Natural Hair Update

Prior to cut: front

Side view before cut

 Natural Hair Update 

 

 

 

1 week after cut

I CUT MY HAIR!!! On April 3rd I came home from a very long weekend at Children's Hospital and chopped off my hair. I put it in 6 tightly braided and detangled plaits and cut off all of the colored ends. My hair was in bad shape from general neglect, damage from the color, and super split ends. It was even breaking off where the color met the uncolored hair!!! I was trying to hold on to the length until I could get my hands on a Talavera Split Ender; however, the damage was constant, so I had to make a decision!

After cutting my hair, it felt AMAZING!!!! The strands are thicker/stronger, and it feels exceptionally soft and moisturized. I am pleased to report that my hair is thriving, and the virgin hair has been thriving with gusto!! I only use my products on my hair unless my mom brings some Shea Moisture home LOL I wash once with Castile soap or the Lush Bar followed by one wash with the Peppermint Mud Bar.

After the wash, I rinse thoroughly and moisturize my scalp with my Herbal Hair Oil and moisturize my strand with my Butter Creme Body Frosting. My hair loves this regimen!! I stopped using a comb in October of 2014, and it has given me a much more intimate understanding of my hair. I also deep condition and keep my hair in two strand twists (picture before the cut) throughout the week. I spray with water, detangle, and moisturize my twists once a week and wash on Fridays. This is what work FOR ME! If you are new to natural hair, you may need to try many different processes before you find the routine that works best for you. Remember, it's not just about how long your hair is. GOOD HAIR IS HEALTHY HAIR!!

To stay up-to-date with all things Blessed Body Brand and my natural hair journey, follow me on Facebook (Blessed Body Brand: All-natural Soaps and More, Twitter & Instagram (blessed_shanta), and on Pinterest ( Blessed Body Brand)!

~Shanta

Family is all that we've got!

Titus with his Mother

 

FAMILY IS ALL THAT WE'VE GOT

Last week I turned 25, and a few days later my movie came out (Furious 7)!!! I was so excited that I bought my tickets a month in advance!!!!! I was set to go to a midnight showing Thursday April 2nd 2015, but before any of that happened, I got the word that my cousin was mauled by a pit bull, April 1st. There is nothing in my life that has been more terrifying than getting that phone call.

As terrified as I was in that moment, all I could think about was whether or not he would be ok and how his parents and his brothers were feeling. He was airlifted from Tuscaloosa, AL to Birmingham, AL. It's a 45 minute drive, but it was severe enough for them to airlift him! We burned rubber getting up to the hospital, and when we got there all anyone could feel was gratitude. He is still alive.

This past Monday April 6th, we celebrated his 10th year of life in gratitude. The damage that dog did to his face is severe and will cause him to be hospitalized for a long time. He'll undergo multiple surgeries to repair the damage, but we are grateful that he had no broken bones from the neck down and that he is such a strong and resilient child!!

When you nearly lose someone that you love, it makes you appreciate them and your life that much more! In the words of Wiz Khalifa, "How can we not talk about family when family's all that we got?" Never forget to call and visit those that you love. You never know when it could change forever. If you would like to send a donation to support his parents so that they can be in the hospital with him and not be worried about bills, please donate to TEAM TITUS.

~Shanta

Natural Hair!!!!!!!! (Marquia Harmon)

2014 before Cut/Color

2013 1 1/2 years natural

2014 Cut/Color

Transitioning

2010 6 Months Natural

2012

2010 Transitioning

   

 In 2010 I decided to start my transition to go natural. My mom started relaxing my hair at the age of 4 so I was very excited to see my hair in it's natural state. I began watching a lot of YouTube video's and began making my own hair and skin products. Not only was this a change for my hair but also for my health.

  After much research I was ready to do my big chop I felt so free and beautiful!!!!!!!! My hair was a mini afro so it was easy to manage but as it got longer it became more difficult to deal with. I was natural for a year before I decided to go back to the relaxer. I was so unhappy with my relaxed hair. I was literally relaxed for one day and I had my husband shave my head bald.

  My husband was not to happy about that, but he got over it. My hair began to grow in so nicely and I was very pleased at how nice it looked. This journey has been both enjoyable and annoying at the same time LOL I have learned so much about my hair, and I'm so happy I made this decision.

~Marquia Harmon

You Only Get One (Mrquia Harmon)

   Do you ever feel like your children don't appreciate anything you do? I know I do. I read a bedtime story to my boys the other night titled Mars Needs Moms. The book was about a little boy who didn't appreciate all that his mother did for him. One night Martians came and took her to Mars because they had been looking down on earth and saw how important mother's were. The son had also gone along for the ride to see what they were going to do with his mother.
  The little boy fell out of the spaceship and his space helmet broke, so his mother gave him her's so that he could live. The mother was close to death,she was willing to give her life to save her son's. It took him almost losing his mother to appreciate her. It's really sad to me because I know what it's like to lose your mother.
  My mother passed away when I was 12 years old. She was my best friend. I appreciate everything she taught me and the love she gave me. Mothers give their children so much. I always tell my children there is going to come a day when I will not be around anymore. So you have to be obedient and do what you're suppose to do because when I'm gone that's it. It makes them sad but I have to be real with my children and let them know how it is.
  I salute every mother out there. There was no orientation/job training for this job but the fact that you are here raising your children means a lot. I hope you all have a wonderful night God bless.

  -Marquia Harmon

Blessed Body Brand: All Natural Lip Balm

Blessed Body Brand

All Natural Lip Balm



1 of the first lip balms

We have made several lip balms and lip glosses throughout the two years that we have been in business! Some of these were great while others...  not so much. Pictured to the left is one of our first lip balms. It was hard and didn't glide onto the lips very well. It was an attempt at chocolate lip balm with cocoa butter and cocoa powder, and a few other things. Like I said, it was a bust. When I first started, I made lip balms with fragrance oils, but since I have grown and defined my business more, I no longer use fragrance oils. When I am ready to make scented lip balms, I will only use essential oils.

Current lip balm

As I continued to develop products and define my brand, I made the decision to keep trying until I found just the right oil: butter :wax ratio, the perfect oil and butter combo, and here it is!!! TADA The new and improved Blessed Body Brand lip balms feature Shea or cocoa butter, extra virgin olive oil, and beeswax. Sounds simple enough, right? Trust me though, with the number of exceptional oils, butters, and waxes on the market it took a lot of research to get it just right. Now it's ready for your purchasing pleasure here!

~Shanta

Blogger Meets Marquia Harmon

                     Blog 1. March 25, 2015

Hello everyone!!!!! 

My name is Marquia Harmon. I am 22 years old, and I am a mother to 3 beautiful children: Johnathan 6, Cameron Jr 4, and Amani 1, and I am a wife (Army wife) to my amazing  husband Cameron Sr.

I enjoy doing DIY projects, writing, reading, singing,dancing, helping others, being goofy, and taking care of my family. I am not perfect in any shape or form, just like you all I have a story, and I hope you all will enjoy reading what I have to say. You know the saying "Age ain't nothing but a number?" That is so very true; you don't have to be 90 years old to say "I've been through something terrible!"  You can be that 12 year old girl who has gone on the scariest roller-coaster ride of her life & say you have been through something terrible, but by the grace of God you're still standing (but that's a blog for another day).

I'm so excited to have been given this opportunity to write it's something that I really love doing, and I hope you all can relate to some if not all I write about. Thank you for reading!!!!!!!! You all have a blessed day :-)

~Marquia  

I am SUPER WOMAN (but geeze am I tired!)

I am SUPER WOMAN

(but geeze am I tired!)

 

 

The quote pictured above is the truest statement of the year! I am a self proclaimed Super Woman, and my kryptonite is trying to do EVERYTHING myself! I do not delegate well, and it causes me to do a bunch of things half well. While I do admit that I do the juggling act pretty well, I don't like the feeling of constant pressure and not being able to actually enjoy my efforts! I need BALANCE! I know many people can relate to this, and I think the following are key ways to get past your Super Woman/Man syndrome!

1. Delegate: Stop trying to do everything yourself! You are an intelligent woman/man, therefore you have other intelligent women/men around you. Let them help! Trust me, if it makes you less stressed, they will take your instruction and help willingly!
2. Prioritize: Make lists of all the things that need to be done and prioritize it. What things need to be done? What things need to be done by you? What things can be postponed? What things are completely unnecessary? When you finish this list you will see how much time you really have and how much time you've wasted!
3. Schedule: Get a good planner, and schedule your day. Best practice: Schedule your week Saturday night or make your schedule for the following day before bed (Schedule Monday on Sunday). This way, you are clear on what needs to be done the following day, and you are prepared for the inevitable "unexpected time expense!"
4. Set goals: The best way to hold yourself accountable is to set goals and put a definitive date on it! This is an area where I am weak. I procrastinate at times and it

These are things that I am implementing in my own life as well. The Passion Planner is an EXCELLENT tool with prioritizing, goal setting, delegation, and scheduling!! You may even be able to get it for free (like I did)! Even if you do pay for it, it is well worth the expense to have a planner that is so intuitive! I'm getting the bound version next year! Let's take this journey together! As I continue to shake off this Super Woman complex, I know it will make me more effective in every area of my life.

~Shanta