How To Pick Your Hair Products; The Minimalist Way

Since I keep getting questions about how I decided on which hair products were best for me, I thought it'd be useful to have a post on this for those transitioning or thinking about doing a big chop.  From the moment I made up my mind to stop using chemicals to straighten my curls, I started doing my research. I suggest you arm yourself with information about your hair type, curl pattern and its needs. From time to time I'll feature popular hair gurus with different hair textures on here so you can watch out for that. 

I started out with only 3 products (shampoo, conditioner and oil) that my stylist had tested on my hair and seemed great at the time. The more I understood my hair's needs, the more my product stash slightly increased but I'm still not a junkie. There's no point wasting money on things you will stash for years and eventually discard.

Here are some tips:

* Find a great conditioner (preferably one that can be used to co-wash and still be a great leave-in). This cuts your buy in half.

* Find a great clarifying system (could be a clarifying shampoo, or an ACV rinse or anything else that works for you, it's worth trying them to find out which works best for your hair). It is not enough to just co-wash or moisturise, you will need to clarify so your scalp and pores remain clean and fresh and you get rid of a build-up of products in your hair.

* Find a great oil or moisturiser for your hair or both.

* For styling, you may need gels or styling/holding creams depending on your hair type and the looks you would like to achieve.

* Experiment with small samples. Most companies offer samples for free or for a cheap price so you can order or buy these and try them out. If a new product is not enhancing you hair care system, give it away or look for a product swap opportunity. These seem to pop up a lot at local hair events.

* Don't do a massive product haul if you're a newbie and are just starting out because you will spend a lot of money. At that point you don't really know what your hair will like or not, so get to know your hair and get free samples as mentioned earlier. You're better off with a tiny bottle of something you may use again than a huge bottle of something you'll never use again.

This doesn't have to be an overwhelming experience that will cost you loss of income. Remember to be prepared by arming yourself with information, especially if you are a newbie. You don't need the whole shop in your hair! :)

FABstar: Mellody Hobson

Mellody Hobson embodies the word "inspiration".

She was born the youngest of 6 children to a single mother in Chicago, Illinois. Her mother worked in real estate and supported the family by buying, renovating and selling old houses. Hobson attended a private school and then went on to study at Princeton University.

She started working at Ariel Investment soon after she graduated in 1991. By the year 2000, she had worked through the ranks to become the President of Ariel Investment, the title she still holds today. There are only 7 minority CEOs in the Fortune 250 and of thousands of publicly traded companies, only two are chaired by black women and she is one of them. In addition to this, she is the chairman of the Board for DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. as well as a director of the Estée Lauder Companies Inc. and Starbucks Corporation.

As if all these roles weren't tasking enough, she also functions as a board member of the Lucas Cultural Arts Museum, The Chicago Public Education Fund, Sundance Institute and is on the executive committee of the Investment Company Institute's board of governors. She also chairs a non-profit called After School Matters which provides out-of-school-time programmes to young teens in Chicago.

Hobson is married to world-renowned director and producer George Lucas and they have a daughter together. Her ability to successfully wear many hats efficiently and elegantly is the reason why she is being featured as a FABspiration. She just shows that with hard work and ambition, there are no limits to what you can do. I totally loved hearing her inspiring stories and experiences at TED which you can watch here. Also, if you have any investment questions, you can send her an email and watch her helpful videos here.

* If you'd like to feature or know someone who should be featured as a FABspiration on fab.me, send an email to mo@fab.me with the title 'Features'.

Home - Made Beauty Products Part 1 - Face Masks and Scrubs

We all love a little DIY from time to time so here are some home-made facial masks that you can use as part of your beauty regime that won't cost you a fortune! All you need are some products from your very own kitchen and presto, you're good to go. Some are so good that you can eat them. Yup :) Edible masks. Wash your hands before preparation and application.

CAUTION – As with any mask, test on a small area first to make sure you are not sensitive to it. If your skin is affected, rinse the area with lukewarm water and don't use the mask!

* Exfoliating Scrub
Put 2 tablespoons of brown sugar in a bowl and add 1 tablespoon of honey at a time till you get the consistency you want. I use equal parts of sugar and honey. Massage onto face in circular motion for about 1-2 minutes. Then rinse off with warm water.
This is my absolute favourite because of its simplicity and effectiveness.

* Gentle Exfoliating Scrub
For a gentler version of the sugar scrub, you can use 1 tablespoon each of oatmeal, honey and unsweetened plain yoghurt. Apply a thick coat all over your face and gently massage in circular motions. Rinse off with warm water.

* Moisturising Mask
Mash 1/2 a ripe avocado then add 1/4 cup plain yoghurt and 1/4 cup honey. Leave on for 10-15 minutes and rinse off with warm water. You can spread this yumminess on your morning toast also! Just a suggestion :)

* Brightening Scrub
For this you need 2 tablespoons of salt, juice from 1/2 lemon and add sugar until the mixture is solid but not dry. Massage into skin in circular motion for about 1-2 minutes. Then rinse off with warm water.

* Calming Mask
3 tablespoons of aloe vera juice, 1 table spoon of aloe vera gel and 3 drops of olive or rose oil should do the trick. Apply all over the face or on the area of concern with a cotton ball. Rinse off with warm water after 3 minutes.

* Glow Mask (Vitamin C Loaded!)
You need 1/2 peeled and mashed kiwi fruit, 1 tablespoon of fresh orange juice and 2 tablespoons of honey. Mix together and leave on the skin for about 10-15 minutes then rinse off with warm water.

After doing a scrub or using a mask and rinsing with warm water, finish of with a splash of cold water. This helps to close your pores. If your face feels a little dry, you can also moisturise with a little olive oil.

100 Happy Days: What I Learnt

I've just completed the social media phenomenon #100happydays. It's a challenge where you post a picture of absolutely anything that brings you happiness over a period of 100 days. I chose my Instagram page as my medium.

At first it was quite daunting because I wasn't used to uploading pictures on a daily basis. I had accumulated only 100 posts in my 3 years of Instagram use and suddenly I had to upload 100 in 100 days? That to me was the challenge!

I finished the exercise some days ago and I'm so glad I did it; It semi-changed my life! I learned that our days are filled with tons of happy moments that we don't often document and therefore when we look back we only focus on the problems that seem to stick out. This exercise made me take note of the moments that made me smile/laugh. I also learned that what makes me happy as a person varies from the next person and I am totally fine with that.

Over 71% of people who start the challenge fail to complete it (Who would've thought uploading pictures was that difficult?) but I'd still recommend you try it. The organisers send you a full collection of your 100 pictures as a book to celebrate the achievement. Give it a try and tag me to let me know how you're doing!

Grapeseed Oil: Fantastic Benefits

So I tried grapeseed oil for the first time on my hair and I am absolutely loving it! The oil is quite light in comparison to other oils and I find that it does not weigh my hair down. I have listed some benefits below in case you would like to try it -

* It is kind to the pocket. I found in a couple of shops and online that grapeseed oil was much cheaper than Jojoba Oil, Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Extra Virgin Coconut Oil. It is still best to try them all to figure out which best suits your hair.

* My hair is feeling more moisturised these days and for longer. Research shows that it protects against moisture loss for the skin so this could be why

* I have found that it either has no odour or it is barely noticeable. I think this is a good thing because I find out that when I use oils that are heavily scented, they end up marring the lovely smell of my leave-in conditioners. Yup, I prefer the smell of my leave-ins to the oils.

* As I said earlier, it is relatively light and does not weigh my hair down.

* It can be used as sealant, for a hot oil treatment or you can simply mix it into your moisturisers and butters.

So if you find this in your hair or health store, why not give it a try? I also hear it does wonders for the skin but I am yet to test that out! Let me know if you have :)

Health Is Wealth

I fell ill recently for a long while and I only just started feeling 100% again. While I was confined to my bed-space, I  mulled on the fact that health is indeed wealth. If your body isn't in top notch condition it'll affect your ability to chase after whatever goals you're going for. From time to time, your body will force itself to rest if you don't let it. It was a long and annoying one for me especially since we had just finished working on a huge project and were about to start another. After getting the all clear from the doctor, I still didn't feel 'perfect' so I did some research and found these simple tips. They sound pretty basic but sometimes, we need reminding:

* Rest up! Never rush back fully into how things were before taking ill. Ease yourself back in. I know we are tempted to cover the things we missed, but doctors do encourage taking it slow even if you feel 'fine'.

* Drink lots of fluids. I personally recommend water. Remember to constantly stay hydrated to replace fluids lost as a result of the illness.

* Eat right. This is really something you should do all year round. Load up on fruits and vegetables as the antioxidants in them will help boost your immune system. Stick to easily digestible foods like rice, bananas, apples etc.

* Slowly increase your physical activity.  If you are an avid fitness fanatic, try to start exercising again by doing simple routines. You can try speed-walking at first and then slowly increase intensity over time. If you're not, this would be a good time to start a routine. Endorphines, also known as the feel-good hormones, are released during exercise so this could help lift the 'slow, heavy' feeling that comes with illnesses.

The important thing is to do things at your own pace so you don't fall into a relapse and have to go through it all over again. The period after illness is called the recuperating phase, and that's exactly what you should do; recuperate!

Video: MOSA - #illjustsayit (I Love You)

MOSA recently released the video for his amazing first single, #illjustsayit (I Love You) and I'm proud to finally be able to share it with you guys! I'll have a behind the scenes video up soon, but for now, here's the music video to enjoy and share! :)



You can find him on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook using @itsMOSA.

Back From Hiatus!

Hello all,

I do sincerely apologise for leaving you all for a while. I had to take an impromptu work trip and unfortunately, there was absolutely no time or space for anything else but work!

I believe a "Happy New Year" is in order? :)

I intend to do a lot more posting this year even if work does take me to different places, I just have to learn to find a balance.

I got to produce a music video for @itsMOSA who is not only a phenomenal and über-creative individual, but also my husband :) We run a music production company together but we stepped outside the music box onto the visual scene and it was totally, blissfully fun! We were blessed to work with an awesome talented team who helped bring the vision to life.

The video is out on Monday so I can't wait to share that with you. But for now I'm super excited to be back here! :) Here's to an awesome 2014!