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via the mane source

I’ve always thought that I dressed well. I’ve never liked to look like anyone and I never followed fashion trends, but after I went natural I noticed that my style evolved. I became even more daring with my wardrobe. I started buying more statement pieces and wearing bolder makeup looks. My sense of style became more and more eclectic. I think there is a direct correlation between my  fashion liberation and my decision to go natural.

What about you? Have you noticed any difference in your wardrobe since going natural? Does your do dictate what you wear?

After countless days basking in the gorgeous summer sun, it’s not just your skin that’s crying out for help – it’s your hair, too! Prolonged exposure to heat is the number one culprit in devastating hair damage so your locks are in need of some serious T.L.C. Some beauty products and treatments can be a stress on your post-vacation budget, so Ryan Nickulas has put together a few DIY tips to help hair bounce back with ease.

The Banana (Anti)Split Mask  

This yummy mask not only moisturizes frazzled strands, but also smells delicious! It has the same tropical scent that will bring you back to the beach– mentally, at least.  

    
      Ingredients:

• 1 ripe banana
• ½ cup honey            

      Tools:

• Blender/food processor
• Wide tooth comb
• Plastic shower cap
• Towel     

Tip: Try as a mask for dry skin.

Rosewater Spritzer           

Hair could always use an extra moisture boost and when you don’t have enough time to tackle a DIY hair mask, try this super simple spritz to keep your locks luscious all day.

Just in time for Peach season!!!! 

The loveliness of lavender gives a truly unique flavor to peach jam.  Add lavender buds for extra bursts of flavor.

MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP 

2 cups peeled fresh or frozen peaches, thawed

2 tablespoons fresh or dried lavender buds

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons apple juice concentrate, thawed

2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract

 1. Slice peeled peaches as thinly as possible.

 2. Combine lavender and water in a small saucepan; bring to boil. Remove from heat, cover and steep 5 minutes. Pour liquid through a wire-mesh strainer into a measuring cup. Reserve liquid and lavender buds.

 3. Combine peaches, apple juice concentrate, honey, lemon juice, vanilla extract and reserved lavender liquid in a nonstick skillet.  Add 1 teaspoon steeped lavender buds, if desired.

 4. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer 5 to 15 minutes, stirring constantly and mashing peaches with the back of a spoon until mixture becomes the consistency of jam.

 5. Refrigerate jam in a bowl for about 1 hour until chilled. Conduct taste test and make corrections, if needed.

 TIP: To prepare fresh peaches, wash and score an x on blossom end of peach. Plunge into rapidly boiling water for about 1 minute. Quickly transfer to bowl of ice water. Peel and pit.

By Brierley Wright, M.S., R.D., Nutrition Editor, EatingWell Magazine 

When you consider how many fake-colored foods abound, especially “kid-friendly” ones, I guess it’s not so surprising that Americans are now eating five times as much food dye as we did in 1955. (Think beyond candy to rainbow-colored breakfast cereals, electric-blue yogurts and fluorescent drinks.)

The FDA Food Advisory Committee’s decision to re-evaluate food dyes like Red 40 and Yellow 5 and whether they’re linked to hyperactivity and other behavioral changes in children. The easiest way to to cut back on or cut out synthetic food dyes is to trade processed colored food for naturally colorful unprocessed fruits and vegetables. But if/when you are purchasing processed foods, here are a few tips on what to look for at the grocery store:

1. Go organic. Look for foods bearing the green-and-white USDA certified organic label, but be aware that foods labeled “made with organic ingredients” may still contain synthetic dyes.

2. Avoid numbers. Man-made food dyes appear in ingredient lists as a name of a color with a number following it: Blue 1 and 2, Citrus Red 2, Green 3, Red 40, Yellow 5 and 6. Avoid these.

3. Seek out au naturel names. Check product ingredient lists for beet, carotenes, annatto or capsanthin (a paprika extract)—all are natural colorants.