3 Ways To Make Water Taste Better

It's 2013 and if you're like me and the plenty of others who jumped on the band wagon of New Year's resolutions ( you know the one where your goal is to loose weight), and you realised that you had to cut out all your fave drinks for that wonderfully bland water. If your reading this, know that your not alone. Water, although is a wonderfull thirst quencher, can be bland and sickening because of it's lack of taste bud activators. So, in this post I'll share with you all 3 ways that you can use to spice up that water!

# 1 - A Spritz Of Lemon

When in doubt, pull that lemon out! Adding lemon to your water is one of the most popular and low calorie ways to add flavor to your water. It adds a lemony twang to your water and has many health benefits. Drinking lemon water can aid in cleansing your liver and provide you with a little energy burst. And because of the acid provided by the lemon it also works as a minor cleanse for the mouth, giving you fresh breath!

# 2 - Add A Little Minty Freshness

Another favorite with many is adding peppermint leaves to water. If you love herbs and herbal drinks this one's for you. Along with lemons, it has many health benefits like calming your digestive system and cleaning your liver. Pair with cucumbers and you have a refreshing drink made in heaven!

# 3 - Try A Water Enhancer

If you're one of those people who still want to increase their water intake but has juice and energy drink cravings more often than usual, try a water enhancer. One that recently hit the markets (in 2011) and is one of my most personal favorites is Mio [(C) 2011 Kraft Foods Inc]. Its a low calorie liquid that comes in a variety of yummy fruity flavors put in an easy to carry bottle. Can we say winner? 


Information Links
 Lemon water: http://www.quantumbalancing.com/news/lemon%20water.htm
 Mint Leaves: http://www.liveandfeel.com/medicinalplants/mint.html
                       http://health.learninginfo.org/benefits-mint.htm
 Mio:               http://www.kraftbrands.com/mio/

How To Grow Natural Long Hair pt.2

Deep Condition
Natural hair that is afro-centric, super curly, or a mixture of the two can be very dry. The natural oils that are produced by your body can't reach the whole strand because of the kinks and curls in the hair. Likewise, kinky and curly hair people don't produce a lot of oil like those who have a naturally straighter texture. To maintain your hair's length and have nourished, moisturized hair you need to deep condition once every 1-2 weeks. Deep conditioners can be made or bought, depending on your preferences.

Moisturize
To moisturize means to add or restore moisture (water). So misting your hair every other day and sealing with an oil is beneficial if you keep your hair in it's natural state. The moisturizing process will help to keep hair softer and less crunchy. However if you apply heat to your hair (blow dryer, flat iron, curling iron) you may just want to apply a little bit of oil to your ends and rely on the deep conditioners. Applying oil to your ends is not moisturizing but it will help protect your hair from harsh elements that cause breakage.

Apply Less Heat
Natural hair is very fragile, so applying heat to the hair too much can cause the hair to break off, be super dry, or have heat damage (which makes you loose your natural hair texture). If you must apply heat to your hair do it at least once every month, but on the lowest of lowest heat settings to ensure your protecting your hair!

Have A Healty Diet
When growing long hair there is more you have to do than just ensure the health of your hair; you also need to protect your body. Healthy hair is a result of healthy blood. That is why stress (high blood pressure) and other ailments that involve blood levels result in hair loss. A poor diet and lack of exercise could also be the cause of hair loss as well. The vitamins and minerals from fruits and vegetables are beneficial to our bodies and help with healthy blood. Vitamins and minerals can be consumed by pills but you still need to incorporate the fruits and veggies. Like wise working out is good for the heart, lungs, your brain (where the blood flows to create hair!), and other organs. If your not a big workout person try a small workout like jogging for five minutes or doing squats in between comercials  when your watching tv to get your blood flowing! :D

Thanx for reading this post, hopefully you enjoyed!
xoxo Natural Teen Beauty

Missed part 1? --->>> Look at part one here!

How To Grow Long Natural Hair pt.1

Growing up as a little girl I used to imagine that I had long hair. I would tie a blanket around my head and let it hang like I was Rapunzel. Ah, the good times. It wasn't until 2010 that I started making that a reality and really trying to reach that below-waist hair length goal. Already my hair has grown more than 5in. Below I have some tips on how I achieved and maintained growth. check it out!

Manipulate Hair Less
A lot of the breakage we receive from our hair results from how much we play in it. Combing and restyling every day results in your hair breaking, making it shorter and not able to show length. To maintain length, style your hair less by using Protective Styling. Protective styles are hairstyles that last for a week or more, and allow you to leave your hair alone for long periods of time. Protective styles would include braids, twists, cornrows, wigs, and even weaves! (Weaves need to be done correctly, do your research! having a bad weave can result to bald spots!

Detangle Hair Gently
Raking and forcing a comb, or a brush, through your hair can take a serious toll on your fragile strands. The results are far worse than manipulating your hair too much.  Rough housing your hair while detangling can pull the hair out of the follicle and make it appear like your hair didn't grow. To protect those precious strands take your time and detangle your hair gently. Put your hair in sections, then moisten and apply conditioner to the hair to make detangling easier. Use wide tooth combs and paddle brushes for easy gliding through your hair. Never use bristle brushes to detangle, bristle brushes are just like chocolate, you have to have it sparingly. Bristle brushes are best used when touching up edges, but use with caution. Overuse can lead to thin edges!

Protect Ends
Because your ends are the farthest from the scalp, they receive less nutrition and natural oil from the scalp. The ends also get abused from rubbing against clothing and exposure to the outdoor and indoor elements (like the sun or the air conditioning). Dry ends lead to split ends, which can run all the way up your hair strand, splitting the hair and causing it to break because of fragility. Protect your ends by putting your hair in styles that leave the ends tucked in like a bun. But if you're like me and you like to flaunt your hair, try putting a little olive or coconut oil on your ends every day to help against split and dry ends.


Click here for part two!