5 Homemade Hair Masks for Natural Curly Hair

Our hair needs love and sometimes a little bit more than TLC, right?! If your hair is natural like mine, the changing seasons can transform our hair like night and day. In the hotter months, my hair can seem very dry from the sun; in the colder months, my hair doesn't retain styles!

Hair masks are useful when transitioning in between hairstyles. All of the following recipes, I have personally tested or use. My personal favorite is Olive Oil + Honey hair mask because it leaves my hair fully hydrated and added some shine

Here are five homemade hair mask recipes that you can recreate in your home. The ingredients are simple and may already be found in your kitchen pantry!

Olive Oil + Honey
Recipe:                                                Length: 20 min.
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp honey

Apple Cider Vinegar + Honey + Eggs
Recipe:                                               Length: 20 min.
2 tbsp honey
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 eggs

Banana + Honey + Yogurt
Recipe:                                              Length: 30 - 35 min.
1 banana
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup plain yogurt

If you enjoyed these recipes, please let me know in the comments below. Be sure to follow @SmallPinkDreams on Pinterest and Instagram! 

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Dreamer Spotlight: SayLotus

Adrian. who goes by the stage name Say Lotus, has been creating conscious songs that you are able to relate to and chill. With growing numbers on Souncloud.com, Say Lotus is definitely an artist to watch. With her silken voice on a track, this Chicago artist has the potential to make it to the top.Her first released single, "Say Yes (Floetry Cover)" is gaining more plays and views on Soundcloud.com, with more than 400 plays to date. Say Yes, tells the story from the perspective of a woman who finds out that a guy who she's had her eye on is not ready  for her. Check out my interview with her below! 

Me: Hi Adrian! How are you?

Lotus: Hiiii! I'm doing awesome!

Me: Thanks for being apart of the first spotlight for my dreamers spotlight portion of my blog SmallPinkDreams. I know we're close friends, but I think I am more of your number one fan than anything. So tell me, how did you get the name Lotus?

Lotus: Well, I was walking down the street with Erin and [Jennifer] and Lotus popped in my head. I was like "Hey guys, what do you think about Lotus?" and you were like "I like it". I started looking into what the Lotus represented. It's like a plant that grows through mud on a daily basis and grows with the sun, and every part of it can be used for a lot like medicine and medical wraps. That's why they were so favored by the [buddhist], even the gurus are considered lotus before their actual name. The plant itself holds a lot of clout. I didn't come from the most pristine background so I am able to use that and to use in my music. It's a reminder of where I come from and it's important. 

Me: Well that sounds melodic or like a dreamer! [laughs]

Lotus: [laughs]

Me: How long have you been writing?

Lotus: I've been writing since I was about eight years old and it started with small stories. Then from there, me and my cousin made a song group. Around 12, I started rapping to some Nicki Minaj songs. Around 16, I began doing LTAB [Louder Than A Bomb] and now in college I continued writing. It went from writing on Green Goblin and Collard Greens instrumental to the music I have today. 

Me: That sounds like a wonderful come up story. Tell me more about your poetry background? What was the content of poems about?

Lotus: Honesty, the poems are really sad. Most of my writing is reflective since I was an only child. I used to sit in my room, listen to dark music, and make dark poems. I would listen to Fly Lead, FallOutBoys, Lady Gaga, and Lil Wayne--it was a good era. 

Me: So I heard your poem, 1920-2014 and it has a lot of deep metaphors about the world and how crazy it is be human in it. Can you tell me more about your writing process with that particular poem?

Lotus: That whole summer, I had been randomly looking at Youtube about the government and I got super mad about it. I was watching one video about the new world order and some really bogus stuff that was gonna happen if [the government] was to shut down. I spent two hours just writing at work and showed it to my boss. She'd asked me if I was writing instead of working and I said yeah [laughs] but she loved it. I was researching about lynchings and I thought it was crazy because people actually had postcards and pictures hanging up with photos of lynchings. Then I had recently read about the incident in Gaza and it was really fucked up, because the same thing was happening in 2014 and it started a wave of consciousness for me.

Me: Wow! That's really deep. 

Lotus: [laughs] Yeah it was. 

Me: So your song Say Yes is really blowing up with a few people in Chicago and as of today has over 400 plays in it's first couple of months released. How do you receive this good feedback from everyone?

Lotus: I think it's really dope that everyone took four minutes out of their day to play my song. The feedback was kinda expected when you're speaking real [stuff]. 

Me: So with that being said, whats next for Say Lotus?

Lotus: Um, well. I'm kinda new to everything so it's really just cultivating my sound and making a statement with my artwork--making more than a hobby with my music; plus more studio time and making moves that's gonna get me out of my mama's house and off the block! 

This artist is on the rise and working towards mastering her craft. Her music is soulful, it's creative, it's reflective, and it's available on Soundcloud.com Posted below is her single that has been circulating! Stay tuned with this artist.

Twitter:@SayLotus

Soundcloud: saylotus

Instagram: @juh_ree

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ElevateStyles.com -- A'Belle Synthetic Remy Wig

Wigs are a style accessory that has been around for many centuries. From it's start in ancient Egypt, to the luxurious lace front wigs we see our favorite celebrities rocking today, wigs have always been a style that many women (and sometimes men) have embraced. I had been interested in wigs for quite some time now, because I was curious as to how I would look in different styles without having to manipulate my hair. I researched many types of wigs-- how to properly take care of them, and even how to style them. One blogger in particular, +ItsMyRayeRaye, showed me that wigs can be affordable and stylish. I was under the impression that wigs looked cheap, were extremely itchy, and would fly off my head at any burst of wind. ItsMyRayeRaye proved to me that buying wigs can be a great way to protect your hair, fast and easy method when in a rush, and can be cute at the same time. 

I love the look of short hair and it has been something that I always wanted to try. When I was searching for the perfect wig, I automatically went for the short look. I searched on ElevateStyles.com for various short haired wigs that I thought were cute and something that I can imagine myself wearing. After a few days of tedious searching and motivational monologues with myself, I had finally worked up the courage to purchase a short black wig. 

The shipping from this website was crazy fast! After checking out, my wig arrived two weeks later. I was already anxious to even open this wig, because I had never imagined myself buying a wig. To my surprise, I opened the box to find a short RED wig. I. Was. Freaking. Out. I had never imagined myself in a wig, yet along, a red one! I was so stunned by what I had gotten myself into. My cousin and I were dying from laughing so hard from this red wig that I ordered. After a few minutes of shock and laughter, this was the moment where I had to actually try on the wig. My hair was in a curly twist out from a day of classes, so I sloppily braid my hair to the back with about 4 cornrows and bobby pinned my ends to my hair. At first, I was having a little difficulty figuring out which side of the wig was the front and which was the back, but eventually I was able to figure it out. 

"This look was definitely something I never thought I would actually love on me."

The moment I put the wig on my head, my cousin's facial expression went from jokingly to in awe in a matter of seconds. I looked in the mirror and I saw what she was seeing and it was AMAZING! I couldn't believe that it looked good. I played around in the wig from a few minutes and I was loving it. This look was definitely something I never though I would actually love on me. I was ecstatic. I was already making plans for it. After posting a picture of me in the wig on SnapChat, I received really good feedback from friends about the wig. 

The wig is super simple to maintain. I bought it Synthetic, because I didn't want to have the responsibilities that human hair wigs require. I literally took the wig off and wrapped it in it's net bonnet and hung it up in my room. The only thing that worried me about this wig is that it doesn't have any combs that can secure my hair down; however, the elastic in the wig was super tight and I had no issues with the wig sliding or flying off. Overall, it was a great first wig and it had definitely changed my opinion of wigs. I can't wait for my next wig purchase! 

My first time putting the wig on! 

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