MAKE-UP MONDAY: Golden Bronze - Smokey Eye Make-up Look

http://prettygyrlessentials.blogspot.com/2015/06/make-up-monday-golden-bronze-smokey-eye.html

DIY Plug-In Air Freshener Refills

I love a house that smells fresh and clean, so often times I'd buy the Glade or Renuzit plug-ins for my outlets at home. They usually last barely 30 days and buying those refills for them can get a bit expensive, especially when you have several rooms in your home that you want to freshen up.

Over the past year or so, I've enjoyed essential oils for several different reasons and uses, so I keep them around. My favorites are lavender and anything with citrus notes. But honestly, I love them all, as they offer up so many medicinal purposes/benefits - and the aromatherapy benefits are awesome as well. I also use essential oils in my handmade body butters, sugar scrubs, candle melts, just to name a few. As I said, there are so many purposes and benefits to using essential oils. With that said and as it relates to my plug-in air fresheners, a light bulb came in my head one day and I thought, "Hey, let me try making my own refills by using the empty oil containers from the store bought wall units!"

Not throwing anything away, I pried open the little containers with pliers. I then added 25-30 drops of essential oil (I used lemon grass, lime and a citrus blend - 3 separate containers of course) and to that, I filled the remainder with water.  I replaced the tops with the little spongy stick thingys, gave them a vigorous shake and then snapped them back into the wall units. It took at least 30 minutes from the time I plugged them into the wall, that I began noticing the amazing aromas coming from my homemade plug-in air fresheners. IT WORKED!!!

I'm trying to tell you, you can save so much money by reusing and re-purposing things that you already have around your house. And it's much safer as well, not having the added chemicals and preservatives that store bought products have in them for the purpose of having a longer shelf life. Do your research and DIY (DO IT YOURSELF)!

Why I Strayed Away from Church but NOT God...

As I stand here cleaning and listening to J Moss Radio on Pandora, Hezekiah Walker is playing, "God Favored Me" I began to really get into it and starting singing along. I love that song and it's so true to my life - God favors me, ALWAYS! When I look back over MY life....Honey!!!! Anyways, I began thinking about church, as I always do and how I need to get back into fellowship, as I have strayed away for some time now.  However, NOT to be mistaken for straying from God, that I  DID NOT do...my relationship with God is strong and will remain to be. I simply stepped back from the people in the church and I feel like I have my reasons that is deeper than what's on the surface....but I won't get into that right now. 

However, let me say this; I had previously worked for my church for 7 1/2 years and I loved it there. And my pastor was and still is awesome, he and his wife... awesome people who have been like second parents to me. And even now, if they know that I'm in need of some sort of assistance, they are right there for me...STILL!  I adore them. So I have no issues with them, at all. My issue is with ungodly spirits in the church (generally speaking), worship that isn't real, I can go on and on...that bothers my spirit and it interferes with my worship. I'm not a perfect angel and I'm far from being innocent in any way. But I do have an issue with those people who are judgmental of others, acting as if their own ish don't stink. When the only difference between them and the next person, is that prior to stepping into church on Sunday morning, they nicely tuck their mess away into the closet until they get back home - keeping it hidden from the world. But GOD knows all and sees all!

Back to the matter at hand - we are all guilty of sin and we ALL fall short of His glory, each and everyday. But I feel offended by people who sit up in church day after day, week after week, with their "Praise the Lord" and "Hallelujah" but as soon as they step out of church, they are the most evil things, fake and phony. I understand that it might not be my business and I should worry about me and mine...I agree. However, God has equipped me with the spirit of discernment, and it's strong. And for  that reason, I discern others' spirits, whether good or not so good, to the point where it affects my own, because of it being such a distraction. If only I could put it into a more clear perspective for you. It's deep and a gift I'm grateful for, but is often a burden. I literally feel other people's energy (for the lack of a better word) and MAN! And now that I'm thinking about it, it may be the reason I've recently resorted into a bubble, barely having a social life....the spirits out here are REAL!

I got off track a bit. lol So as I was listening to my good old Gospel music, I was thinking, "I would love to be among true worshipers, that are not just in church on Sunday or whenever, just to say that they're in church. I want to be around people who have genuine love for Jesus...I want to be able to feel it." A lot of churches have gotten away from real worship and are now about performance and money,etc. And as I always say, you sitting up in church every Sunday does not make you more of a Christian than it does a person who is not in church regularly.

Meanwhile, though I understand the importance of fellowship, I've been enjoying praise and worship in the comfort of my own home. However, praying that God leads me to a place of worship that will feed my spirit as I need it. God is so good to me, STILL [in spite of my own mess] and I just want to enjoy the fullness of Him, every way that I can.

I know that I was all over the place...forgive me, but I hope that you see my very random point. lol 

Y'all be blessed!

My Natural Hair Journey

I've done several "Big Chops" in my life time, where I've gotten completely bored after coloring my hair as many shades as I possibly could and growing it to shoulder length or longer, over processing it with relaxers, etc. It wasn't until Fall of 2012 that I had gotten serious about my hair and being more conscious in caring for it.

At this time, I had colored my hair at least three different shades in a three month span, on top of my relaxers, that I felt I had to touch up every six weeks. My hair was FRIED! It looked great on the outside, but it was horribly damaged. It began shedding a lot and just did not respond to any products or styles as it should have. After serious thought and contemplation, I decided to do a "Big Chop", cutting my hair down to almost nothing, leaving barely an inch of hair on my head.

This was nothing new to me, cutting my hair very short; the issue would be staying away from the "creamy crack" that is better known as a relaxer. However, I knew that if I could get past three months without applying a relaxer to my hair, I had reached a very important milestone. And guess what? I did it and have been relaxer free since September of 2012. That was one of the best decisions I had made in my life.

Returning to your natural state and texture, as it relates to your hair, is often referred to a "natural hair journey" and that is exactly what it is, a journey. While on that journey, you  learn to love and embrace your natural texture, whether it is wavy, curly, coily or kinky - which can be challenging for some, especially if for most of your life, you wore a relaxer or some type of texturizer in your hair. But as you travel on your journey, you also learn so much about yourself during the process. For me, not only did I began researching more natural ways of caring for my hair, but it also awakened the desire in me to do the same for my health; mind, body and spirit.

I did use some of the store bought hair products for awhile and still do occassionally. But the more I conducted my research and found that so many harmful chemicals and ingredients were added to hair (and skin) care products, it prompted me to begin experimenting, coming up with formulas for making my own hair and skin care products, using virgin/organic butters, natural oils and essential oils.

One of my staple ingredients for almost everything that I make, is coconut oil. Coconut oil is great and has a wide array of uses, which includes cooking/baking, hair care, skin care, health benefits, etc (I'll post a separate blog soon about all of the benefits that coconut oil offer). My skin and hair respond to it so well, I absolutely love it!

Coconut oil can be used as a PRE-poo (deep conditioning prior to shampooing) for your hair, scalp treatments and hair moisturizer when used in moderation. And for the skin, so many benefits coconut oil offers - it also moisturizes the skin, has natural antibacterial agents and when used regularly, leaves the skin silky soft and smooth. When applied to the skin, your skin absorbs it with gladness. As mentioned, I will include an additional post, about all of the awesome benefits, uses and maybe even recipes, of/for coconut oil, at a later date.

My hair is much more healthier than ever before, thanks to the decision I made to return to natural almost three years ago. Yes, I do still color my hair but I will never use relaxers in my hair ever again, a personal choice. However, whether you choose to relax, color or just embrace your natural hair, just make sure that it's done in love and kindness. Nurture your hair, keeping it moisturized and conditioned well at all times, and keep your bodies hydrated...trust me, it makes a difference with your hair and skin. The health of our hair is just as important as our overall physical health. Show it LOVE!