Natural Hair

I don't use shampoo or conditioner. OK! Before you click away from my blog forever because "ew gross..." Let me tell you about how I take care of my hair, without product, and save money while doing so.

Think about the last bottle of shampoo or conditioner you bought. How much did it cost? Probably somewhere in the range of 12-30 dollars. Which is quite a bit of money. What if I told you that your shampoo is stripping your hair of the natural oils and protectants it provides for itself? I use a mix of baking soda and water in place of shampoo, and apple cider vinegar with water for conditioner. My hair has never felt healthier, or stronger, looked shinier, or been easier to style. It's a cheap and natural alternative. I use approximately one tablespoon of baking soda to one cup of water, and two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to one cup of water. Scrub, let sit, and rinse just as you would traditional products.

On the note of hair, I was so pleased with how mine turned out today! Styling my hair is one of my favorite ways to amp up an otherwise simple look. I was inspired by the intricate braiding in "Game of Thrones", both on the Kahleesi and the noble women. Amazing styles like

this

And

I decided to combine the two, and came up with a style I was VERY happy with. Right here!

The back!

The side! And my little dragon, also in line
with the Game of Thrones theme here!

Over all the braids work as a sort of cage for my hair, keeping it up and out of the way, while still long and lovely. I may do the braids thicker next time, but for now I feel like a Kahleesi!

The Incredible Avocado

I had two avocado themed meals today and as a result I am one happy blogger! The first was made by my mom.

 It's a cold corn flour noodle salad with shrimp, olive oil, lemon, and cilantro, with half an avocado and a whole tomato.

The second I made myself! It's a whole avocado, pitted and peeled, 6 ice cubes with some water, a couple spoonfuls of plain greek yogurt, a splash of vanilla, and about a half cup of honey. All in the blender. It's very filling, mind you, so I have a half glass left in the fridge for later.

Healthy Granola Yoga

Hey everyone! I went to a yoga class at Zenon dance studio in Minneapolis today! It was open level, so I figured why not give it a try? There were about 16 people in the class, a fairly diverse group of people. There were some 30 something women, a middle aged man and a 50 something woman, as well as 3 older guys who had APPARENTLY been doing yoga a while because I can promise you your average grandpa is not that flexible.

 Over all, the class itself was GREAT. I got a lot out of it and felt good afterwards, however, parking in Minneapolis sucks. And while Zenon has really reasonable prices for dance classes, I found yoga, Pilates, and Zumba classes at my community center for about half the price. The community center is also closer and has free parking. I'd love to continue taking yoga, and for me, the community center is just more reasonable.

This morning I ran off without breakfast by accident. I am a firm believer in good breakfasts and I happened to leave mine sitting on the counter. Whoops! When I got back from class I ate it right away. I had these amazing granola-type clusters from Costco, about a handful, with a banana and some of those fresh berries that are on the counter.

 Have you taken yoga classes? How was your experience?