Facial by New Look Skin

About 2 months ago, I was introduced to Dina, a cute petite Russian lady that knows her stuff. I was in dire need of a facial. I hadn't had one in over a year and a half and it was obvious. My skin always looked dull, with or without makeup ( if your skin is in bad shape, it will always show through makeup), the pores on my cheekbone was seriously congested and I had countless blackheads. Yuck!!!
Dina is located in Maple Grove,494 and Bass lake Rd, in her home. It was a bit tricky but thanks to my handy dandy navigation, I found it. She has her spa set up in her basement. It's clean, neat and very professional.
The appointment started of with me telling her what I wanted to fix on my skin, what products I was using at home and what my skin care regiment was.The facial included cleansing, exfoliation,steaming,extraction( painful but necessary), a mask, and a foot and hand massage. She uses Skin Ceuticals products. This is an awesome product line, I used it in cosmetology school. Before I knew it, an hour and a half had past by and my very relaxing facial experience was over. My face was bit swollen from extracting the black heads and my face looked a bit ashy but that was because she applied baby powder to soothe the swelling.

my face before and after my facial treatments

Before I left, Dina and I had a very lengthy conversation about skin care at home and she gave me some great tips. Some great tips from Dina:
•Wash face with green tea. It has plenty of antioxidants that can prevent break out and improve the health of skin.
•Green tea can also be used during the day as a refresher for your face.
• apples, oranges, and any other acidic fruit can be used to exfoliate your face.
For more info on Dina, visit
 www.newlookskin.com
6460 Ranchview Lane
Maple Grove, MN 55311
763-577-1410 

Homemade aloe vera Leave in conditioner

Since today was my regular day off work, I decided to make a trip downtown Anoka and pay the local Co-Op a visit. I needed a few items to make some leave- conditioner for my braids.
I picked up aloe vera juice, some unrefined coconut oil, Maxi-Hair vitamins, and empty spray bottles.
I decided to go with aloe vera juice because it

• moisturizes
• activates fresh hair growth
• heals and soothes damaged scalp e.g scratches, burns and dandruff
• anti inflammatory

I also decided to start taking the Maxi Hair vitamins again because I really liked the results when I took them last winter. My hair and my skin felt and looked better.
I plan to spray my hair every other day with this mixture. Maybe as we get into winter, I'll spray daily and even increase the oil content
My mixture:
1/3 cup of aloe vera juice
1/3 infusium 23 leave in conditioner
1 1/2 tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp. of virgin coconut oil
5 drops of rosemary oil

Braid Challenge

Now that the weather has done an almost complete 180 degree turn in Minneapolis and my fall semester  has begun, I decided to join a braid challenge on http://www.blackhairmedia.com/. I’m very excited about this challenge because I have not worn braids for the past six years. Wearing braids will allow me to “get up and go” while staying cute on those busy mornings and also keep my hair protected.  The challenge started in September and will end in December. I don’t have a hair length goal, all I want to do is keep my hair growing healthy.
Since I have only been natural for just a few months, I don’t really have a regimen for my hair. I’m still experimenting and finding the likes and dislikes of my hair. I do have some olive oil, coconut oil, rosemary oil and jamiacan black castor oil in my cabinet so I will definitely start mixing something up. Wish me luck.

• I plan to moisturize daily
• wash and deep condition bi weekly
• Updating as often as I can

Braids done by Phoebe at Hairitage Creations in Brooklyn Park. 763-566-2155  www.facebook.com/HairitageCreations
1 week old braids
side length (about 3 months of growth)
Front length
the back(about 1 month of growth)
Braids when wet (virgin indian hair,texture softwave)