KWW: Hair Rinses & Loc Maintence Ideas

Welcome back to Kitchen Witchin Wednesdays. this week I'm sharing with you the tool I use to keep my hair clean. I have locs and I can't use the regular (I mean I guess I could but I don't like to) shampoos and cleaners for my hair. I don't always have the time or the funds to purchase the super expensive ones i love either, so I have gone back to basics with my most basic of hair supplies.  And you probably have them in your kitchen already.

Doing hair rinses helps to promote scalp health & help to prevent further damage that is done by UV rays, pollution & our hair products.  Since the scalp is maintained by blood vessel that supply it with protein & other nutrients, the best recipes will work on the scalp itself.

When I was younger I learnt that if you had light colored hair( blonde) that using lemon juice on your hair will bring out your highlights.  I have since learnt that it's great for helping eliminate the extra oil from your scalp as well.

@deziner02 via SXC.hu

Highlight Rinse Recipe:
1 lemon with 1/4 cup water in a glass jar, shake well.

Use:
After shampooing, rinse your hair with this recipe then allow to stand in your hair for five mins. Rinse out with cool water.

Beer rinse for body & shine
Of course the most rumored & well known rinse of course is the beer rinse. To add body & shine to your hair, you can use a flat or stale beer to rinse your hair once a month.   The smell won't last long so don't worry about smelling like a brewery at work ( you could also do it on say a friday night or the weekend so by monday the smell will be gone).  The beer will add B vitamins & natural sugar to your hair which is what gives it the added shine.  Ehow, has a great how to guide for making your own beer rinse & explains the science a little more.

Split End Prevention (do this 2-3 times a week)
Olive oil, use a few teaspoon of oil on your hair ends to seal them & leave on overnight. You can rinse out in the morning if you need to.

Use coconut oil on the scalp to help with hair growth & to help release hair so it won't tangle & will be less likely to split as well.

Sub Damage Prevention
Apply Sesame oil to help protect the hair.  The sun can cause serious damage to the hair, especially during the summer months when we are running from ocean/pool to parties or a BBQ without covering out head.  The sun can dry out hair making it prone to being brittle & breakage.  Use the oil before going out, by massaging a few teaspoons (based on hair length, longer means a few more, shorter means a little).

Hair rinses:
Make hair rinse much like making herbal tea. Pout boiling water over a teaspoon of the herbs, steep for 10 mins, then strain. Massage into scalp as evenly as possible, allow hair to air dry. (You don't have to rinse the hair out) Use the rinse AFTER shampooing!!

Sage Rinse: helps to reduce oil buildup & promotes healthy hair. Use this rinse after shampooing for 3 weeks.
Birch Leaf Rinse: Helps to promote a healthy scalp & is believed to help prevent hair loss.  It also softens the hair & adds shine.  don't use on blonde or gray hair, it will darken the color,
Chamomile Rinse: Using the flowers, this rinse soothes & heals the scalp & gives hair a healthy shine,  Can also be used to lighten blonde hair.
Linden Flower Rinse: Best for dried out hair, especially for hair taxed by repeated dying or bleaching and is now brittle.  Promotes scalp health & circulation.  Use for six weeks for best results.

Deep Clean (Purifying Cleanser)
For a deep clean of my hair I use a apple cider vinegar rinse, the recipe I found here:

Can I say I was much like Chesca, shocked at how much gunk was still in my hair even though I washed it only a few days before.  What she didn't say and what I learnt later is that you should wash your hair after doing the treatment.  Since this treatment strips your hair you should only do it a few times a year. Chesca suggests twice a year, when i first learnt about it I did it every three months, by time I did it that last time my locs weren't in such a deep need, because of the next 'shampoo'.

Even if you don't have locs this is like using a clarifying shampoo on your hair, it cleans out the buildup of product that takes place over time.  Once I really learnt about loc maintenance for myself I started doing apple cider vinegar rinse every time I washed my hair.  And that's a simple recipe as well.

You simply need apple cider vinegar & baking soda.

Directions:

• Many people I know will coat their locs or hair with the baking soda allow it dry a little (first make a paste with water) 
• then fill a bucket or tub with the hottest water you can stand, then pour in about 1/2 cup to 1 cup of cider vinegar (base this on the length & thickness of your hair, for longer hair go for more)
• then starting with the ends of your hair dip then in the mix and continue adding more of your hair, the baking soda will pop & fizzle, once it stops add more of your hair, keep going until you feel all the baking soda is gone and no more reaction is taking place, make sure to get the front & back of your head as well.
• Rinse, with plain water, then shampoo/ or co wash as necessary (co-washing is using conditioner to wash your hair instead of shampoo, some claim it prevents the stripping of hair & helps with growth.)

Information gathered from many sources, including my own experience. The herbal rinses recipes & information from the Complete Natural Healing group 7, card 15


So there you have it.  These are some of the recipes in my arsenal for healthy hair.  Have you done any of these before?? Have a favorite recipe?? Share in the comments.

ARC Book Review: Down In New Orleans

Book Title: Down In New Orleans
Author: Heather Graham

Publisher: Open Road
Format: ebook, 

Cost: $7.69

Pages: 325

How I got it: NetGalley

My Rating:★★★★☆
Erotica Rating: ★★★★☆
Synopsis:

When artist Ann Marcel tries to help her husband Jon clear his name of a shocking murder charge, she steps into the shadowy and sensual New Orleans world of erotic clubs and after-hours jazz joints. Racing against time and the detective determined to send Jon to prison, Ann is soon embroiled in a fight for her life.

My Review:
It wasn't until I was searching for the links for this book that I discovered that it is a re-issue with a new cover & I'm sure some updating on the language& things like cellphones.  since i have never read it, I'm intrigued by it.

This is a different take on the typical Graham book, this time the woman isn't a cop, or even close to being a cop, she's an artist.  For a book placed in New Orleans the only Voodoo participant is a secondary character & there aren't any ghosts this time.  Ann is an artist & the ex-wife of an artist hersefl.

Ann's not a native of New Orleans, she's however fallen in love ( I mean who wouldn't it's New Orleans) with the city & made it her home, on what should've been a typical day, her ex shows up, late to their meeting and when she answers the door, he's covered in blood & almost dead, but he insists " I didn't do it, I didn't do it".   The cops seem to want an easy case, he's the most likely suspect but Ann can't accept that, the man she was married to would never do this & it's up to her to prove that to the cops.

Now I'm all for woman power, & doing what needs to be done; but I also know that barreling into a place where Angels fear to thread is a fool's gamble, yes eventually she did something right, but in the process she almost got killed, almost got several other people killed all to prove 1 person innocent. O_o. While I was reading on Goodreads I stated : "Sometimes I dream,  that idiotic characters get killed just so they learn their lesson the hard way. Your not a cop, even if you are right you shouldn't be a bigger idiot insisting on doing it your way."  Why trust complete strangers but not the cop, you may or may not be dating?!?!? 

I liked Ann, she was older, a mother a woman comfortable in her own kin, a little headstrong, & bullheaded but with a heart of gold. She cracked me up when she started taking lessons on dancing, even though she had never been a strip club before. Her inner monologue of how not to stand out had me cracking up.  Mark was a great guy, one who clearly knew himself & what he wanted, although he kept telling himself to leave Ann alone he just couldn't.  Together they just fit & I liked it, I loved knowing they had great loves before & weren't necessarily unhappy people until they met each other.  Mark's granddaughter was cute & provided the necessary levity when needed. 

There were several viable prospects as the villain, from the smooth (almost too smooth) strip club owner, to the cop who might be dirty, to the cousin who was also a little smooth. I mean it jumped from person to person, depending on the layers being revealed, which of course kept me glued to it.

The villain in this novel took the concept of keep your friends close & your enemies closer. I so didn't know who to suspect but still wouldn't have picked them as the one. Just didn't see it at all.  I loved the slow burn of the romance, especially their visit to the bayou. Can I get one of those please?? I didn't know the difference between Cajun & Creole but it explains so much now. 

It's a really good story & a great read.  I loved it. It's of course by one of my favorite authors, so it's well worth reading.  

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***FTC Rules require I state that I received this as a review copy for free from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest & unbiased review**** 

Erotica Book Review: With This Collar

Book Title: With this Collar Mastered Book 1
Author: Sierra Cartwright

Publisher: Ebound
Format: ebook

Cost: $5.18

Pages: 167

How I got it: Author

My Rating:★★★★☆
Erotica Rating: ★★★★★
Synopsis:

Book one in the Mastered Series Julia Lyle will have nothing to do with domineering men, no matter how tall, dark, and sexy. But Dom Marcus Cavendish will be satisfied with nothing less than collaring the fiercely independent Julia. Nothing could have shocked her more… Julia Lyle is invited to her best friend’s wedding and is stunned when Lana kneels to accept her husband’s collar. When Julia starts to object, firm, relentless hands land on her shoulders. The man behind her threatens to turn her over his knee if she interrupts. She’s outraged, but there’s no doubt he’s serious. After the ceremony, he offers her a glimpse into her friend’s lifestyle, if she’s brave enough to accept. Master Marcus Cavendish is everything she doesn’t want in a man—dominant, self-assured and arrogant. So why can’t she resist him? Telling herself that learning about the lifestyle will make her a better friend, Julia agrees to submit to Master Marcus, but only for the evening. Firm and unrelenting in his handling of her, he introduces her to his tawse and the pleasure/pain of a spanking delivered by a competent Dom. The experience unnerves her, making her question everything she thought she knew about relationships, and his forced orgasms leave her shattered. No doubt the scene seduced her, and that makes her doubly determined to avoid him. She has fought hard for her freedom and vowed only to date nice men, and Master Marcus is anything but safe. Marcus is undeterred. Julia is a natural sub. The way she responded to his touch, his voice, his punishment proved it. Now he has to convince her to yield to him, submitting to his tawse as she kneels to accept his collar.

My Review:
Holy Hotness Batman!! I remember reading Sierra's Dangerzone from the Hawkeye Series. ( I constantly re-read it, because woozer that Dom is hot!!) It's a good, well written story &amp it flows well, the characters were realistic and very good together.  So when she mentioned that she had gotten her author's copies in of her newest book, I was all over it.  My only other information about the story was "do you like hardcore BDSM"??  Do I ??!! Hell Yeah!! O_o  I do  have to say was good Goddess it is HOT!!

I'm glad I had no preconceived notions about the book, but then the book would have kicked them to the curb anyway.  It's only a little less than 200 pages. It took me 3 days because life just kept intervening.  Sierra managed to do an introductory BDSM while showing the possibilities of sub life, she captured just how (boring) & necessary all the talking can be while still making it erotic not an easy task but one that is done rather well if you ask me.  Master Marcus did well in showing Julia the different types of types of relationships that were there & allowed her to set the pace while still being the Dom.

That first scene at the wedding was both touching & hilarious because of Julia's reaction. Her inner monologue sounded a lot like mine, which is probably why I like her so much.  I liked that she was willing to take a chance & learn something new.The scenes between Julia & her Dom were good, I mean really good ( and realistic). My favorite part has to be her learning to put the Dom's feelings first, even her reactions to it were very real & right on point for the character's previous behavior 

I loved that Master Marcus made the dungeon specifically for Julia & that even though he's had a bad relationship he was still willing to move forward when he realized that Julia was it for him.  I loved that Lara was so real with Julia and made her see the truth without being a know it all.  That final scene when she slipped in " as many over the knees as you desire" had me cracking up, still hanging on to her independence even while submitting.

I do know I would love to read Lana's story & I can't wait to read Master Damien's story & of course Gideon's as well.   Those stories should be ...well let's just say 'fun' is too tame a word.  I can't quite convey how good the story is. You'll have to read it don't just take my word for it.

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***FTC Rules require I state that I received this as a review copy from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review**** 

Erotica Book Review: Good Cop, Bad Cop

Book Title: good Cop, Bad Cop
Author: Lily Harlem

Publisher: Amazon Digital Services
Format: ebook

Cost: $3.99

Pages: 237

How I got it: Kindle Freebie via Author

My Rating:★★★☆☆
Erotica Rating:★★★★☆ 
Synopsis:

Fame and fortune is a blessing that, for me, has changed its taste from sumptuously sweet to murderously bitter. Leaving me no choice but to look over my shoulder at every turn and question the scruples of even my most faithful friends. I would give up all the glowing adoration from my fans in a heartbeat in exchange for not running for my life. But fate doesn’t deal cards that way, and instead I find myself far out at sea and being bounced between two hot cops—one so chilly just his glance gives me frostbite, and the other showing a kindness that barely covers his own demons. So with nowhere else to turn, quite literally, I have to trust two men I hardly know with my life and cope without the luxuries my status usually affords me. But it’s not long before I discover when the going gets tough, the tough get going. Turns out these cops are not only the wrong guys to mess with, they also have partnership skills above and beyond the requirements of their day job. And for once, while just being me without the frills, I get to discover that they are as sinfully bad as they are dreamily good in every department, and it seems, I am the one they want cuffed and controlled at the same time as they are protecting and serving.

My Review:
An erotic quick read.  This book has some seriously erotic scenes & then some random 'action' scenes. India Moore is a country & western singer who has been receiving a few pieces of hate mail, recently they have increased in number & their threats have gotten worse. As time passes she become increasingly agitated & paranoid, so much so that when she is at dinner with friends she thinks she is being followed and jumps out the bathroom window.  While running from a stalker India climbs on to a random boat & luckily for her it belonged to two cops Jose & Dillon.  Jose is starstruck when his favorite country & western musician India is found on his boat, he is willing to do whatever necessary to keep her safe.  His friend Dillion however isn't fond of celebrities because the ones he had to work with were too high maintenance for his taste; which made him a bit harsh with India when he discovered who she was. Jose & Dillion decide to help her even though Dillion isn't on board at first.

Dillion at the start was a little bit of a jerk because she was a case when he needed some serious down time. Then when he's faced with giving her up he decides that he rather take care of her himself.

It was good, the erotica took over the story (you will hear no complaints from me that's what I'm here for).  The stalker angle was good it helped move the story ahead; giving the heroes a chance to be 'heroes'  I particularly loved the Dominant in the situation & then I'm left wondering if there is going to be another story, based on how it ended. That shower scene?? Yeah all kinds of hotness.

Cons:
Although the stalker angle allowed them to meet, when it kept cropping up during the story it broke the continuity.  I get it, you want to indulge in each other but with your life on the line & you have no idea who the criminal is, why not call for help??  Why not return to land where you can get some back up & take on the case more seriously? Then there is trusting this random stranger to tell them where to go??  How do you know it wasn't a set-up with more than one assailant??

The random guy we tracked them down?? India not listening & putting them all in danger?? It just didn't go with the story.  I think it should have just stayed an erotica, with the action kinda taking place in the background or off stage. Putting it in didn't really spice up the story; especially because the end seemed rushed to just hurry up and get him out of the way.  While I really liked the erotica/love affair, I could have done without the 'action'.

It's a good romp & a quick read. Enjoy!!

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Erotica Book Review: Anything For Him

Book Title: Anything for Him

Author: Lily Harlem & Natalie Dae

Publisher: Mischief
Format: ebook

Cost: $2.99

Pages: 175

How I got it: Author 

My Rating:★★☆☆☆
Erotica Rating: ★★★☆☆

Synopsis:

Just how far will one woman go to fulfil her fantasies? I prefer to chase the news, not be the news. But when the delectable Liuz, with his uncannily accurate perception of my secret desires weaved its way into my life, it wasn’t long before I was in way too deep, submerged and intoxicated with a passion I was afraid was more than I could handle. Or was it? Because although my heart was overwhelmed with feelings I had no resistance against, and while my deceitful body was consumed by a burning passion, I still had a plan. A plan I prayed would keep me afloat as I was pushed to the very edge of my limits, while the journey got tougher than even my wildest flights of fantasy could have imagined. I claimed him and I felt that he was rightfully mine. My heart simply couldn’t beat without a permanent connection between our hearts, minds and bodies. Losing was not an option, not when my sanity depended on winning him. Because I would, quite literally, do anything for him.

My Review:
                              *****~~~~~~~~May contain a few spoilers~~~~~~~~~~*****

I'll admit that I didn't read the premise at first, I simply saw the cover, & it's from one of my go to authors, hells yeah I'm going to read it. Alright, the cover?? Smoking hot, the synopsis?? Sounds amazing. The execution?? Yeah not so much. My initial thoughts were "Holy crap it's a Lily Harlem book, this going to be awesome!!". *starts reading*

First few chapters, the book is good, Hannah (the female lead) is having fun seeking out her kink, now that is cool, she's found a man she can share her fantasies with and she is going all in. Woohoo, hot fun, kinky stuff...okay a little strange, but hey we all get down differently  (this is when she prints off ten copies of his picture, and rolls around on the floor masturbating to it)...  Then out of nowhere the book went left.

As I read I'm thinking okay, it's not kosher but everyone becomes a little stalkerish when they first start to date someone...no wait, she's ...wait...she really has become a stalker.  I mean you ask your friends who know him/her everything you can get on them, you might check out their facebook page, but this is a whole other level. She went to his house, climbed up on the flowers and watched him, then when she almost got busted, had to cut her hair and dye it so he wouldn't know it was her & there begins the lying & sneaking around. O_O  Okay WOW WOW (peter griffin voice) Hannah is now clearly a few ladles short of a full bucket. I just can't....

Yeah at the beginning, I was all about the story, it had a strong kink flavor & clearly very hot, then somewhere along the way it hung a left into weirdsville & headed straight down stalker drive & jumped the curb onto Batshyt Crazy Hill.  I mean girl was stalking him, ... I feel like I wondered into a Lifetime "what not to do " movie.  Hannah clearly isn't all there & poor Luiz has NO idea the kind of  woman who has attached herself to him.  Not that Luiz himself is a stand-up guy, he lied about where he lived, about who he was & what he did.  Then when in trouble decided to trade his 'girlfriend' to make his payments to some seriously bad guys.  Little miss stalker watched this happen & showed up. Okay I'm all for ride or die with your man, & I thought it's ok because he told her & she showed up knowing what was going to happen. Everything that happened after that just made no sense to me & killed the mood of the story. It went from having fun & kinky sex to being used (well if you know about it and show up that's agreeing to be used so that's okay) but then she described him first as a dangerous looking guy & it turned her on, then when it comes time to do the deed, she doesn't like him anymore, but still goes thru with it because of Luiz, who also doesn't like the guy & doesn't want her near him. If nobody wants to have sex but does it anyway, where is the fun??

Hannah went full-on-stalkerville after that; & it was hard to finish reading because it was no longer a fun sexy read, but the inner workings of crazy stalker especially with what she does in the end of the book.  I knew she was going to do some crazy shyt when she mentioned that she didn't want him moving on to other women. I just knew only crazy could come after that statement & she definitely made it come out.   I have to admit that I really good chuckle (no that's a lie) it was a full belly incredulous laugh because I just couldn't believe it, she better NEVER get mad or be stupid enough to say anything about what she did because without a doubt he will kill her!!

The sex scenes were hot until everything else happened & then it became just creepy, slimy & debase. There is a fun debauchery & then there is this.  I kept asking myself how could this story have gone so far left.  I kept thinking did the author put the book down, leave for several months then come back??? It's two different tones, two different writing ideas, hell it should be two different books then I looked at the cover...ahhhh that explains it, there are two authors.

2 1/2 stars (steamy with potential) for the sex scenes but the rest of the book killed what should have been an awesome erotica.

Why not read and see if you find the same things & come back & let me know.

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***FTC Rules require I state that I received this as a review copy from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review****