Fashion Fridays _ Mommy Chic

The Fashionable Mothers Edition

Hey my lovely Trendsetters, it’s Fashion Friday and today I’ve written this post in dedication to all the wonderful, fashionably, inclined mothers out there. So without going any further I would like to wish all my Trendsetters that are mothers and those play a mother’s role a Happy Mother’s Day in advance. When we fashionistas think of the word mother, she is the woman that we’ve all asked for styling advice, borrowed clothing, chatted about the latest fashion craze and of course hit the stores for some retail therapy. Then when you become a mother, your realize it’s like an unspoken rule to become second fiddle to your children and now you have to juggle caring for them and still keeping your look together. As a new mother, it’s easy to see how some women become overwhelmed and find themselves in a rut and as the saying goes “let themselves go”; but you have to find a balance and think comfort yet chic while you quickly create your look on your busy schedule. It’s always good to give credit where credit is due, so I tip my hat to all the mothers who manage to always look effortlessly chic when stepping out.

Here are a few of my fashionable mother looks…….

A casual day for some shopping….

In this photo: a african print shorts, white shirt, red jacket and a pair of white converse

Ideal for grabbing a quick-lunch…..

In this photo: a sun dress, a pair of khaki lace canvas shoes and a fedora hat

Great for a dinner date……

In this photo: a navy blue and khaki zig-zag shift dress and a pair of khaki strap heels

A social gathering never hurts….

In this photo: a black v-neck top, black and white geometric shape pants and a black pair of ankle booties.

Mommy Chic 

Cheers to the great weekend and I hope all your Mother’s Day plans are set.

so until next post, enjoy!

Hair Talk

It’s time again to address the beauty aspect and talk hair today my Trendsetters. We’re going to get into some terminologies and processes I have come across since starting my hair journey; as they say “sharing is caring” and “knowledge is power”. With healthy hair growth most people can grow between 3 to 6 inches of hair per year, giving an average of  1/4 to 1/2 inch a month, so don’t get disappointed by comparing your growth rate to others. However slow hair growth can occur that will slow down your growth rate and this can be caused by poor health, vitamin deficiency, improper hair care and bad practices. The question then is “What do you do to attain your desired result?” It’s simple, experiment until you find the right combination that works for your unique hair type, texture and needs. Never rely on only one method to provide results as it takes a combination of many methods to be successful.

How To Start Your Healthy Hair Journey

• Take A Photo Of Your Hair At The Current Stage For  Progress Comparison
• Choose And List Your Goals In Order Of Preference ( eg: Health,Thickness, Length)
• Research How To Achieve Your Goals
• Create Your Unique Hair Care Regimen
• Find Easy Go-To Protective And Low Manipulative Hairstyles
• Have A Well Balanced Diet and Take Vitamins
• Start Exercising
• Make Sure You Are Drinking Enough Water

What Do You Need For A Hair Care Regimen?

• Shampoos (conditioning, clarifying)
• Deep Conditioner Treatments (both protein and moisture based)
• Leave-in Conditioner
• Moisturizer (hair butters)
• Oils/Sealants (castor, coconut, olive)
• De-tangler

How Does A Hair Care Regimen Work?

• Moisturize And Seal Daily
• Co-Wash Bi-Weekly
• Deep Condition Weekly
• Clarify Monthly
• Protein Condition Treatment When Needed/Monthly
• Limit Heat Use
• Use Low Manipulative And Protective Styling Regularly

Does Your Hair Need More Protein or Moisture?

The ideal situation to encourage healthy hair growth is to have a balance between the protein and moisture intake within your hair regimen. Do an easy Hair Porosity Test to see if your hair is balanced or if you need either more protein or moisture. Simply,take a couple of strands of hair from your comb or brush, drop them into a bowl of water and let them sit for 2-4 minutes.

• If it floats to the top and then slowly sinks = Low Porosity (resistant to product)
  Apply A Moisture-Based Deep Condition Treatment
•  If it quickly sinks = High Porosity (absorbs product quickly but loses it just as fast)
  Apply A Protein-Based Deep Condition Treatment
• If It floats mid-way = Balanced.

When Should You Trim Your Hair?

• Dry Ends
• Split Ends
• Signs Of Breakage

Terminologies

What is Baggying?

• Covering moisturized hair at night with a plastic shower cap for the purpose of enhancing moisture to help reduce breakage, split ends and dryness.

What is Sealing?

• The process of applying a small amount of oil to the hair, locking in moisture into the hair fibers to keep the hair hydrated for longer.

What Is Pre-Poo?

• The use of oils, or conditioners applied to the hair prior to shampooing to reduce tangling and post-shampoo dryness.

What Is Co-washing?

• Using a conditioner in place of a conventional shampoo to cleanse hair and retain moisture.

What Is Clarifying?

• Cleansing and removing a build-up of oils, styling products, tap water minerals from the hair using a clarifying shampoo or an apple cider vinegar rinse.

What Is Oil Rinsing?

• This is normally done after a protein condition treatment the hair, it involves applying oil to the hair for 5 – 20 mins then rinsing out with water to increase moisture and  softness.

What Is A Condition Treatment?

• A moisturizing, strengthening, or damage-repair product that is allowed to penetrate the hair for 15 – 30 minutes with or without the use of a mild heat.

Hopes this helps out and if you know of any new terminologies feel free to let me know.

Until next time, happy growing……

Disclaimer: I’m not a professional hair consultant however, this is a procedure that has worked for me results may vary. Information posted is offered to you as tips….you are not obligated to incorporate any tips into your practices.

Fashion Fridays _ 1 Shirt, 4 Ways

The Short-Sleeved Denim Edition

Hey my Trendsetters, it’s Fashion Friday and today I want to show you the versatility of the short-sleeved denim shirt, by wearing it casual, tied, lose, or smart which can either dress down or up your outfit. The trick to achieving this is simple, be selective when shopping for that key piece that would be the core, that meaning, it could be worn many times and can be successfully paired up with other pieces in your wardrobe. Hey, they’re your clothes after all, so why shouldn’t you wear them more than once.

Now let’s get down to the matter at hand; here’s how I creatively styled and rocked my denim short-sleeved shirt in four different ways……

Casual

In this photo: Denim short-sleeved shirt paired with a romper, belt and a pair of Converse for a casual look.

Loose Fit

In this photo: Denim short-sleeved shirt worn buttoned down and paired a lighter shade denim jeans, a straw fedora hat and a pair of Kenneth Cole canvas shoes

Tied 

In this photo: Denim short-sleeved shirt buttoned down half way then tied in a knot, then it is paired with a pencil skirt, sandals and sunglasses.

Smart

In this photo: Denim short-sleeved shirt is smartly used as a head wrap to help pull together the look.

The possibilities are well, …..endless, there as so many other ways to wear this shirt. So I hope this encourages you to go through your wardrobe and create some new looks. Until next time, keep it chic and classy.