The Pursuit of Healthy Hair

As a youth, I always loved to style hair. I styled my own hair, my sisters’ hair, and the hair of friends. In high school, I decided that I wanted to become a hair stylist after graduation. I signed up for a program that would allow me to find out what Cosmetology was all about. Surprisingly though, I didn’t get the opportunity to do much “hair” while in Cosmetology class because we had to learn everything else as well…Go figure! Anyhow to make a long story short, I changed my decision about becoming a stylist and ended up attending college and becoming an Electrical Engineer of all things! LOL. But I never lost my love for hair and always dreamed of at least opening a salon/spa one day.

So, now here we are about 15 years plus down the road since those dreams of becoming a hair stylist and today I’m a newly natural hair girl who loves her curls! So, my thoughts on hair and hair care today are significantly different than what they were years ago when I was a long haired relaxed chick! :-) Today my beliefs about healthy hair go deeper than just healthy “looking” hair and have morphed into the overall idea that both what I put ON my hair and IN my body affect my hair. As a result, I like to focus on organic store bought and homemade concoctions that promote the growth of healthy hair and eating healthier for overall hair health. It’s been a journey that I’ve been on since those happy hair days as a youth but this new phase is something that I pride myself on doing because I know that my health is not being negatively impacted anymore by the chemicals in the products that I use on my hair/scalp.

For the future, my new goal is to promote healthy hair through the development of organic hair products and eventually open a natural salon where your mind is eased by the products that we use and promote. So, I hope that you’ll continue to check back in to learn healthy hair tips, style tips, product reviews, the progress against my own hair goals, and for any little tidbit of information I may want to discuss about hair…LOL. And along the way I hope that you will feel free to comment and share your hair stories as well!!

What's the Meaning of Life?

What can I say about life? Well, I am deeply enchanted with life! Why? Why not?! It’s a beautiful thing and I love mine. My life has not been all roses and lovely things. There have been thorns, bumpy roads, setbacks, hurt and disappointment but in the end there is nothing but JOY because I am living! I am making my way and there are so many people in this world that will never have the experiences I’ve had or say they’ve done the things I’ve done. This is MY life!

No matter what is happening in YOUR life at any given moment, the next day is a new day to start fresh! Your life is unique because no matter how many experiences you have, no other person will have those same exact experiences. This makes your life valuable to others because you can offer insight, opinions and experience that others have no firsthand experience about. You are the keeper of unique knowledge and understanding, which comprises YOUR LIFE!

In my day-to-day life, I try to always stay positive…to reflect…to embrace the good and the bad…to learn…to experience new things…to enjoy each day, hour, minute and second! Am I always chipper and spreading peace and love? That’s a resounding -- NO!! LOL, but when those down times hit I try not to stay there for too long because there is always someone somewhere wishing they could live the life that I’m living and that puts things in perspective for me.

So, in terms of what I want to discuss on my blog in regard to life – I want to talk about my experiences, my highs and my lows, what brings me joy and what brings me sadness, my inspirations and my want to inspire others, God in my life, my goals, my aspirations, my purpose and how all the things that I’ve learned can somehow help YOU! Why? Because part of my purpose in life is to help others!

Quote of the day: “Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome.” – Booker T. Washington

Stay tuned, my friends… :-)

L...O...V...E!!

I love LOVE. I love the idea of love, I love loving another person that you know loves you back, I love receiving love, I love expressing and showing someone my love for them, I love the love you feel from family and the unconditional love you should feel from a partner – so yeah, I love LOVE! LOL. God even said that out of faith, hope and love, that love was the greatest of these. Here’s a little scripture to support my cause, I’m not making this up…LOL. Corinthians 13 says:

“1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

 13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

Ok, so now we know how wonderful and important love is but sometimes “love” isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be. Sometimes you want to love and the person just doesn’t deserve your love. Sometimes you want so badly to be loved by someone else and they just can’t show you or give you what you need in return. Sometimes family, although blood related, doesn’t know how to express love or never showed you (or taught you) the real true meaning of love. Maybe you don’t know what love really means or how it feels or if you’ve ever experienced it before. Or maybe you know all about it and just want to reinforce the wonderfulness that is love by reading about it and trying to learn and make sense of it all. Well, my goals in regard to LOVE are to explore what it is, what it’s supposed to be, and what it’s not.

So, who am I in terms of determining what's meaningful in regards to love and why you should listen to anything I have to say about it?! Well, I’m not cupid and I don’t have a degree in love from a prestigious university (if there is such a thing…LOL) but what I do have is experience and I am always on the hunt for understanding! I have loved deeply and I have also entered into relationships and thought that I was in love but wasn’t, I have been engaged a few times yet never married (still working on that...LOL), I have been told I was loved and experienced love from others, I have felt unconditional love for another person, I have done things “in the name of love,” and I also know what it feels like when love is right (and unfortunately, wrong) and I’m patiently waiting for a man to show me that same love in return….So, I’ve got life experience with love and I love how it’s influenced my life in positive ways and how it’s made me make changes in my life. But in saying all this, let's remember that love never fails! People tell me all the time that I should write a book about my crazy “love” stories but how about a blog instead!? LOL. Stay tuned for interesting stories along the way and insight into this thing everyone is talking about, L-O-V-E!

I Have A New "Saying"

The other night I was catching up on shows I had previously DVR'd and I watched one of my favs, Grey's Anatomy...At the end of the show, McDreamy (do they even call him that anymore? lol) and Meredith are lying in bed and they were spending a few quality moments together after a full day of work in the hospital. After a rant about her (Meredith's) life and the possible things that could go wrong in it McDreamy says to her, "Whatever happens, happens! Let's just live!"

Now, why was this line so significant to me you ask!? Well, I'll tell you... :-) It was so simple but powerful in it's own rite, with the most powerful part being "LET'S JUST LIVE." Too often, we don't live in the moment and we don't take the time to just "be." Instead, we try to decipher, control and/or respond to situations in our lives.  But sometimes the best response is just to live and experience whatever is, whatever is to come, and/or whatever it is that you don't understand. Life is about learning and living and experiencing! We should all try to do more of it instead of worrying about what's coming up next...So, to all of you I say, "Whatever happens, happens! Let's just live!"

TTYL,

KHurly Girl

Ask KHurly Girl

Need someone to talk to? Someone unbiased, knowledgeable, and understanding...Well, I'm available so...Let's Talk!

Email your questions to me at lets.parlez@gmail.com, subject line "Ask KHurly Girl"

Sometimes...

...things just don't go as planned -- your relationships, your career, your life in general! But isn't living all about learning and making new decisions when the old ones don't seem to fit or are changed against "our will?" Maybe those plans were never supposed to happen as YOU planned them? Maybe things are going just as they were supposed to happen in the first place? Or maybe your "will" changed things to be as they have come to be?

Any way you look at it --that's life! Things don't go as planned at times...Sometimes you have to roll with the punches...Life changes and evolves, and sometimes becomes something different than what you really "planned" for yourself. It's all a part of this life!

So, what are you supposed to do about it? I say, sit back and enjoy the ride! Maybe this new plan is even better than what you had initially planned!

- KHurly Girl

Ask KHurly Girl

Need help with relationship problems? Problems with friends, family, or on-the-job issues? KHurly Girl provides solid, down-to-earth personal advice. Like a good friend or simply as a caring soul, she will be straightforward and call it like she sees it!

You can email your questions to lets.parlez@gmail.com with the subject line "Ask KHurly Girl." The most interesting letters will be posted on Let's Parlez.

What's For Dinner?

Recipe of the Month: Baked Salmon with Tomatoes, Spinach and Mushrooms (See www.kraftfoods.com)

Prep time: 10 mins, Cook: 25 mins, Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 4 - 4 oz. salmon fillets
• 2 cups chopped spinach
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 1/3 cup Kraft Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette Dressing

Directions:

1. Place salmon fillets, skin sides down, in 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.
2. Mix remaining ingredients until well blended; spoon over salmon.
3. Bake at 375 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes or until salmon flakes easily when tested with fork. Yield: 4 servings

Substitutes: Use red snapper or orange roughy fillets in place of salmon.

What did KHurly Girl think about this dish? I loved it! Very flavorful and easy to prepare. After trying the salmon and the orange roughy both for this recipe; the orange roughy seemed to be even more flavorful than the salmon. There are plenty of short cuts also -- for example, purchase bagged chopped spinach, pre-sliced mushrooms, and sun-dried tomatoes can even be substituted. The perfect meal for a family on-the-go, people with children, and those trying to incorporate healthier alternatives into their diet. There is even room to try different dressings/marinades and still end up with a good result. Be creative and enjoy!!

Response from KHurly Girl

Dear KHurly Girl,

I need some motivation. I just feel like I'm not doing enough with my life; everyday is the same. I want more excitement out of life. You know? I'm feeling like this just isn't enough for me. I really don't know what my problem is, maybe it's work or other things, but everything just seems to piss me off lately. Can you help me, I need some advice?!

-- Stephanie B.


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Response to Stephanie B.,

I understand exactly how you feel, we all have moments like this at times. Trust me, you're not alone and feeling this way is completely normal. And definitely as a woman, I can say that sometimes we have them at least once a month. LOL. Ok, but seriously, sometimes the pressures of everyday life and responsibilities make it hard to find time for pleasure and fulfillment in our lives. I'm not sure of your exact situation but everything from relationships, to children, to careers, etc., will play a role in how we achieve balance in our lives -- trying to keep a certain level of excitement versus dealing with these everyday stresses. Don't get me wrong though, I'm not implying that your relationship or children or career or whatever is a "stress" but at times those aspects of our lives can be demanding and you have to make time for yourself when you feel those demands weighing on you. We all need time to relax and focus on what else the Universe has to offer, and ultimately what path God (or whomever you refer to as the Most High) has in store for you. Studies show that it's important to incorporate healthy habits into your daily routine to decrease stress. This could include incorporating "me" time into each day, changing your frame of mind about certain things, exercising, and even laughing.

I suggest that you pray for direction and focus in your life, and pray that God helps you to bring more fulfillment into your life. For example, this could be in the form of joining a community center to help children or the homeless, starting a business, taking a vacation, giving yourself a few hours to relax each day, meditation, or a myriad of other things. I think that you should also focus your energy on being introspective about your life -- what makes you happy, what helps you to relieve stress, what activities give you a sense of fulfillment? Answering these questions for yourself could prove to be exactly what you need to jump start your motivation.

I also suggest that you read the following scripture: Matthew 7:7-11...Summarized this scripture states, "Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you." Just know that the answer is out there for you, have faith! Feel free to write me back for additional encouragement, if needed. Take care!

-- KHurly Girl