"Survivor" goes Natural!!

I don't really watch Survivor. There are just too many reality shows for me to keep up with, although I have enjoyed watching it in the past. As I was perusing Yahoo, I noticed pictures of the new cast and I THEN noticed the beautiful, "spoken word" poet, Semhar Tadesse.



*photo courtesy of CBS

We've got another natural on a CBS reality show. SCORE!

So go ahead and drool over her fluffy 'fro and watch her play "ditzy" on Survivor.


Natural Urbanista

USVI Birthday Vacation(oh and some stuff about my hair)

It's been entirely TOO LONG since my last post. I will get better....I promise.

As many of you may or may not know, I spent about 5 days for my birthday in the Virgin Islands; my first foray off of the mainland. And actually, my first REAL vacay in my adult years(I guess turning 30 served as my motivation). I had THE best time, so my departure from St. John was bittersweet. For anyone who has visited the island, you'll understand what I mean. But the great thing is I can always go back..... and I will. Next time, for a week or two.

I wasn't a beach person til this trip. I avoided it like the plague(blame it on my non-existent beach body). Now I'm a beach snob. I shall NOT set foot in water that isn't a pretty as the water I submerged myself in while swimming(well, technically laying) in the waters off of Honeymoon beach.



I mean seriously....can you blame me? :P

Okay, back to my hair. I had blown out my hair days prior to leaving and for the first few days; wore a Corinne Baily Rae inspired 'do.



By the time I took this pic, my hair was already expanding. Humidity AND wind, y'all. lolAnd about 2o mins later, it was pulled back into a massive puff. And I mean massive. Sorry, no pics of that. If only I could've photographed folks' expressions! :)

I eventually wanted to swim and pulled the hair in a single braid(which surprisingly stayed put), and did my thing. I tried to take some of my staples(Elucence MBC and shampoo, moisturizer, etc), and managed to make my little 3oz bottles work, but what I wasn't expecting was how HARD the water was. My hair felt HORRIBLE. Even with cowashing everyday. So needless to say, I did a major DT when I came home using One 'n Only Argan Oil Hydrating Mask(which I LOVE, btw....review coming soon!). I'm not sure if that salt water did my hair any good, as it supposedly is great for the hair, but when I DT'ed my hair, it was like butta.

I also found myself tiring of fighting with my hair(it just wouldn't stay DOWN) and pulled back into a wrap. Oh, and you know my hair FINALLY cooperated on the day of my departure, right? Figures. LOL!



So even with my temperamental hair, I had a wonderful time. The food, the CONDO I stayed in, the people, and just the beautiful and unspoiled nature of the island, which is like 60% national park.....perfect. So, if you've NEVER been there.....go. Oh and some advice:

• Don't decide to buy toiletries there. You will be set back quite a bit of green(my travel buddy learned their lesson, lol).
• Slather on that sunscreen!!! I didn't put on enough and I got sunburned. Hurt.like.HELL. And the peeling is SO not sexy.
• Spend your first day just walking around. You'll discover little gems on your excursions.
• If you can, rent a place with a full kitchen and make your own breakfast and lunch. Dinners are typically more expensive, but if you're only really spend on dinner, it balances out. Woody's is great for breakfast(massive pancakes...yum)! and Banana Deck had some of the best tasting food. Ate there THREE times!!
• Be courteous and say, "Good morning, afternoon, etc." Don't just say hello. Pleasantries will get you far better service with native islanders.
• And if you're used to hustle and bustle....get UNused to it down there. It's chill-paced. No one's rushing to do anything, so you'll need to readjust your 'tude and just ENJOY yourself! :)

Natural Urbanista

Is THIS why Ori Organics is on hiatus?

A fellow Naturalista mentioned on Twitter some weeks about how Ori Organics is no longer accepting orders right now. I was thinking I'd be fine since I still literally have half of a jar of my buttercream and half of my bottle of leave in that was purchased back in January(which is why I LOVE this brand, as they last me a LONG time). But THEN, after taking a break from using the buttercream(about a month) and switching to my Barry Fletcher product, I open my jar to see THIS:



Yeah. That's mold. And for reference, it's stored in my bedroom, AWAY from the moisture in my bathroom and I don't dip wet fingers into the jar for this very reason and scoop out a certain amount and put it in the cap when twisting my hair.

I'm guessing they're reassessing the preservatives used as it's not providing the full spectrum anti-microbial protection necessary in maintaining its shelf life.

Have any of my Naturalistas encountered this problem with this brand or another? What have been your experiences with "natural" products and spoilage?

Natural Urbanista

Use monistat on my hair?! Whaaaa?

Have any of my Naturalistas heard about this? I hadn't until a former coworker texted me some questions about how to care for her hair. She's transitioning and was looking at videos on YT on products, ingredients and how to mix her own products.

I'm going to say this with as much love and care as I can.... Do NOT mix OTC topical [drugs] that are generally meant for one thing, and use them for another UNLESS you've spoken to a dermatologist about its safety in doing so.

Okay, now....in looking at the ingredients, the inactive ingredients are generally okay:

Inactive Ingredients: Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil Base, *Benzoic Acid, Cetearyl Alcohol, Isopropyl Myristate, Polysorbate 60, Potassium Hydroxide, Propylene Glycol, Water (Purified), Stearyl Alcohol

*Is considered a preservative and inhibits the growth of yeast and mold, so while I wouldn't necessarily want this on my hair, it's a derivative of Benzyl alcohol, which is non-volatile and shouldn't affect the texture of your hair.

You can fine most of these ingredients in many of your hair care products. BUT, the MAIN active ingredient is Miconazole Nitrate, an ingredient used to treat the fungal infection(yeast). It's defined as the following(via WebMD):

Miconazole is used to treat skin infections such as athlete's foot, jock itch, ringworm, and other fungal skin infections (candidiasis). This medication is also used to treat a skin condition known as pityriasis (tinea versicolor), a fungal infection that causes a lightening or darkening of the skin of the neck, chest, arms, or legs. Miconazole is an azole antifungal that works by preventing the growth of fungus.

Now, upon doing a little more digging on WebMD, I also found additional information concerning uses for the ingredient:

Ringworm of Groin Area, Athlete's Foot, Ringworm of the Body, Fungal Infection of the Skin with Yellow Patches, Skin Infection due to a Candida Yeast.

If you have issues with dermatitis, then it's recommended to consult with a dermatologist for adequate treatment, NOT consult YT. And if my memory serves me correctly, the active ingredient in most shampoos used to treat seborrhea dermatitis is salicylic acid!!

While many of our fellow Naturalistas are helpful and mean well, many are not qualified in doling out advice of this nature. Especially if they aren't cognizant of the potential side affects of combining certain ingredients or the application of said ingredients/products outside of its/their intended usage.

You should NOT be using this product on your hair. NOT AT ALL. And if you're using this product and mixing it with other ingredients not knowing how the ingredients will respond because no pH test has been administered, or because you have no prior knowledge/information on the ingredients in general, this can potentially be a recipe for a hairtastrophe!!!

So ladies, before you go trying to play kitchen chemist, be careful and wary of every video telling you to mix PRE-FORMULATED [medicated] products with other pre-formulated products or other ingredients. It can be the difference between a head of healthy hair, and damage that canNOT be repaired.

Natural Urbanista