How Tea Rinses stimulate growth, nourish the scalp & moisturize our hair

It wasn't long ago that I got wind of some of the ladies using bamboo tea, not just for drinking, but for tea rinses as well. Someone else sent me an email sharing this very thing.  "What is a tea rinse rinse", you ask? Simply put, it's the process of applying tea to our hair and scalp following a wash and deep conditioning session.  My one experience with tea rinses was not a great one.  The black tea I used made my hair feel stiff, kinda like a protein conditioner.  After that one experience, I swore off tea rinses for good.  That is until my homie NIX08 leaves a comment on the blog about her successes with tea rinse.  At first I just read the comment and moved on, but as days passed, I couldn't get her comment out of my head.  So I reached out to her and asked if she would be interested in sharing a guest post with her experience using tea rinses to elevate her regimen.  She graciously agreed.  Because of her generosity we will all learn something that we can benefit from.  So let's get comfortable in our seats and allow the learning begin.

Guest post by NixO8:

"I would love to share what info I've gathered/experienced on tea rinsing:). Now, I'm not sure how credible I would be though as I've been doing them less than a month.  Yet again you have a role in why I started them. Your email to me over 2 years ago mentioned stimulation as one of 3 points to achieving my goal.  I realized that I had not been giving that aspect of the process much attention. I often start and just as often stop with the scalp massages so I figured I would use tea rinses as my way to stimulate my scalp, increase follicle strength and help with growth. Ultimately I expected the effects to be seen/felt months down the road...was I ever wrong, and that's what got me hooked and excited about tea rinsing. My first brew was a mix of hibiscus and marshmallow root tea. Because I deep condition (DC) on dry hair...I spritzed my dry hair with that brew and I swear my hair felt softer as I applied it..but I thought I was being silly. However, once I cowashed and rinsed it out I was sold...the soft moisturized feel was obvious.

 
 Because I'm obsessive, what was to be a weekly treat turned to daily and my stash of teas grew! The moisture from the teas were/are so much that I have had to up my protein usage to every other day (I cowash daily). So aside from the beautiful feel...shedding which I thought was at an acceptable level has reduced by half! One day I spritzed my scalp with hibiscus, marshmallow, rosemary, fenugreek and burdock and went out. I cowashed when I got home and there was 0 shed hair as I applied my leave in, 0 shed hair as I finger combed during my air dry and 0 shed hair as I styled my hair the next day (I was actually a little concerned) but I still continued to apply the tea blend to my scalp and hair daily before my cowash and I began to shed again but at half the hair fall. Lastly maybe its the increased protein but may very well be the teas, what I found to be acceptable breakage has also decreased significantly!

 
 I have a blend of teas that I use to spritz before washing. A blend to rinse out during my wash (I also oil rinse) and a blend to leave in (along with aloe vera juice). All of which I leave in the fridge.  As for black tea ...I tried that near the beginning of my hair journey and that was not for me..my hair felt hard, regardless of whether it was working at shedding or my follicles, I didn't like the feel of my hair. I would have to use a moisturizing deep conditioner over it or after it and that seemed like too much work and risk. I used coffee too and liked it but I normally do my hair at night and the caffeine would stimulate me too much. I put some bamboo in my recent blends but bamboo is more pricey than the rest so I'm stingy with it..lol..I plan to stick to drinking it. 

Here are some rough noted that I have on the teas in my stash that I have:  

Deep Conditioner - Hibiscus/sorrel. (Colour, moisture, scalp)  DC - Marshmallow root and powder (moisture) DC - rosemary (stimulate) DC - Fenugreek(shine, smooth cuticles, strength) DC - Burdock (growth, stimulate) DC - thyme (shine, thinning) DC - Fennel (shedding,enviro protection) 

Rinse (see #3 below)- Nettle (grow, thicken) R - Saw palmento (growth)R - Lavendar(stimulate) R - Horsetail,(strengthen, smooth, stimulate) R - Rosehip (colour) R - Catnip (split ends, moisturizer)  

Final rinse (leave in) - Roobois (growth, shine) F - Fenugreek (shine, smooth cuticles, strength) F - Catnip (split ends, moisturizer) F - Marshmallow root   

The one tea that seems amazing but I can't find in my local stores is Moringa....I've been buying a lot of hair product while on the hunt for that tea. Apparently there are several companies that sell hair products with teas already incorporated. 

I have so many teas that I want to use (I suspect as time passes I will surely simplify). So for now I've created 3 blends that I think work well for the area that they are used in my regimen. I pretty much use teas in 3 of the 4 ways that I'm aware of.  

1 - spritz with tea for a moisture boost (throughout the day).
 2 - incorporate teas in your Deep Conditioner (spritz) 
3 - rinse out teas after allowing them to sit on your hair for a while (about 4 ounces) 
4 - rinse and leave the teas in your hair after washing (about 4 ounces) 

 I do options 2 - 4 just because I'm so excited by tea:). It is just as easy to brew a bunch in one batch as it is to brew one and I'm a glutton. If you google the properties on each one they simply seem irresistible to leave any on the shelf.  Since I dry deep condition(DC), I dampen my hair with my so called DC blend and I'm deliberate about adding it to my scalp. I then apply conditioner or don't sometimes. I simply use the tea once I rinse my hair. So after my first lather (cowash) I squeeze out the excess water, pour tea over my head, squeeze out the excess, apply a couple pumps of oil, then apply conditioner. I then go about my shower duties. Once done I rinse, then squeeze out the excess water and pour a blend of teas mixed with aloe vera juice as my final rinse. 

Benefits of tea rinses 

In the same manner that essential oils stimulate the scalp, increase blood flow, allowing oxygen to the follicles which in turn allow for optimal growth so do teas....they have antioxidants, cleansing properties, antibacterial properties, amino acids, some help bring shine to the hair, and others yet help with strength.  The black tea was a turn off for me too...it was one of the ladies mentioning that she puts these funnily named teas in her aloe rinse that made me go and start reading up on them:) If you are to start with any tea I was start with marshmallow root. Some of the common ones that I also think are must haves: nettle, burdock, catnip, fenugreek, horsetail and hibiscus.  I mainly have loose leaf (but going forward I may buy the bags for convenience and consistent amounts). I use about half a teaspoon of all teas but a full teaspoon of hibiscus and marshmallow root and I brew it in this fabulous contraption I have. I usually brew for about 2-4 hours although tonight I'm going to try it overnight. 

Nix08 tried to slip in a disclaimer by saying that she hasn't been doing this tea rinsing tea for long so she swears that she's not an expert.  I don't know about you but I learned a lot from her experience and I'm excited to bring this tea rinsing thing back into my routine.  I'll stay way from the black tea for now and I think I'll do the tea spritz with bamboo tea.  What I like about the bamboo tea is that I can get several brews from it.  So I can drink some and brew more for rinses all from the same batch. Plus I'm sure that the silica component in the tea will be super beneficial to my hair strands.   I'll report back with my experience.  I'd like to acknowledge Nix08 for sharing with us.  I hope to learn much more from her in the future!  For those of you who are already doing the tea rinse thing, what's been your experience?

DIY: Acne Pink Salt Skin Treatment & Scrub

I was driving to my destination, just minding my own business, when all of the sudden, my eyes caught glimpse of a local business called The Salt Room. Intrigued, I immediately whipped out my Ipad (at the next red light) and began to research what this "Salt Room" was all about. Turns out that they utilize salt therapy to treat respiratory symptoms. What intrigued me most about this place which was geared towards treating physical ailments, was that is also offered facials. So I asked myself "does salt have beneficial properties to the skin?" Another online search and I learned that salt does indeed have the ability to improve our skin. Search results such as "salt scrubs," "salt masks," and "salt acne treatment," flooded my computer screen.

 

Immediately, I thought of my pink salt. If you remember from my last post, pink salt is unlike common table salt in that it isn't refined. In it's natural form, pink salt contains nearly 90 trace minerals. What we place on our skin gets absorbed into the body so pink salt is a perfect contender for creating a healing, all natural, skin care treatment.

There were different pink salt skin care recipes available online.  For my first experience, I decided to mix a little salt with some olive oil. I only used a pinch of salt and several drops (about a dime size) amount of oil. Mixed them together and did an exfoliating oil cleanse.  For those of you who already oil cleanse as part of your skin care regimen, adding a little bit of (fine grain) nourishing salt takes your cleanse to the next level.

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I didn't stop there, the following day I experimented with my Himalayan pink salt and Manuka honey to create a mask versus the scrub I created the day prior. Manuka honey is highly anti bacterial and has amazing skin healing properties.  Whenever I use this type of honey as a mask, I always notice the difference in my skin.

The salt granules dissolved ever so slightly in the honey.  Manuka is so thick and rich that it easily stays on the face when applied.  Ten minutes after the first application, I rinsed.  The salt made for a really nice exfoliator.   The manuka honey/salt blend was highly nourishing and left my skin so soft. Afterwards, my skin looked bright and beautiful.

 

Another version of this I will try in the future is mixing the salt with a little bit of lemon to help treat hyperpigmentation.   There is also a salt toner that I've read about which is said to be a powerful acne fighter. A simple version of the toner is sea salt dissolved in water.  I'd love to make this toner a part of my skin care ritual in the future.

For those of you who would like to incorporate healing salts into your skin care routine, my advice would be to skip the Morton's table salt.  Table salt provides none of the essential minerals that benefit our skin.  Your next option would be to go for an unrefined sea salt or Himalayan salt.  Make sure you have no broken skin when you apply the mask/toner (the salt will sting your skin).  Avoid getting the solution in your eyes (cause salt water in the eyes is no fun).   Have fun experimenting until you find the right recipe for your skin.

How to keep the sun from destroying the most valuable part of your hair

Summer is upon us once again. What I love about summer are the extended daylight hours and the warm bright sun.  I'm a July baby so the heated temperatures don't bother me at all. One only thing that bums me out about summer is this, the potential damage that can be caused by the sun.

I'm not only talking about damage to the skin from ultraviolet rays. It's even worse than that. Hopefully by now, each one of us is applying a decent sunscreen to protect our skin on a daily basis.  But what about the part of our bodies that comes in contact with the sun first...our hair.

Did you know of the potential dangers of ultraviolet rays to our hair?  It turns out photoaging which is normally a term we use to describe the leathery skin created by excessive sun, can also happen to our hair as well. There was a study done on a couple years ago on this topic.  They studied changes to the hair after exposure to UV rays.  Particularly they were looking for shifts in the amount of hair lipid present in the cuticle.  Now, if you read my post on 18-MEA, you already know that this compound is a lipid (fat) present on the cuticle layer. It provides a level of protection against damage, creates shine, and helps promote a smoother cuticle which lessens the impact of mechanical damages and makes combing much easier.

Not only are we destroying our blessed 18-MEA when we relax or color our hair,   we're also impacting this precious compound by exposing our hair to UV radiation.  Basically, our hair is being damaged by the sun.   So now that we know this. What are we going to do about it?

Hopefully everyone reading this has scarf they normally wear to bed.  But do you have any scarves that are cute enough to wear outside?  There's are park near my house and, from time to time, I like to take a morning walk.  The difference in my hair on the days I wear my scarf vs. when I don't is undeniable.  I'm not just talking about the humidity-induced frizz, I'm talking about dry crinkly hair.  My hair looked and felt like the sun took it's toll on it. From that moment on, I began to feel really uncomfortable whenever I would spend long amounts of time (hours) in the morning or mid-day sun without some sort of protection.

If covering your hair with fashionable scarves outdoors isn't your thing, consider picking up a couple of products meant to help provide UV protection for the hair.  Aveda has a line of products for this purpose and so does Kerastase.  Neutrogena silk to touch leave in cream also contains UV filters to protect the hair from dryness caused by the sun.  These are just some of the few. ApHogee's gloss polisher has UV filters as well.  Feel like going the natural route?  You can opt to include some natural plant oils in your regimen before you head out for a day of fun and sun.  Oils like macadamia nut, hemp seed, sesame seed, shea butter and coconut oil all provide low levels (under SPF 10)  of UV protection.  So if you know you will be outside for the day, bring a little bit of a sun protecting oil with you to so you can reapply if needed.


Finally, even with the sun protection, I suggest you still have on hand products that contain 18-MEA to replenish the stored lipids that are brutally taken away from you.  I've been using MEA containing conditioners for the last couple of weeks and my hair has been very pleased. I still thought it would be a good idea to pick up a leave-in with this amazing ingredient so I can give my hair this treat between washes.  My next move was to adopt a bottle of Kerastase Chroma Thermique (Thermo-radiance protecting milk).  Meant for color treated hair, Thermo Milk contains both ceramides and the valuable 18-MEA ingredient.

Those two work together to create a fabulously healthy cuticle layer.  The lipids help provide elasticity and shine while the ceramides keep the cuticle layer sealed from damage. Oh, and I learned from the Kerastase site that Chroma Thermique also contains UV filters and can also be used to protect hair from heat styling.  Although it does contains silicones, it's first ingredient is water which technically can classify Chroma Thermique protecting milk as a moisturizer.  So far, my hair is loving this hot pink hair restorer.  Yes, it's a little pricey, but for all the benefits I get, I would say this is probably the most valuable Kerastase product I own.  Let's recap this product's value shall we:

• Heat protector
• UV filters
• Light,water based moisturizer
• Ceramides
• 18-MEA
• Color protector

It's like Kerastase was thinking of me when they created this product.  O.k. I'll stop gushing about the Chroma Thermique and move on.

 The bottom line to all if this is to raise your awareness of the need for sun protection throughout the summer (and pretty much every day).  If you relax, your already depleted levels of 18-MEA (from relaxing) is stripped away even further from sun exposure.  Even if you're natural, the sun will still damage your hair.  Color treated girls, you're part of this too!  Bottom line is that no one is safe.  We all have to protect ourselves one way or another.  When I re-read the details of the study mentioned earlier, I learned that the cuticle damage to the hair was greater in UVB (outdoor sun) vs UVA radiation (indoor sun like in the picture above).  This means that our hair is more susceptible to damage when we're outside vs indoors.   So even those of us who don't go outdoors much are still being exposed to UVA radiation and still must take precaution to protect our skin and hair. I hope we all learned something today and from this learning, I pray that all you will take some type of action to protect our hair and skin from accelerated aging caused by the sun.  Enjoy your summer!

From Natural to Relaxed and lessons learned along the way

In recent past, I've received emails from ladies who are newly relaxed after years of rocking their natural hair.  Many of them are filled with confidence from the fact that they learned so much about their hair during their natural journey. All of the wonderful ladies I've spoken to were highly optimistic about being able to maintain the health levels of newly their relaxed tresses.

For a while now, I've wanted to write a post on making the big change from natural to relaxed.  It seems like transitioning from relaxed to natural receives lots of attention nowadays but little is shared about how to maintain a healthy journey after a virgin relaxer.  Needless to say, I will still dedicate a post on this topic. But in the mean time, I'd like to introduce you all to a special guest I have sitting in the Relaxed Hair Health lounge with me this evening.

Why don't you all join me in giving a warm welcome to miss "Lucie!"

Just one glance and you'll see that this woman's hair is simply stunning.  I've secretly stalked her hair journey from beautiful relaxed hair to gorgeous natural curls and back again.  I decided to reach out to her to see if we can gain a little wisdom from her multiple hair journeys.  Ladies, let me tell you. This woman was so proactive that she pulled questions from the blog's past features and answered them for me without me having to ask.  How cool is that!?!

So without further adieu, let's get to know Lucie and her fabulous hair.

1. What is your hair type? 
I would classify it as a 4a. I love my hair natural/relaxed. I have always had thick hair and it gives me many styling options. Now that I am relaxed again, I get a kick out of people thinking my hair is still natural but straightened.

2. How often do you touch up/relax?
Once a season, give or take a week or two.

2. What is your current length?

I am APL and getting close to BSL.

2. Please share your regimen.
What do you do daily, and weekly, to care for your hair? Daily: I usually have my hair in a high bun or high ponytail. At night time I will comb it and put it in yet another bun with a pin at the end to keep it from unraveling. Weekly: I deep condition every week when I am relaxed. I use Nexxus Therappe shampoo and Nexxus Humectress condition. I alternate with Alter Ego condition about once/twice a month. How often do you wear your hair out vs. protective styling? I do not wear my hair down often because I've gotten it caught on my clothes, in car doors (LOL) and whatever else it can get itself into. I usually wear a bun. I try to alternate the location to protect my hairline. I wear my hair down for special occasions or if I am wearing delicate clothing that does not create snags.

4. You've made some huge progress with your hair journey.What do you attribute most to your success? I would say keeping things simple. I do not stress about hair. I know it will do what it should and I just make sure to keep myself healthy. Good hair health comes from the inside. So I work out, take my vitamins, drink water, eat good foods, et cetera. Also, I do not do too much to my hair. I condition when it needs it. My hair loves water and I make sure I condition-wash frequently.

5 How often do you co-wash?  

Now that it is summer time, I condition wash daily. When I am relaxed in the winter or fall, I condition wash once/twice a week. 

6.  Tell us more about your air drying process.I just condition wash and go. I rinse with a cheapie Suave conditioner and when I am done, I apply some Herbal Essence mousse to keep my hair less frizzy.

7. Have you had any setbacks/trouble along the way? I noticed that the right side of my hair was a little thinner than the left.

8. How did you overcome your setbacks?
I stopped wrapping my hair in a way that stressed the right side. And I also massaged that side with castor oil to fill it back in.

9. How are you able to maintain such thickness overall?
 I do not use a lot of heat. I do not even own a curling iron/flat iron. I pin curl to achieve a curly look and I wrap my hair if I want it sleeker.

 10. Looking back at your journey so far, is there anything you would do differently?Or wish you would have done sooner? I am content with my journey. I try not to focus on the things I cannot change and only focus on what I can currently do. I apply my mantra to my hair as well, LOL!

11. What was the difference in regimen between when you were natural and when you were relaxed? The only difference is that shampooed more relaxed than when I was natural. When I was natural, I shampooed sometimes every other MONTH. My natural hair did not like shampoo.

13. Will you do anything differently to avoid any possible damage from having relaxed hair?

 I will be more mindful of when my hair is out not to have it brush on fabrics. When I was natural my hair was so big I did not really have to worry about it brushing on my clothes.

Lucie attributes her "transition" to relaxed hair as a decision she made just "to switch up her look."  She also mentioned the fact that her hair was beginning to block the visibility in her rear view mirror.  In the future, she may transition again to natural.  I just love the carefree and easy attitude she has towards her hair.  That way of thinking makes it easy for her to see loads of progress whether curly or straight.

I asked Lucie to take a look at the post I did about hair lessons we can learn from naturals to see if there was anything I missed that's worth mentioning. She felt that I pretty much had it covered.  One thing about her regimen that really sticks with me is her daily wash routine.  I always thought that naturals were the ones who's hair thrived from daily co-washes.  Anyhow, I'm glad that Miss Lucie was generous enough to share her story with us.

Sandwich of the Sea! Powerful nutrition in every bite.

 I'm doing this thing where I'm challenging myself to eat meals that support my overall health goals.  Since Uni's gluten free bread came into my life, I'm finally able to enjoy sandwiches again.  Honestly, I thought I would never be able to eat another sandwich but now that I can, I'm choosing to maximize the nutritional power of something so simple as a sandwich.

One of the variations of this healthy snack is a simple sandwich where I use avocado in lieu of mayonnaise.  I read online that avocados increase the absorption of the antioxidants found in leafy greens by 200-400%.  That's why they are perfect for adding to salads and anytime you are enjoying healthy greens.

Speaking of greens, my favorite thing to do, whenever I'm eating any sandwich, is load it with organic greens.  Sometimes it's spinach and arugula, sometimes a spring mix, sometimes baby kale.  Whatever the choice, I make sure that my greens are capable of delivering powerful nutrients and iceberg lettuce just doesn't cut it for me.  Although I don't have it pictured here, I've also started adding alfalfa sprouts to create a little flavor kick and an extra boost of nutrition.

Finally, I add the "piece de resistance," in the form of omega 3 fats and protein.  The salmon makes the meal just a bit heartier.  There's also another variation of this sandwich I make includes using King Oscar sardines. Along with the omega 3s, the sardines also elevate the amount of calcium I'm getting in this meal. Believe it or not, I actually prefer to enjoy sandwich with sardines. It just seems to taste better but isn't as visually appealing which is why I opted to display the salmon sandwich instead.

 I try to remain intentional when I eat this sandwich taking in small bites and enjoying every bit of it.  This isn't just a simple snack. It's a nutritional powerhouse!  Just looking at these pictures is making me hungry. So what are you having for lunch today?  Is it possible for your to tweak the recipe just a little bit to make it a tad more nutritious?  What if you did this to all of your meals, every day? What difference could it make for you long-term?

Inspiration.

"I dream my painting and I paint my dream"- Vincent Van Gogh

I just love feasting my eyes on things that bring forth inspiration.  Today I'd like to share what currently brings me inspiration.  Hope you enjoy.

What are you inspired by?

Create a healthy cuticle layer & intensify shine with 18-MEA

Healthier hair. That's what we all want right?  I mean, what else is there?  Today I want to chat a little with you on the topic of healthy hair and some of the fundamentals required to create and promote the natural health of our hair.  Long ago, I wrote a blog article on an Asian based hair product called Asience. I was truly attracted to this hair product because of a unique ingredient it contained. This ingredient is critical to the achievement of hair perfection. Those of us who relax, color, use heat, etc are especially in need of this amazing compound. What I speak of, is an ingredient called 18-MEA.

So what is 18-MEA and what is so special about it? Simply put, 18-MEA is a lipid (natural oil) which occurs naturally in the hair follicle. The purpose of this lipid is quite similar to ceramides in that they help maintain the integrity of the cuticle layer. When the cuticle layer is protected, that's when all the magic happens. But somehow, I had forgotten about this magical ingredient up until now. We've discussed another type of (hair) lipid in the past also known as ceramides. Adequate supplies of  these lipids are critical to having hair that is close to the way nature intented.   Hopefully by now, you have several ceramide containing products in rotation.  But now, it's time to take this thing to the next level!  For the past few weeks I've been racking my brain on what I can do to elevate the strength and resilience of my hair. I touched up recently and, immediately after a relaxer, I like to act with intention on how to restore the health of my hair after such a traumatic process. Then suddenly,  it came to me and I immediately swung into action.

The first thing I did was reach deep into my hair product closet to see if I had any of the Asience left. Much to my surprise, there was my Asience with about 1/3 of it left in the container. Next I re-read my previous posts to see what I can learn from my past experience. Turns out that this Asience did a great job of creating strength in my hair but I had to make sure I incorporated tons on moisture promoting products in the process. So I did exactly that. I mixed a few pumps of the Asience with Keracare Humecto and another moisturizing conditioner. During the roller set, I noticed how strong and resilient my hair felt. My Mason Pearson comb glided through my hair like a breeze. I was highly satisfied.

  Then I wondered what other products were out there, that were easily accessible, which contined this wonderful ingredient. Turns out that there aren't many products on the market containing 18-MEA. I looked around online and found some brands that few know about. Heck, the only reason I knew about Asience is because I happened to see a banner ad online once and was intrigued to learn more. I'll list the more "exotic" 18-MEA products below for those of you who are interested. But in the mean time, I would like to inform you that Redken's strengthening line of products contain what I consider the trinity of healthy hair ingredients....proteins, ceramides, and 18-MEA. Since I don't live far from an Ulta store, and they happened to have liter size bottles of Redken products on sale, I did what I had to do.

As of this moment, I haven't yet used the Redken product so I'll hold off my comments until I get a chance to try it.  I will say that most of the reviews I've read online are highly positive.  Honestly, I have high hopes for this product and I pray it won't let me down.  What really excites me most about 18-MEA is that with continued use, the hair continues to improve.  How cool is that??!!   For this reason, I have made the vow to always have an 18-MEA containing product on rotation no matter where I am in my hair journey from this point on.  My philosophy of creating healthier hair is all about bringing in the components that are missing from our hair as the result of chemical and every day damage. One of the most critical components are the lipids that help keep the cuticle layer sealed.  A properly sealed cuticle creates hair strands that shine, retains moisture, are less porous and less likely to break. Again, isn't that what we all want? I'll be sharing more about my take on the Redken product in upcoming posts but for now, here are some other 18-MEA brands out there for those of you who are as excited about this as I am.

Glam up your ponytail with Hair Cuffs

For as long as I can remember, I've had an affinity to cuff bracelets. Perhaps it stems back from my fond memories of Wonder Woman leveraging her amazing cuffs for crime fighting purposes. Take a look at my extensive accessory collection and you'll find numerous cuff bracelets of various colors and textures. I just loves me some cuffs.

So imagine my excitement when I learned of the cuff ponytail holder.

Turns out that H&M carries them these cute hair cuffs in several different styles for around $5.00. Soon after discovering these beauties online,  I hit the streets and headed to my local H&M store to claim these cuffs as mine. 

While at H&M, I picked up one with a textured look and feel in a pewter color. But, to be honest with you, my favorite of all is the smooth surfaced cuff. 

I just love the classic simplistic look of these inexpensive accessories. They're simple yet they make a clear statement. Just like that, an ordinary ponytail is turned into a sophisticated hairstyle.  For that reason, I think I'll grab one in silver to complete my set (Wonder Woman had two cuffs and so should I).  Since summer is upon us, I've been contemplating ways to keep my hair tamed without always going for the basic bun.  Ponytails are a clear alternative for me.

Heads up ladies, I'll probably host a hair cuff ponytail holder giveaway pretty soon since I'm sure someone out there will be just as excited about having one of these as I am.