You Tubetorial:Twisted Updo

Today's You Tubetorial is a beautiful updo design by BeautifulBrwnBabyDol. Love her! Just goes to show the amazing styles that can be created with natural hair. I can see this with a sparkly comb or a pretty flower to dress it up for an even more formal look. Or, rock it as is for work or as an effortlessly cool weekend look. Either way, it's a great protective style that looks awesome. I would love to give this a try but so far I've only done flat twists in the front so we'll have to see. If I get up the guts to attempt this style I will post pics :-) If anybody else tries it, I would love to see your results.

Check it out!

Style Inspiration-Chrisette's Natural Weave

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I will be honest and share that I have never seen a natural weave like this in person. At least I wasn't aware of it if I did! So when I saw this pic of Chrisette Michelle at an Essence event over the weekend, while I am not a fan of the color at all, I decided I really like the shape and look. It reminds me of a few day old twist out or something. What do you all think? Would you get a "natural" weave?

Parenting 101: To Spank or Not to Spank...

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So this blog is in no way going to become solely a blog about babies or parenting. However, I am a new mom and I know many of you out there are mommies and daddies too! There are so many issues that arise when thinking about raising children and I would love to share them with you to get your input. From time to time I will be submitting topics for you all to weigh in on regarding parenting.

So, for this first Parenting 101 as this series will be called, I want to know how you all feel about spanking. I was spanked as a child by my dad but not by my mom. I think they disagreed on the act and once they divorced, I was never really spanked again. My only memory of being spanked was waaaaaaay back in the day when I was three years old. We were in Target (the old Target before they became cool and hip again, lol) and I was begging my mom to "up me" or pick me up. My dad was not happy with my behavior because apparently I kept begging and begging, going from whining to an all-out temper tantrum. Well, what is the big deal, you may ask. For starters, my mom was about 8 months pregnant with my little brother so "upping me" was not an option. In addition, I guess I was told to stop and I didn't. So my dad spanked me. Right there in Target. With a belt from the belt section! :-(

Of course then there were the times I spent with my paternal grandmother who believed in sending children to get their own switches to "tear up those legs"! She never hurt us, but liked to be able to remind us from time to time about not getting out of line.

On the one hand, I was more careful around those people who I knew would take to my behind if I started feeling myself too hard and I watched my behavior. I knew the limits and I was diligent about not crossing them. However, I might have responded just as well to really structured time out or other non-corporal punishments.

So, my question to you all is, what do you think about spanking? Are you a "spare the rod, spoil the child" kind of person or do you disagree with the practice? What were your experiences with it and do you think it helped you as a child? Is this an appropriate way to manage behavior in children? Weigh in!

***Oh, and as a friendly reminder, topics like this can get heated and we won't all agree so please stay respectful or both this forum and each other. :-)

You Tubetorial: Vintage Hair

Check out Curlychronicles' vintage do for natural hair:

Update on Baby & Braids

Baby boy chillin in his favorite position!

So today marks 2 weeks since I gave birth. Time flies for real! My baby is growing really well according to his doctors so I feel very blessed. Breastfeeding did not go as I planned but luckily I am able to pump so he is getting my milk anyway. I am not as exhausted as I thought I would be even though little man eats every 3 hours like clockwork. He has the most delightful temperament, only crying when he's wet or hungry, but otherwise not fussy. He is not colicky at all, thank heavens! When he is not eating or sleeping, he loves looking around at his world and from time to time we lock gazes and it makes me melt! I stare at him all day and thank God for this little miracle.

In other news, the braids are now 3 weeks old. The upside has been that I have not had to worry about my hair in the least! I have only had time to wash it once, hopefully tomorrow will lend me some time for wash number two, and every night I sleep on a satin pillow case. The downside is that I miss my hair! Also, they are starting to get a little fuzzy at the crown because I do not tie them up with any kind of scarf so, while the satin pillowcase minimizes rubbing, there is still some friction while I sleep (read: nap intermittently). I don't know how much longer I will keep them in because they are heavy and are hard to put up. I find that the synthetic hair itches my neck and it takes a lot of work to keep the hair out of my face when they're down. All in all, it was money well spent because it got me through the labor and delivery and allowed me to transition into motherhood without worrying about my hair!

So that is the latest with me. I hope all of you are well! Have a great weekend and we'll see you next week. :-)

Health & Fitness: Finding a Routine

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I used to be a workout fiend before I got pregnant. I was going to my gym almost every day doing cardio and weight training classes. I loved the feeling of sweating out fat and toxins and I had a decent figure to show for it.

Then came first trimester morning sickness to knock me off my feet and keep me planted horizontally on my couch. Next was second semester exhaustion that made it barely doable to get through the work day. I rarely made it to my gym and when I did, I was not able to do all the exercises I once enjoyed. Instead of walking on the treadmill or making some other kind of reasonable adjustment, I just stopped altogether. I tried to walk around my neighborhood but once it got cold outside and darkness came earlier in the evening, I gave that up too.

So, that left me with a whopping 60 pound weight gain (eek!) during this pregnancy. Now, I am dying for my 6 week post-partum check up so I can begin working out again. Not only do I feel like a foreigner in this much bigger body, I miss the interaction of the classes and the elevated mood I would always feel after. I just want that "healthy" feeling again!

There are so many benefits to working out regularly and one article talks about how starting a good routine in your 20's will have you reaping the benefits of good health and less weight gain for decades to come.

Here's a snippet:

If you think you don't need to work out just because you're slim and trim at 25, think again. A new study shows that people who start a regular fitness regimen in their 20s and stick with it into their 30s and 40s experience less middle age spread.

The study, published in the latest issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that starting exercise early in life is especially good for women. Women who maintain a high intensity, regular fitness routine from their 20s onward gain 13 fewer pounds than women who are inactive or who are inconsistent in their exercise routines. (excerpt from aolhealth.com)

Click here to keep reading.

Cool huh? So. My question to all of you is, what types of exercises to you regularly engage in? Do you have a regimen that you see yourself sticking to for the next decades of your life?

Want to know another health benefit of working out? Just click here.

Reader Question: Style Help for Dry Hair, Damaged Hairline

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I received the email below from one 14 year-old Naturally Leslie reader:

Hi Naturally Leslie,

I am a huge fan of your blog and love reading your
post. I am currently fourteen and have been natural for a long
time,almost all my life. Only recently have I really begun to care for
my hair. It has been difficult lately because my mother is a
hairbraider and aften braids my hair in weave(usually kinky twist) so
I don't really have much time to control my hair. Although I do wash
it and try to moisturize I am having difficulties moisturizing and
finding styling options. My hair is really fine and since I've worn
braids for a long time my hairline is severely damaged. I don't know
how to style it because of my hairline dilema or what products to use
to moisturize. I'm thinking about purchasing aussie moist for my hair
as a conditioner and leave in conditioner would this be a good idea? I
would love it if you could possible help me find some suitable
hairstyles and product.

Thank you very much.

I know so many of you here know a ton about how to have healthy natural hair so please weigh in and leave you advice in the comments section!

To learn more about dealing with the issue of hair thinning, click here.

What's Your Opinion: My Honey Child Products?

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I received a request via my Facebook page regarding My Honey Child natural hair products. I have never tried this line and therefore have no idea what the products are like. So, I thought I would turn it over to you. Has anyone tried anything from this line? If so, what is your opinion? Would you buy again or recommend to a fellow natural? Help us out!

Natural Recipe {Skin & Hair}: Homemade Scrub & Hair Mask

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Today natural recipe comes from one Naturally Leslie reader and features two delightful mixes. One is for skin and the second is for hair. If you try them out, shoot me an email (naturallyleslie@gmail.com) and tell me about your experience!

Olive Oil/Sugar Exfoliating Mix
Ingredients Needed:

Sugar, EVOO or other oil

Directions:

1. Mix 2 to 3 tablespoons of sugar with about 1/4 cup of natural extra virgin olive oil or if you prefer another type of natural oil that is fine too.

2. Apply to face or skin and let it stand for 15-20 minutes.

3. Rinse with cool water.

Moisturizing Hair Mask

Ingredients Needed:

Raw Honey, Buttermilk, olive oil

Directions:
1. Mix raw pure natural honey, buttermilk, olive oil.

2. Put it on your hair...let it sit.

3. Rinse

You Tubetorial: Quick Natural Hair Style

A hair 'refresher' for old twist-outs or braid-outs by blakealexis...

Natural Recipe {Skin}: Homemade Lip Balm

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Today's natural recipe feature comes from YouTube's DearNaptural85 (click to see her hair channel, Naptural85.) In this video, she is making two flavors of her homemade lip balm.

I chose this video because I really love all the effort she puts in to creating her own all natural products at home. Her recipe vids are super easy to follow and yield amazing stuff without all the chemicals.

Check it out HERE!

Do you make your own lip balms? If you have a recipe and want to share, click the Write for Naturally Leslie tab at the top and submit your recipe using the guidelines provided!

Updates on Motherhood...

Hello everyone! Over the weekend I officially became a mother! I cannot describe what an amazing journey the last three days have been and I know it will only get better. I am so happy and blessed to have a healthy, beautiful, perfect little boy. He arrived Friday afternoon at 3:48pm, weighing in at 6lbs 10oz, and just at 19 inches long.

I labored from Wednesday night at 7:10pm, making two trips to the hospital over the next day before being admitted on the third trip on Thursday night. I had never heard of prodromal labor before but I was having pretty regular and painful contractions that were not helping me advance through labor. So basically it felt like labor but technically wasn't because it was not helping me dilate. It was not until Thursday night around 11pm that I was considered in actual "real" labor by the doctor. Madness!

Long story short, by the time I was admitted I was exhausted and the pain had increased to a point where I decided to get an epidural. Turned out to be the right decision for me even though I had not originally planned for it. One thing I learned through this whole process was just how quickly the best laid plans can change and you have to adapt to the situation at hand. I don't feel guilty or disappointed at all and I am grateful the option was available. I really think it helped me be present through what turned out to be a somewhat difficult delivery considering baby was turned sunny-side up and endured a bit of stress to his heart.

After the epidural, according to my husband, I became human again! I labored and slept in peace for a few hours until it was time to push. I pushed for about an hour and a half beginning around 2:00pm. Immediately after I began pushing, the doctor commented on all the hair she saw! He had like 3 inches of shiny black hair and it was amazing to see! Unfortunately like I mentioned above, he was in a bit of distress because he was face up and struggling to pass through my pelvis. In the end, I was able to deliver without needing a c-section but I was not able to hold him immediately. Two specialists and a crew of amazing nurses came in and took care of him, watching his heart rate and his head which was squeezed pretty badly. After about fifteen minutes, I was told all was fine with my son. I was able to hold my little bundle and it was the best moment of relief and love. Everybody thinks their kid is perfect and I have proven to be no different!

Hanging with daddy

All the nurses and doctors at my hospital were beyond amazing to me, my husband, and our son. They took such good care of all three of us and helped us adjust to this new life as parents. I left feeling confident and prepared for the next phase and by Saturday evening they told us we could leave the next day when we felt comfortable.

Supplementing with mommy

The ride home!

We got home later the next morning to begin our new lives as a threesome and it has been worth the wait. To all the parents out there, I appreciate your advice so feel free to continue to share. Thank you to all my readers for your continued support and encouragement. I <3>

Baby Is On The Way!

Me and the belly in quieter, gentler moments...

Hi everybody! Just wanted to drop a quick note to say I am officially in labor, contractions began at around 7:30 and are now 6 minutes apart. I am still at home and doing fine. This is definitely not what I expected but I am actually enjoying the experience, as painful as it has been and will surely be in the hours to come. Thanks for all your support and comments. I don't know when I will post again or get to moderate comments so thank you for your patience!

New Product Alert: Whoop Ash Body Butter Cream

Created by Will Smith's first wife, Sheree Fletcher, the totally organic cream is chock full of hydrating white honey, mango and shea butter--a luscious combination that keeps dry, flaky skin moisturized from sunup to sundown. ~Essence.com

I saw this over on Essence and had to ask- would you buy this product?

Reading the description, it sounds heavenly with shea butter and honey as two of its main ingredients and it's apparently organic. I just wonder what it smells and feels like. Scent is a huge factor to me when it comes to buying new skin or hair products. The price is also a factor and at $19.95 for an 8oz jar, this would really have to make my skin feel amazing. However, in my opinion, the packaging leaves a bit to be desired. Something about it reminds me of the Let's Jam hair glaze I used to use back in middle school!

So weigh in. What requirements do you have when it comes to purchasing new products for skin and hair. Would you give Whoop Ash a try?

What's Your Opinion: For Ladies Only?

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I got this comment on one of my older Fresh-Squeezed Fotki Juice posts and wanted your opinions.

"A guy...really, I thought this was about us!" ~Anonymous

This site is not just about natural hair but it is definitely one of the main focal points. I never thought about it being created for one sex, race, age, whatever but I realize there are a lot of people that like online communities for women only, especially when it comes to stuff about beauty.

So I want to know what you all think. Should sites like this be for women only? What do you think about men that want to participate or even be featured?