Donna's Blog

Transitioning back to your natural hair can be an emotional journey. Transitioning can be overwhelming, but you can AND WILL get through the process. Here are some of the emotional stages you may face when transitioning back to your natural state. 1. Fear Going natural can be a very scary and nerve wrecking idea. You may be afraid to see your natural texture, because you may not remember what your curl pattern looks like. Fear of the unknown may try to hold you back, but don’t let it. You may also be afraid of what other people  will think of your natural hair. You have built up the courage and confidence to go natural and now you’re feeling hesitant. Don’t worry, just take it day by day a day and go with the flow. It’s perfectly normal to be scared and unsure, just don’t let fear hold you back. 2. Frustration Since you’re dealing with different textures, hair patterns, or just going through an awkward period, you may experience frustration. Your hair isn’t adapting to certain styles, and the products that you are trying aren’t working how you want them to. Styling your hair can be a very frustrating process during your transition, but stay consistent and keep trying different techniques. Your hair has to take the time to learn and train itself new techniques. Before you know it you will be able to perfect a twist-out with your eyes closed. 3. Experimenting Going natural is an on-going adventure. Try different products and techniques to see what works best for you. It’s ideal to try various products, so that you know what works for your hair and what doesn’t. But don’t go overboard. Experiment with new products every other month so you don’t confuse your hair left and right. My tip is if something works, stick with it before trying out something new. Trial and error is super important during your transition. 4. Confusion Constantly researching different blogs, hair products, and videos can be overwhelming. Blogs are so helpful and offer a huge amount of amazing advice, but too much information may confuse and overwhelm you. Take your time and do your research. Try finding a hair influencer that has similar hair textures and patterns as yours, and see what techniques and products worked for them.  5. Confidence When going back to your natural state, confidence is your best friend. No matter what anyone may say about your hair, wear it with confidence. Some people may say My mom used to always tell me that I needed to perm my hair, because it was “unruly.” Just ignore the people that will feed you negative thoughts or push you to go back to styles that damaged your hair. Proudly say with confidence, “This is the way my hair grows out of my scalp and it's beautiful!” 6. Acceptance You may have gone into this thinking that your hair would look just like a certain YouTuber or Influencer that you follow, and may be disappointed that your hair doesn’t turn out like theirs. You should know that everyone’s hair is different and has different textures, but everyone has a crown, and all crowns are unique and beautiful. If you begin your journey with this in mind, it will help make your transition to natural a lot smoother. Therefore it will hopefully help you reach the stage of acceptance. You may have two totally different curl patterns in your hair, so accept and embrace your hair and keep going. What were your emotional experiences transitioning to natural?

Triggers, something that we all have, one way or another. It’s understandable to have days when your hair can frustrate you— sometimes to the point where it can shift your focus, in a negative way, all throughout the day. If your hair has ever emotionally triggered you, here are a few suggestions on how to stop, prevent or minimize them from being a regular occurrence — for your hair’s sake as well as for your mental health. 1. Get to Know Your Hair Pattern, Texture and Porosity Please take the time to understand what your hair pattern, texture and porosity are. Otherwise you are going to stay frustrated on your healthy hair journey since these three factors play a huge role in how you care for your hair. If you may or may not know what these terms mean, please devote time in your day to do some thorough research; especially since it’s possible to have more than one hair pattern/texture at the same time.  2. Celebrate What You Know Knowledge is power, correct? Know what else? When it comes to gathering insight on what your hair is all about, that is a call for a true celebration! Open up YouTube or social media to search for men and women who have a similar pattern, texture and porosity as yours to see what hair products or styling tricks to experiment with. Then, take a picture, post it on your social media to let other people in on the education and that you are learning how to fall in love with your hair more and more every single day. In all honesty, sometimes, we get more triggered than we should because we focus more on what we don’t like about something rather than what we do, even with our hair. By putting forth the effort to love, praise, and bless your hair — you’ll be amazed how quickly it can put your mind, body and spirit into a much better space. 3. Realize That Envy Is Futile  Moral to the story — be blessed with what you are blessed with. There is beauty and greatness in all hair textures, and there is purpose in why we have the texture that we do. It makes absolutely no sense to wish that your hair was different from what it naturally is. Some of the very things that you may be complaining about, someone somewhere else is wishing that they could experience. Guaranteed. 4. Take “Some Time Off” from Your Locks Something that isn’t discussed enough, is that our relationship with our hair is much like any other kind of relationship — there are good days as well as bad days. There are times when we’re about putting a lot of effort in and then there are times when we just need a break. Whether you are transitioning from damaged hair to natural and healthy hair, you are trying to grow your hair out or you’re just having a moment of disconnect with your hair, go ahead and book an appointment with a stylist to put your hair into a protective style. Soon enough, you’re going to be more than happy to get them out and focus on styling your hair again. So if you need to, take a break — so that you can decompress and your hair can get a bit of rest from styling manipulation as well. A win/win all the way around. 5. Stop Trying to Control What You Can’t A person once said, “If you try to control everything, and then worry about the things you can’t control, you are setting yourself up for a lifetime of frustration and misery.” That being said, a main cause of your hair “emotionally triggering” you, is wanting to control something about it that you simply cannot. So, whether you’re having a bad hair day, or you wishing your hair had a different texture, or wishing your transition period only lasted a day — resolve in your mind to control ONLY what you can control. Accepting this alone is a total gamechanger — and definitely a “hair trigger” deactivator. Let us know how you prevent your hair triggers in the comments!

Stress and anxiety is running rampant in our society.  Let's jump in for 6 tips to help with stress and anxiety.  Take action on one or two of these today.  Yes? Very good! 1. Turn Off the News and/or Wifi. We can't consume everything.  It weighs on us.  Take time to walk away from taking it all that the news offers and get some fresh air.  Be present in the moment.     2. Take a break from social media Take a 24 hour break from social media to just spend time with you.  There is no end to social media.  Therefore, it's important for you to intentionally take a break and enjoy what is in front in front of you (family, pets, garden, plants). 3. Do something new It can be a new thing you want to cook and you're doing it without a recipe or trying a new exercise for the first time.  Doing something new will force you to concentrate more of being in the moment.  A new thing will keep you in the moment versus being on autopilot. 4. Call a loved one you haven't talked to in a while This is such a great form of therapy to talk to someone and go down memory lane.  Having this nostalgic feeling will put your body in a relaxing state of mind. 5. Meditate. Meditation and breathing exercises are so beneficial to getting you back in balance and centered.  When you are worried or anxious, just 60 seconds of breathing will bring you back to the present.  Most times when are heart rate accelerates, we are not in imminent danger, we are just taking our minds to "what if".  Meditation allows you to be in tune with your current state.   6. Begin/Start back up Journaling. Journaling forces you to slow your thoughts down by having to write them.  You can't go a mile a minute because writing takes time and thought.  You are able to express how you truly feel with writing things down and not rush your thought process. It's also so much fun to look back at your journal from where you came.  You get to read about things you may have forgotten and have a great time reflecting from where you were at that time.   7. Get a massage There are so many benefits of getting a massage including  Reducing stress and increasing relaxation Reducing pain and muscle soreness and tension Improving circulation, energy and alertness Lowering heart rate and blood pressure Improving immune function You can go to a professional massage therapist or massage yourself. Your local pharmacy or dollar store usually have massagers that can assist.  Give yourself a nice scalp massage with Donna's Recipe as well.  The natural oils in Donna's Recipe help alleviate stress.  Lavender in particular has been known to help with mental stress and exhaustion.   Ok, let's get to work.  Select one or two of the tips above and let us know in the comments which ones you are going to commit to today.      

Guest Writer: Ashley Lewis Hey Family! Let’s talk,  “Stress Breakage”. This is when high levels of stress hormones causes your hair to break off or fall out.   For a long time I wasn’t aware that I had this issue, but I kept finding sections  of my hair with strands half the length of the rest of my hair. This mainly occurred  in the mid-scalp region of my head and was only noticeable when I attempted styled that area of my hair.  Stress and anxiety can have so many effects on the body, some we automatically notice like breakouts on our face and others not so much, like a patch of hair in the back of your head (what the hack!?). Depending on how much stress you have going on in your life, this will determine the magnitude of the effects.    The good news is, there are plenty of ways to manage or reduce stress, and most of them won’t break your pockets!  I know this may not be easy for everyone but, adding in some form of self care could be extremely helpful. Find something you can do consistently that brings you peace and calm. Meditate, take walks, listen to music, even if it’s just five minutes of silence throughout your day, do it! Scalp massages are also a huge help. Grab your Donna’s Recipe Strength Hair Oil and give yourself a ten minute scalp massage. This will help to stimulate your scalp and hair follicles, which assists with blood flow and hair growth. Lastly, be consistent with your hair care routine and be sure to include a great deep conditioner into the process! Exercise, take your Donna’s Recipe Biotin Hair Vitamins Gummies, and drink lots of water! We all experience stress at some point in our lives, but if there is something you can do to help it and also help your overall well being, I say let’s make it a priority!   

Hey Family!  Remember those big dreams and plans you used to have way back when? Let’s talk about them. It’s so easy to get distracted or discouraged, especially when life throws endless curveballs your way or when we let the opinions of others in. Before you know it, you wake up one day asking yourself where did the time go and regretting the things you didn’t do. Maybe your confidence about pursuing these dreams have been shaken or maybe you feel it’s too late. Well, I want to remind you that as long as you still have air in your lungs, it’s never too late! Those dreams and plans can still be realized! It may look a little different now than it did back then and maybe you’ll have to tweak a couple things, but there’s still time.  One good thing that comes from being delayed is, you now have more wisdom and knowledge. You have fresh eyes and life experiences to see your dreams through. You may also have more access to resources. You don’t need to make it all happen in one go, but you do need to take just one step.  Grab a journal, and write that dream down.  I know from experience that looking at your entire dream can be overwhelming and anxiety inducing. So underneath your written dream, I want you to write one thing that you can accomplish in the next day(s), week(s), or within one month (don’t allow yourself to go beyond a month). It could be something as simple as making a phone call, doing some research, or assembling a team of trusted people - to something as big as applying for that loan, looking for a new job that will allow you the freedom to work on your dream, writing that manuscript, or starting therapy to figure out what’s stopping you from pursuing those dreams in the first place. Nothing is off the table. Once you’ve accomplished that first step, check it off, and write down another one.  Put that step on your calendar.  Give yourself a deadline and make it happen! Find a trusted friend or mentor to hold you accountable.  If you have someone expecting an update from you, you’re more likely to make it happen.  share your dream or plans, but make sure it is with someone who will encourage and push you. Someone who will believe in you.  Surround yourself with people who are where you want to be.  Watch the TedTalks, go to the conferences, or YouTube “how to”. Reach out to people on social media. If you can see it, you can absolutely achieve it.  Remember that every setback is a set up for something even better.  Don’t give up. Try again or attack from a different angle.  Lastly, HAVE FUN.  Your dreams should be something you enjoy doing - something you can be proud of that gives you purpose and your life meaning. It will be harder to accomplish them if you are dreading getting up each day to go after them. It won’t be easy, but it should be enjoyable.  Don’t be afraid to dream big. I’ve heard time and time again, “if your dreams don’t scare you, they aren’t big enough.” Aim high, because regardless of if you make it to what you envisioned or not, I promise you, you’ll be much further than where you are now. Be brave, tune out the naysayers and your negative inner dialogue. Affirm yourself, take a leap of faith, and start now.  What is one dream that you are committing to taking steps to actualizing? Let us know below! And once you complete your first step, come back and write “I Did It!”. See you on the other side of your dream cousins!  XO,  Ashley 

Do you know you are one action or thought away from feeling happy?  Yes!  Happiness is an emotional state from having feelings of joy, satisfaction, contentment and fulfillment.  If you woke up this morning not feeling happy ...honey, that's ok.  We are going to change that....yes!!  Try out one of these happy hacks and let us know in the comments if you felt happiness after doing it.  I already know but read on to pick which happy hack you're going to do. 1) Hug someone for a minute Did you know hugging makes you happier?  Well, if you didn't know, go ahead and give someone a long extended hug and you will see.  It spikes our oxytocin levels. Oxytocin is a chemical in our bodies that is also known as the  “cuddle hormone”. This is because its levels rise when we hug someone. Oxytocin is associated with happiness and less stress.  Let's cheer to that.  A good hug is always good for the soul and heart. 2) Dance Yes!  Dancing makes you happy, honey!  When we dance our brain releases endorphins, hormones which can trigger neurotransmitters that create a feeling of happiness, fun, peace and love. Music and dance invigorate the sensory and motor circuits of our brain.  So, that's enough to get you up to turn on the music and dance!  Come on!! Let's move!   3) Rub your pet The touch between you and your pet can have therapeutic benefits for both of you all. In humans, petting a dog can trigger the release of the bonding hormone oxytocin.  And we already, spoke about oxytocin and its benefits. Rubbing your pet's fur can also lower your heart rate and blood pressure.  That's enough to take a break and rub your baby pet. 4) Make your bed This simple action item can be overlooked but making your bed can improve your overall happiness and well-being.  Making your bed can actually make you happier and more productive. It gives you a sense of accomplishment and improves your mood instantly.  5) Smile for 20 seconds Smiling impacts the way you feel.  This is not up for debate.  It's only 20 seconds go ahead a smile for 20 seconds and guarantee you will keep smiling after the 20 seconds are up.  Why is that?  Because you have communicated to your brain that you are in a good mood and it followed suit.  Yes, very good! 6) Put your favorite song on repeat Listening to your favorite song gives you confidence because you know every word.  It's also usually your favorite song because there are happy memories tied to that song.  Allow your mind to go to that happy place by playing the song on repeat.   Now, there you go..six happy hacks that are quick to do.  It will make you feel better in a pair of seconds.  Go ahead and try one or more today and leave in the comments how you felt afterwards.  Share this article with someone who this would help as well.  Love you!   Remember to stay in stock of your Donna's Recipe.  You know Donna doesn't play about our consistency.    

You're doing it again !!! One thing has gone wrong and here you go with "Don't nothing ever go my way!" One thing. Everything isn't going wrong.  You're just having a moment.  It may be a speed bump because it's time to slow down.  Maybe you're at a stop sign because it's time to look both ways before you keep going. But everything isn't going wrong. So stop that negative talk. Stop that tantrum.  You're ok.  Things are fine and recognize this is only a moment.  Take a moment to pause, focus and say why did this happen? And what can I do to prevent it from happening again or to proceed with caution and figure it out.  You got this! Now, gone about your business and have yourself the most amazing day, but even if you can't don't you dare go messing up nobody else's! Now, Donna don't want you stressing out and taking pauses on your Donna's Recipe.  Are we still on this healthy hair journey together? Yes!  Get into your Donna's Recipe!

A big chop is about new beginnings.  While I know the BIG CHOP often refers to our hair.. we may need to give a big chop to other things as well.  Do you need to do a big chop of a toxic relationship in your life? Do you need to do a big chop of comparing yourself to others on Instagram?  It's a lot of things that takes our energy that we need to give a BIG CHOP! You may say to yourself...just like we do with our hair.. "I want to do a BIG CHOP but how??" Let's talk about it. How do we do a BIG CHOP with things in our lives that no longer serve us.   Here are quick 3 tips and you can get to chopping.   1.) IT HAS TO BE REPLACED WITH SOMETHING ELSE If we have decided that a toxic relationship no longer serves us, we must replace it with something else to fill that void.  Here's an example. You have an unhealthy relationship with your boyfriend and you know you need to do a BIG CHOP with him. But you know you're going to miss the time you spend with him.  It's a good idea to make sure you discover healthy people or outlets that can occupy that time.  Consider getting a friend that can be your daily walking buddy or take up a new hobby.   Fill that VOID.   2.) Prepare for the NEW CHANGE When you do the BIG CHOP on your hair, it excites you when you think of cute hair styles or accessories you can rock with your new look.  It serves you to prepare for the good things to come in the transition to the BIG CHOP in your life.  Start looking up what earrings would look nice etc. Same with other things that you will transition from, look at what is to come and prepare for the good things to come with it.   3. Let the DEAD bury the DEAD Once you've decided to do a BIG CHOP whether it is with our hair or something else like holding a grudge towards someone else.. LET IT GO!! Don't go back because you have CHOPPED IT OFF.  No going back.  This reminds me of a scripture in the Bible.  A man wanted to follow Jesus and the man asked Jesus if he could bury his father.  Jesus replied, "Let the dead bury the dead." Whew!  That's deep.  I take that as it is time to move forward.  So once you have decided to do a BIG CHOP, keep your eyes straight. No need to look back.   I hope this has helped you whether you are planning for a BIG CHOP with your hair or something else that no longer serves you. In the comments, share what you need to do a BIG CHOP with in your life.  Also, Donna told me to tell you to make sure you keep your Donna's Recipe on hand as we are on this hair journey together.   Love you!!       

I know you're thinking, "what does Donna have to say about stress and anxiety??" Well, she has a lot to say because it affects her and all her cousins.  We need to be well on the inside out.  Stress and anxiety can cause severe hair loss and thinning.    We can work through this together.  Here are some helpful things we can do to push back on anxiety and when we feel heavy and stressed.   Play your favorite MUSIC & play it LOUD! Put that music on and grab your "mic" and dance your heart out.  It doesn't matter if you can sing because the music is loud and you are one with the music anyhow.  Familiar music calms you and releases endorphins in the body.   Endorphins are chemicals that are produced naturally by the nervous system to help with pain or stress.  It's also known as a "happy chemical" because it gives you a boost of energy.   Get to cleaning...yes clean! I know you're thinking, "I'm already stressed and down..how am I going to clean anything??"  Well, you are going to start small.  Organize your medicine cabinet or your hair drawer.  Just do something because when you're done, you will feel proud of yourself and happy that you accomplished something.  Do you know this releases endorphins as well.  Yes!!  It signals to the brain that you accomplished something and the chemical releases in your body.  So, let's think about what we're going to clean today.     Make some food You know this is a favorite!  It can be a simple dish like sauteed greens in a pan.  Something about making your own food relaxes you and relieves stress and anxiety.  While you are making the food, it forces you to slow down and focus on each step in the process.  Ok, so what are we cooking?    Get some fresh air It's something about outside that brings you back centered.  It's you, the air and God.  If you can, get to a beach or soil where you can walk barefoot.   Walking barefoot is a therapeutic technique that involves doing activities that “ground” or electrically reconnect you to the earth. Try it and see how it makes you feel.  I already know it will do you good.  Even just imagining walking on God's Earth can make you feel good.   Cuddle and a Loving Touch Go cuddle with a family member whether it is a spouse, child, friend or our furry animals like your dog or cat.  There's power in touch.  Touch gives you a calming reality.  You are in that moment and it's hard to think of other stressors with the human touch.  Ok, so we know we're going to go love on someone after reading this.  And if you don't have anyone around.  Give yourself a big hug and massage your scalp, arms.  Love on yourself.   Change clothes Remember that Pharrell song, "change clothes!!" Sorry, stay focused.  But go in your closet and put on something that reflects how you want to FEEL.  Your mind will have to just catch up to how you look.  Put on that bright flowing dress.  Even if you stay in your house, you will feel better.   I have more tips that I'll share next week.  Let's start with some of these.  Stress and anxiety affects all parts of our body.  Let's get moving and work through this with some of these tips.  Comment below and let me know if this has been helpful to you.  Love you!!