a natural astringent and skin toner that works on both hair and skin. It controls hair fall, cures scalp infection, and controls premature graying of hair. The paste of this powder helps promote luxuriant hair.
- Soak Amla powder with adequate amount of hot water preferably in an iron vessel. Leave it overnight, and wash your hair in the morning with this extract. Leave the paste on for hour allowing the nutrients to absorb and rinse the hair properly afterwards. Repeat every 3rd or 4th day for best results.
- Regular usage of Amla powder gives nourishment to the hair. It may also remove mild dandruff from hair scalp while giving body to the hair.

Hesh Tulsi Leaves powder (100g) - $3

- Antibacterial

-Cures Dandruff, protects your skin

Kinky Curly Knot Today Leave-in Co./Detangler - $7

 *One of my personal favorites*

-creamy herbal conditioner and detangler designed to smooth the cuticle and remove knots, snarls and tangles from thick curly textured hair.

*BLOG SALE*BLOG SALE*BLOG SALE*BLOG SALE*BLOG SALE*BLOG SALE*BLOG SALE*BLOG SALE*BLOG SALE*

As you all know, I am a self-proclaimed product junkie. I hear products calling my name everytime I enter a store with a beauty or hair aisle. Recently, I moved into a new condo and realized that my closets had way too many products in them. So, I decided to do a little spring cleaning so I can make room for my future splurges. Most of the products are unopened or barely used. Products range from ayurvedic powders to styling products.

Items for sale are:

**BAQ Jamila Henna

 **Miss Jessie's Curly Pudding

 **Organic Root Stimulator Lock & Twist Gel

**Amla Powder

**Tulsi Powder

**Kinky Curly Knot Today

**CHI Volume Booster

**Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition Oil

Since I love my Luxe Glam divas so much, I decided to give you all the opportunity to snatch up these great products. Though I already sell many of these things via the Glam Shop, I am selling them at a discount since they are from my personal stash.

TO PURCHASE, PLEASE COMMENT AND CLAIM THE PRODUCT(S) YOU WOULD LIKE TO BUY AND A NUMBER BETWEEN 1-100 FOR A CHANCE TO WIN FREE SWAG!

HAVE FUN WITH IT!

 (: One lucky shopper will recieve a free gift :)

FOR SALE:

Body Art Quality Jamila Henna Super Sift (Summer Crop 2010) -  $5 a piece

- ayurvedic powder made from the Henna (Lawsonia Inermis) plant that naturally contains a red-orange dye. When made into a paste and applied to hair, it  leaves an auburn or red rinse-like glossy cast and has amazing conditioning qualities. Benefits include less shrinkage, added strength,  blinging shine, faster drying time, heavier/thicker strands and stretched, defined, popping curls. Some also experience curl loss but another ayurvedic powder, Amla can be mixed in to combat that.

Miss Jessie's Curly Pudding 16 oz (opened but only used once)- $27

Organic Root Stimulator Lock & Twist Gel (unopened) - $2

- a premixed gel that adds both moisture and hold without build-up or flaking. Perfect for locks and twists.

Amla Powder (100g) - $3

 - is a natural astringent and skin toner that works on both hair and skin. It controls hair fall, cures scalp infection, and controls premature graying of hair. The paste of this powder helps promote luxuriant hair.
- Soak Amla powder with adequate amount of hot water preferably in an iron vessel. Leave it overnight, and wash your hair in the morning with this extract. Leave the paste on for hour allowing the nutrients to absorb and rinse the hair properly afterwards. Repeat every 3rd or 4th day for best results.
- Regular usage of Amla powder gives nourishment to the hair. It may also remove mild dandruff from hair scalp while giving body to the hair.

Hesh Tulsi Leaves powder (100g) - $3

- Antibacterial

-Cures Dandruff, protects your skin

Kinky Curly Knot Today Leave-in Co./Detangler - $7

 *One of my personal favorites*

-creamy herbal conditioner and detangler designed to smooth the cuticle and remove knots, snarls and tangles from thick curly textured hair.

**Spotlight on one of my fave super glam readers and her journey to beautiful tresses..We go way back to middle school and her hair is always fab so I had to share her with you all :)**

Hello Curly Girls of the world!

My name is Cindy and I would like to tell you all about my journey to accepting my natural self.

So I guess, I can start by telling you that I was started on perms at the tender age of about 7. From there my hair was always an issue of combing, breaking off, heated styles, and then..oh yes, came the high school years of color experimentation. I always appreciated that I didn’t “need” a perm, but I guess at the time, I felt it was the thing to do. I never gave my hair a chance to grow because there was always a different chemical or color causing it to be weak. I have only been natural about 2 and a half years. So, I am fairly a newbie in the natural world. I became interested in becoming natural by first seeing a friend go through the process. I also became interested in African and Indian cultures and the use of natural products while in college. This was part of wanting to grow and learn to accept my natural beauty and the amazing power or natural products.

Journey to Natural

I transitioned for a fairly long time. I trimmed my ends about once every 2 months until the perm was all gone. It was a drastic change to not have straight hair for me. It was a huge self confidence adjustment. I had to learn to accept myself and not hide behind a hairstyle. Learning new styles other than the wash and go surprisingly did not come until about after a year of being natural. My staple was a wash and do, always with a good moisturizer (coconut oil) and leave in (garnier fructis). I was so excited to begin to see my hair grow, curl, and gain strength. My hair has never been stronger and has never grown as long.

Biggest Reward

So my biggest reward as a African American female was gaining back the strength and beauty in the perception of my hair in its natural state.

Biggest Challenge

My biggest challenge was learning how to accept and handle my own hair. I had to become used to its texture, what it needed, how to care for it properly with no expectations and without hair envy or trying to achieve someone else’s look.

Regimen

My current regimen is kind of all over the place. I basically don’t have a set routine. I give my hair what it craves or needs when it needs it.

My everyday style is Wash and Go with a scarf. I use Olive Oil Ecostyler gel for my edges to style my wash and go.  I also use the gel in combination with the Vatika oil for my occasional braid or twist outs.

I deep condition about 3 times a month whenever I have time.

I usually change my hair monthly, meaning twist outs for a month, braid outs the next month, and then back to my good old wash and go.
I have recently learned that the more expensive a product is, does not mean that it works better.

Staple Products

Garnier Fructis (any products), the Dove intense moisture therapy line, the Suave Humectants line, Black soap for the occasional shampoo, and of course the Olive oil eco styler gel. All of which can be found at Dollar General, Wal-Mart or Target (or right here on Luxe Glam by clicking the picture of the product you are interested in or visiting the Hair Glam Shop)

My staple for life is pure (virgin, concentrated, and organic) coconut oil. My hair also loves Vatika oil, it is a mixture of coconut, lemon, amla, and henna. It has a very distinct smell, but it works wonders for my hair.

Advice For Newbies/Transitioners

A great tip is to always have a cover for your hair at night. I prefer the silk or satin bonnets. That helps your hair retain moisture and prevents breakage.

My biggest advice for anyone who is new to the natural world is to simple accept you! What works for someone else may not work for you. No one curl is the same as the next. Every texture has its own beauty and advantages.

Another tip is to have tons of patience, learn to deal with your hair on great days and horrible days, always have a scarf or two ready as well.

..........................................................................................................................

If you have any more questions or help, I am always more than happy to share any advice via my Facebook (Cindy Newbern) or email (cindy.newbern@gmail.com).

Love your Journey and it will Love you back!!!

More Pics Below..ENJOY!!

Wanna be a featured Naturally Glam Diva?? Send in your fabulous pics and tell me about your journey and how you get your hair so haute!

**Spotlight on one of my fave super glam readers and her journey to beautiful tresses..We go way back to middle school and her hair is always fab so I had to share her with you all :)**

Hello Curly Girls of the world!

My name is Cindy and I would like to tell you all about my journey to accepting my natural self.

So I guess, I can start by telling you that I was started on perms at the tender age of about 7. From there my hair was always an issue of combing, breaking off, heated styles, and then..oh yes, came the high school years of color experimentation. I always appreciated that I didn’t “need” a perm, but I guess at the time, I felt it was the thing to do. I never gave my hair a chance to grow because there was always a different chemical or color causing it to be weak. I have only been natural about 2 and a half years. So, I am fairly a newbie in the natural world. I became interested in becoming natural by first seeing a friend go through the process. I also became interested in African and Indian cultures and the use of natural products while in college. This was part of wanting to grow and learn to accept my natural beauty and the amazing power or natural products.

Journey to Natural

I transitioned for a fairly long time. I trimmed my ends about once every 2 months until the perm was all gone. It was a drastic change to not have straight hair for me. It was a huge self confidence adjustment. I had to learn to accept myself and not hide behind a hairstyle. Learning new styles other than the wash and go surprisingly did not come until about after a year of being natural. My staple was a wash and do, always with a good moisturizer (coconut oil) and leave in (garnier fructis). I was so excited to begin to see my hair grow, curl, and gain strength. My hair has never been stronger and has never grown as long.

Biggest Reward

So my biggest reward as a African American female was gaining back the strength and beauty in the perception of my hair in its natural state.

Biggest Challenge

My biggest challenge was learning how to accept and handle my own hair. I had to become used to its texture, what it needed, how to care for it properly with no expectations and without hair envy or trying to achieve someone else’s look.

Regimen

My current regimen is kind of all over the place. I basically don’t have a set routine. I give my hair what it craves or needs when it needs it.

My everyday style is Wash and Go with a scarf. I use Olive Oil Ecostyler gel for my edges to style my wash and go.  I also use the gel in combination with the Vatika oil for my occasional braid or twist outs.

I deep condition about 3 times a month whenever I have time.

I usually change my hair monthly, meaning twist outs for a month, braid outs the next month, and then back to my good old wash and go.
I have recently learned that the more expensive a product is, does not mean that it works better.

Staple Products

Garnier Fructis (any products), the Dove intense moisture therapy line, the Suave Humectants line, Black soap for the occasional shampoo, and of course the Olive oil eco styler gel. All of which can be found at Dollar General, Wal-Mart or Target (or right here on Luxe Glam by clicking the picture of the product you are interested in or visiting the Hair Glam Shop)

My staple for life is pure (virgin, concentrated, and organic) coconut oil. My hair also loves Vatika oil, it is a mixture of coconut, lemon, amla, and henna. It has a very distinct smell, but it works wonders for my hair.

Advice For Newbies/Transitioners

A great tip is to always have a cover for your hair at night. I prefer the silk or satin bonnets. That helps your hair retain moisture and prevents breakage.

My biggest advice for anyone who is new to the natural world is to simple accept you! What works for someone else may not work for you. No one curl is the same as the next. Every texture has its own beauty and advantages.

Another tip is to have tons of patience, learn to deal with your hair on great days and horrible days, always have a scarf or two ready as well.

..........................................................................................................................

If you have any more questions or help, I am always more than happy to share any advice via my Facebook (Cindy Newbern) or email (cindy.newbern@gmail.com).

Love your Journey and it will Love you back!!!

More Pics Below..ENJOY!!

Wanna be a featured Naturally Glam Diva?? Send in your fabulous pics and tell me about your journey and how you get your hair so haute!

Buy all of your Beauty and Hair Products at Amazing Prices through My New Online Boutique/Shop!

The Glam Shops are located in the navigation menu right under the logo.

No more hopping from page to page trying to feed your product addiction or find a specific item! We have everything here from MAC Make-up to Henna...Yea I Said HENNA! :) YAY!

Check it out now and tell me what you think??

A week or so ago, I was on a massive hunt for new places I can buy henna from. I normally get it from mehandi.com but their shipping seems to take forever and I am a VERY impatient person. I decided to try HennaSooq.com after hearing about from one of my readers.(Thanks Girl..lol)

I checked out the site and was pleasantly surprised. Once I saw the prices, fast shipping and $1 samples of various products, I went on a mini-spree.

What I Bought:

6 boxes (600g) of 2009 Summer Crop - Body Art Quality Jamila Henna

300g of Amla powder to preserve my curls when I henna and also to keep my skin looking great.

,

Sample sizes of Indian Henna for Hair (wanted to see the difference), cassia, shikakai powder, soapnuts (all their samples 1 cent..you can't beat that!)

I'm most excited about reuniting with my henna boo (after 3 long weeks) and trying out my first shampoo bar.

Cocoveda Shampoo bar contains: henna, amla, shikakai, bhringraj, bhrahmi, nagarmotha, shea butter, and adding cocoa butter, sunflower oil, ginger essential oil, and coconut milk as superfat.

Aren't the ingredients just perfect??  I've been wanting to see whats so great about shampoo bars and this one seemed like the perfect one to pop my cherry with. lol  I'm going to try it out today or tomorrow and do a review for you guys. If I love it like I think I will, then I'm heading back over to the site to stock up.

I'm proud of myself for not buying up everything! I've been keeping my product junkie-ism under control these days. I guess I won't have to go to PJ's Anonymous now..lol

Go hit up the site and see if you can put your pennies to good use. In this economy you should never turn down (almost) freebies.

hennasooq.com

A week or so ago, I was on a massive hunt for new places I can buy henna from. I normally get it from mehandi.com but their shipping seems to take forever and I am a VERY impatient person. I decided to try HennaSooq.com after hearing about from one of my readers.(Thanks Girl..lol)

I checked out the site and was pleasantly surprised. Once I saw the prices, fast shipping and $1 samples of various products, I went on a mini-spree.

What I Bought:

6 boxes (600g) of 2009 Summer Crop - Body Art Quality Jamila Henna

300g of Amla powder to preserve my curls when I henna and also to keep my skin looking great.

,

Sample sizes of Indian Henna for Hair (wanted to see the difference), cassia, shikakai powder, soapnuts (all their samples 1 cent..you can't beat that!)

I'm most excited about reuniting with my henna boo (after 3 long weeks) and trying out my first shampoo bar.

Cocoveda Shampoo bar contains: henna, amla, shikakai, bhringraj, bhrahmi, nagarmotha, shea butter, and adding cocoa butter, sunflower oil, ginger essential oil, and coconut milk as superfat.

Aren't the ingredients just perfect??  I've been wanting to see whats so great about shampoo bars and this one seemed like the perfect one to pop my cherry with. lol  I'm going to try it out today or tomorrow and do a review for you guys. If I love it like I think I will, then I'm heading back over to the site to stock up.

I'm proud of myself for not buying up everything! I've been keeping my product junkie-ism under control these days. I guess I won't have to go to PJ's Anonymous now..lol

Go hit up the site and see if you can put your pennies to good use. In this economy you should never turn down (almost) freebies.

hennasooq.com

Welcome to the Year of the Dime!!  Take advantage of this new beginning to out-do whatever you were doing last year. Be more sassy, more vivacious, more centered, more healthy, more fit, more driven, more sexy, more fierce, more kinky, coily, curly, more GLAM. Anything that you failed to do in '09, you can do now. All the bad hair days, emotional Big Chops and beauty struggles are so last year so lets make new, better hair and beauty memories.

So on that note, I want to share with you all my Dime Year Resolutions:

1. I vow to get back to the shape and size I was back in my eye candy modeling days before I got married. I just realized that I'm almost in my mid-twenties so I want my body to be more banging than it has ever been.
2. My hair is already APL (Arm Pit Length) and my hair grows fast so I think getting to BSL (Bra Strap Length) is very attainable. I just have to keep up my regimen of regular deep conditioning treatments and henna as well as resist my urge to cut my hair.
3. By the end of the year, I want to have finished my novel and to have launched my natural cosmetic and bodycare line. My spouse gets on me all the time for putting off making my own products because it seems to be my calling.
4. Need to break my coffee addiction. Its gonna be the hardest thing in the world.
5. Lastly, Yoga and meditation need to become a daily part of my life again because it keeps me harmonious, stress-free and happy.

What was your New Year Resolution(s)? What are your hair/beauty goals for this year?