Did You Know? -A lot of commercial products have ingredients that dry out our hair.  For those of us with tightly coiled, kinky, curly, frizzy and  or fuzzy hair of  African descent, it’s the dryness that causes our hair to break leaving us feeling we can never grow our hair past a particular length.  Well, here’s a news flash “Our hair CAN grow” under the proper conditions of course!  Remember back in the 1980’s when the Jeri Curl was all the rage?  The biggest thing I noticed back when I had my curl (yes I had one too) was how much my hair was growing, and you know how much we had to activate, spray, and cover those drippy curls with a plastic shower cap!  Our hair was growing like weeds because just like a plant needs sunlight and water to grow so does our hair. In plain and simple terms people of African descent need moisture in our hair in order for it to grow; I like to call it the “Greenhouse” effect! Typically, greenhouses are made of plastic or glass, and the purpose is to trap as much light and heat as possible (just like the plastic shower caps with the Jeri Curls).  The plants and soil (like our hair and roots) inside the greenhouse absorb all the sunlight and then reflect it back out.   With more sunlight coming in and more energy being trapped, everything inside the greenhouse heats up further. The plants, soil and circulating air grow warm and moist. This process is called convection, which means that as the plants (hair) heat up, they release moisture. This moisture produces humidity within the greenhouse allowing the plants (hair) to flourish.   So does this mean we have to walk around with that plastic cap or drippy hair all day?   NO!!! Daily moisturizing with Coconut Milk is all that is needed to get the process started. Plastic caps can be used to increase the humidity which is an optimum environment for growth, but not a necessity to moisturize the hair.  Plastic caps should never be used on small children due to the suffocation hazard it posses. Last summer I put my theory to the test and made a product that would hold my natural curl pattern without frizzing up.  So during the summer months I wore my natural curly fro with my hair hanging to about my neck line and by September my hair was past my shoulders!   Now unlike the Jeri curl, you don’t need to over saturate your hair to the point where you are leaving a trail.   My routine typically was to wash my hair weekly with HBN’s Rosemary & Lemongrass Shampoo, & conditioner (coming soon),  then apply Bee Curlie to damp hair and moisturize as needed (usually every other day) with Coconut milk lotion.

As much as 60% of topical skin-care products are absorbed through the skin and into the bloodstream,” Says Dr. Nancy Lonsdrof, M.D. an Iowa-based physician, “They should be consumed with the same prudence that we use to choose our breakfast cereal.” – April 2006 issue of Women's Health Magazine. There are many toxic chemicals in cosmetic products that have been clinically proven to cause cancer, tumors, irritation and many different skin disorders.  Healed by Nature's products are now made without synthetic fragrance, and as always no paraben based preservatives, and artificial colors or any other unhealthy toxins.

Skin 101 - Skin the largest organ of the human body.  Our skin is divided into three major layers, the epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous tissue.  The top layer “epidermis” is the outmost layer that we use to touch and feel.  This layer protects us from harmful environmental agents like radiation, dirt, and bacteria.  Often abused and is the most visible.  The second layer “dermis” is the layer that provides the nutrition needed for the epidermis.  The third layer "subcutaneous tissue"  is a fatty layer that allows the dermis and epidermis to move freely.  All three layers contains elastin fibers and collagen that gives our skin the flexibility and strength.

Why Exfoliate? The skin cells of the epidermis grow constantly.  They divide in the lower level of the epidermis, as more cells divide they push up to the top layer where they die and flake off (shedding).  As we age the ability to shed dead skin cells naturally decreases.  As a result the dead skin cells stay on the top layer (epidermis) leaving your complexion dull and aged.  Dead skin can act like a sponge holding onto valuable moisture that can’t reach the lower layers of the skin where it is needed.  No matter what skin type you have a build up of dead skin increases the cell density which slows the cell division rate.

Exfoliating helps to remove the dead skin cell layer and makes you skin look healthier instantly.  Removing the dead dull skin layer reveals the new healthy layers below, which also means moisture and other vital nutrients can readily absorb into the other layers of the skin.

Granular exfoliation is an excellent way of removing those dead skin cells, and restore the moisture balance as well as feeding the skin nutrients rich in Vitamin A, E, F… from the butters, oil, sugar, dead sea and mineral salts used in our βodi-cure™ formulas.

Exfoliation should be apart of your weekly beauty routine, like going the hair dresser or getting your nails done. This should be apart of your grooming rituals.  Ladies take note men that shave there face daily is actually a form of exfoliation which gives them a more youthful appearance.  Heal your living skin with exfoliation!

Moisturizing

Why?  To seal in moisture keeping the skin soft, supple and youthfully beautiful.  Moisturizing should occur all year long to prevent dry aged looking skin.   Summer skin care should include products that provide protection against uva/uvb rays.