New Reviews Are Coming...

Just to let you know,  I haven't been slacking on reviews. They were slacking on me. Apparently, I will need to check my Tomoson Account every now and then to make sure it's intact. After a few weeks of not hearing back on products I'd applied to review, I went over and noticed that most of my social network accounts had just disconnected from Tomoson. ~shrug~

Anyway, once I fixed the connections, I started getting accepted for products to review. The best thing to come out of that bit of inconvenience is that I discovered another site where I can find things to review. I will tell you guys more about that in another post. For now, I wanted to give you a peek at what I have coming up soon...

• Grapefruit E.O.
• Peach Kernel Oil
• A "Greek Remedy" oil
• Clove Leaf E.O.
• An E. O. blend for anxiety & stress relief
• An E.O. diffuser/humidier
• Another brand of Blackstrap Molasses
• A home gym exerciser 

I'm excited about all these, and especially the oils (because you guys know I have a thing for those!). I'm trying to find some different kinds of E.O.s to review since we hear quite a lot about the usual suspects. The diffuser/humidifier has been fun to try out, and I'm looking forward to the exerciser - which is supposed to be a simple and easy to use product. 

As always, I am looking around for other products to review. I've got my Wish List as far as the hair and beauty stuff goes. As far as the E.O.s, I'm thinking Black Pepper, Bergamot, Sage, etc. I'm pretty interested in another oil I've been hearing so much about (called Kukui Nut Oil). Will have to keep looking around for availability.

I really want to start doing some reviews for various cosmetics. I have trouble finding good (and affordable) makeup, and bet I'm not alone... 

The last time I found a foundation I loved, I was so busy doing other things that I never really gave the product a decent review. So... Maybe I will dedicate one post a month to a lipstick, foundation, eyeliner - something. 

In the meantime, I have turned a lot of my friends and family on to the molasses ever since I reviewed the Plantation brand. The red palm oil is another product most of my relatives had not heard of. 

Can't wait to get going on these products so I can get the reviews out there. If anyone knows of something that I should take a look at, please do let me know.

Peace

--Free

**REVIEW** Plantation Brand Blackstrap Molasses

Let me start this by pasting in what I shared on Google Plus back on the 18th of February:

The fatigue has been serious for a few weeks now. The ferrous sulfate docs give me causes constipation (yeah, sorry). 
Today, while at the infusion center, another patient (older lady visiting from Georgia) reminded me of an old remedy for "tired blood". 
Her: Where are you from, baby? Me: Texas, but raised here in Alaska. Her: Your mother from Texas and you never heard of using 'strap? Me: (Thinking of whoopings I got) Yes, ma'am. Strap, switch, belt... Her: No, honey. Blackstrap Molasses! 
And then I did remember! And I_hated_ that ' strap as much as I hated whoopings. I have learned in the past few years how to mask the taste of things that are good for me. 
I dragged my behind to the store after treatment and picked up some 'strap! 
I swear this is the same slavery time brand my mother used! 😲
I got home and slept for 4 hours, woke up and made some coffee and added a spoon of the 'strap (and I'm always going to call it that!) 
Still dog tired, but I'm going to keep adding 'strap to my coffee and see if it helps.

I'm drinking some in black tea now. After this, bed. 😴😴😴

#fatigue#chronicdisease#sarcoidosis #lifeisstillbeautiful#iamblessed#iamjoyful#nothingsgoingtobreakmystride#naturalhealthremedy#workedformymama #plantationblackmolasses #plantationseriously#evenauntjemimagotamakeover


Yes, it was like that. Here is the brand of molasses I'm talking about:

Okay, aside from my jabbing at the brand's name, I have to tell you what an impact this product has made on my life.

The very next day (after taking that first dose of 'strap), I put another 1/2 tablespoon in my morning coffee. Even though I felt much better than I usually do after an infusion, I knew I was going to have to find another way to get my 'strap dosage. It was not bad in coffee, but made it a little heavy tasting. Later, while looking up more information about molasses, I ran across a more delicious way to get my daily dose:

Tablespoon of the molasses in bottom of a coffee cup
Couple of drops of hot water to cover the molasses (to soften/thin it)
Stir the water and molasses
Add 8 ounces (or more) of your choice of cold dairy or soy (I use vanilla soy)
Stir well and enjoy
(Of course, I modified the recipe and will sometimes drop in a frozen cube of coconut milk! )

To me, the taste is like chocolate. Like I said, I have added a cube of coconut mile, but I also enjoy this as a warm drink before bed. At any rate, mixed with the soy, the molasses takes on a whole new (better) flavor. I bet parents could probably get their kids to drink it. Check with your doctor first!

The best thing about getting my energy from the molasses is that I don't get the constipation that iron pills cause. I thought it might be because of the added dairy/soy, but I found that BSM is used as constipation reliever. Also, it's just nice not to have one more pill to deal with.

Even if you're not concerned with fatigue, there are lots of uses for 'strap (I kind of knew about baked beans, but forgot all about BBQ sauces!):

• Considered an affordable "superfood"
• Uses of, varieties of, and other info on BSM
• 11 ways to use blackstrap (BBQ sauce included here)
• Cookie and bread recipes
• Light vs Dark molasses. Some info for cooking.
• Using for hair. Unsulphered vs sulphered molasses
• A recipe using cocoa powder.
• Blackstrap is vegan, apparently.
• Some vegan recipes (including a BSM one)
• As a remedy for acne (stroll down)

The brand that was available at my local health food store was Plantation (yeah), but I did find a more affordable brand (with slightly different nutrient levels) on Amazon. As far as I can tell, 'strap will "keep" for  up to 4 months or more without losing quality.

Plantation label

Golden Barrel label

Since there are several brands, I am going to be making future purchases based on nutrition labels (I've order the Golden Barrel brand), taste, and price. Availability here in Anchorage is limited to our health food stores (as far as I know) but, depending on where you live, you might be able to find it in grocery stores. I'm pretty sure my mother and grandmothers living in Texas weren't hitting Whole Foods in the '60s and '70s!

If you know of more information about 'strap, let me know.

Peace

--Free

Chop Chop

So...

Between my meds and either that temp straightening and an overdosage of supplements, my hair was a mess. Thicker at the root (yay), but ragged at the ends (boo).

I know how to let go of stuff.go. So I just chopped all my hair off. Well, not all. I did leave about and inch and a half. And I only left that much so that I could put in place my new plan for regrowing a healthy head of hair.

I tried to find my other pictures - you know the ones we keep of our younger and better looking selves? I remember having the healthiest head of hair ever. I could wear it straight, curly, wet, pony-tailed, bunned... I could actually just shake my fingers through it and walk out of the house and attract positive attention.

Not missing my younger years as much as I am not having to work so hard to have healthy hair.

Anyway.

My PLAN is this: I've chopped off my hair and I'm going to baby it like a rented Ferrari. I'm fine with very short hair. I've learned how to wear hair scarves and other accessories to feel nice about my appearance. However, I know that I'm going to want some versatility so I'm going to occasionally wear clip-in extensions. I chose human hair in the kinky/curly set. My niece actually walked me through choosing the hair, the clips, and instructions. 

Oh PAUSE! First I have to mention a particular store (other than Sally's Beauty) where I used to love shopping at for hair care supplies. It's called Queen's Beauty Supply in our local Northway Mall and is the sister store of one called King's Beauty Supply. I've been going in there off and on for over a year. When I went to pick out the supplies I needed to do these clips, I chose a bag of 14-inch hair that was $10 more expensive than the 10-inch hair I could have used. I didn't realize this until I walked out of the store, got five feet away and my niece (still on the phone) mentioned it. So, I turned around and walked back into the store and asked about doing an exchange. The response: "No cash refund. Just store credit." He didn't even try to be nice about it. Basically, he pointed to a sign tacked at KNEE LEVEL - seriously, it was that low down on the wall. (BTW, I had paid with a debit card.)

Now, my niece said that I overreacted when I told her I would never shop there again. Maybe. Maybe not. At any rate, I think it was short of good customer service. I can always order via Amazon now that I know which brand stuff to buy.

Moving along.

The reason I chose using clip-ins is because I recently learned that they can be used in protective styling. I'd stayed away from anything to do with sewing and glue because I don't want to damage my hair. That's the opposite of my goal. (I've used a glue-in weave once. Loved wearing it. Hated the mess of getting it out. And it did a bit of tearing.)

There are several online resources that mention using clip-ins as a protective styling method. Black Hair Information shares tips and tricks for blending the extensions into your own. Black Naps also looks at some pros and cons. Black Girl Long Hair offers links to products. 

This is going to be my planned routine:

• Wearing lots of oils and leave-in treatments at night. (Coconut Oil, Jojoba Oil, etc.)
• Shampooing once a week (with mild, moisturizing and low-protein shampoos).
• Deep conditioning (meaning with a cap or with heat) once a week.
• Trimming once a week. (Something I don't do often enough)
• Taking regular vitamins daily (including my 1 Tbl of molasses.
• Trying to rest more.
• Cutting back on coffee.

My niece walked me through choosing the right hair and supplies, but she's not hear to walk me through the actual process of making the finished product. Thank goodness for YouTube and, in particular, the Mayvenn videos. 

This is the video I am going to be using as my reference when I get started.

                                             

I will try to come back often to post on my progress. Once I actually cut off my hair, I had that moment of panic (I always have that moment) and thought, "Oh crap! WHAT did I do???" But you know what? When DJ saw my hair (or lack of) all he cared about was whether or not he and I were going to play with his cars or G.I. Joes. Long hair, short hair, that baby don't care!

Here's to the journey..

Peace
--Free