I'm still using the peanut oil on my hair. I've even started adding it to other products, like shampoo and conditioner. I was shocked that the oil worked so well in the shampoo. I still get the same amount of lather, and it leaves my hair shiny, but clean.. It's weird. Oil in shampoo.. Who knew? As far as being in conditioner, of course that' s gonna work like a house on fire, unless you have fine hair that is really really oily. Mixing oils with other products helps most people's hair accept oils better- or so I imagine. Now I can't just SLATHER my locks with oil and think everything is fine, but if I spritz with water first or mix it with another product, it works REALLY well. If I ever start making products to sell, that will be the way to go.. Soon as I get the formula just right. Hey, when it comes to hair care products, I don't mind being the test subject.. :p Plus with all this extra washing and massaging, my hair seems to be growing faster.. Not sure if it's the massage, the products, or just that time of year. But I'm liking the results.

I mixed all my conditioners together, and shampoos as well with some oils (peanut and scented) To see how that's gonna work out.. Plus it will help me use up all those left over products since hubby isn't having me buy more until I use all the old stuff up. (Men, right?) Well, I understand.. Money is tight for all of us these days. This is a great tip for all those out there who have a little of this a bit of that.. Products that just don't work that well alone.. You can mix like things and maybe get better results.. Or at least you'll end up with a new bottle of shampoo, conditioner, oil- Whatever you have a bunch of. :) Just a tip.

Well, I guess that's it for now.. Hopefully I'll have some more to tell soon. :)

Jen

Lately I've been reading a lot about black history and all the movements that took place back then. You would think with all the inspiration and motivation of black people back then, we'd be on top- or at least equal with the rest of the world. Instead, we went backwards like we're suffering from Stockholm Syndrome and have to be some how less than our "paler" counterparts. Sure we talk the talk and some of us have very high paying jobs. Some are in high society. But still when the rest of the world looks at us all they see is the black folks they see on BET and in videos and not to mention on movies and TV shows that make intelligent blacks look like the exception. As in the old terms of the south: "Them Ni&&ers ain't no good... But not YOU! You're one of the good ones." Yeah.. No less offensive is it.. Yet to some... It's acceptable. As long as it ain't "me" then all is well.. But I think what those leaders and prophets of the past wanted was for it to not be ANY of us. They wanted us to be educated, but never lose heart. And never separate from our people in favor of being all up on the "other".

Now don't get me wrong. I want the world to be at peace. Where we can all hold hands love each other no matter what race creed or kind. Rich or poor, no one is less than the other. But we ain't there yet, so never get that twisted. I was reading about Marcus Garvey, I never took time to read why he was so important in black history, now I know. (We read something other than Essence, we learn stuff. :) Though I love Essence and O magazine, sometimes you have to research important stuff too.) He had a very good, well many good ideas. First off was the idea to buy land for us to go back to Africa, which was taken away by slick business men. But not all of us wanna go back to Africa anyway. But we should make the best of being here. Which brings me to the next idea. His idea to own a company for and by blacks. Products made by blacks to ship to blacks for their businesses. Back then we had segregation and sometimes we didn't get the best products from white owned companies, so this idea would have been great. He was planning to ship to American Blacks, Canada,Jamaica and Africa. He wanted all black stock holders. We had chances!! Chances that were rare back then. The companies went down rather quickly, but why were such good ideas for business just abandoned? Well, when segregation ended, we could shop white owned stores and come in the front door like 'real people'.. Well that's all well and good, but then we stopped shopping in the black owned stores. And the attitudes about black owned stores got worse and worse.

You had some black store owners who were trying to cheat the people, But also some who had older products simply cause they could afford fresh and costs were high because they couldn't buy a whole train load and get the discounts to pass the savings on to the customer. The end result. The white business had better quality in some cases and lower prices and we started shopping there. I mean I get that.. Cheaper and better.. A real steal.. But they didn't even want us there. But we pried our way in and demanded to give them our money!! And our neighborhoods suffered. Because all our money was going to another neighborhood. Improving a neighbourhood that didn't need it really and letting ours just go to s#it. Now that was kinda stupid. And the worst part is, this is the trend that lasted.. THE BAD TREND..

Now days if we see a black shop owner, first thing you hear. "I ain't trying to make that ni&&a rich!!" And that's from US not the "other". We ain't trying to make that black man rich but we'll run to Walmart, Target, Albersons- Take your pick! And spend our whole paycheck and never think of it again. I'm not without fault either. I shop the hell outta Walmart! Are there any African products there? There are barely black PRODUCTS in Walmart- BUT they do provide jobs to some people in the communities. But that's all big businesses. And you hear of sexism, racism, ALL isms in a company like that.. But I still go there and toss away $100 a week sometimes!

Anyway, my point is. Seems like by now, we should be owning a company like Walmart, Sams- A GAS STATION!! Something. All the money we throw the "other" we can really have something to be proud of!! Come up in the WORLD.. Start having respect and respecting ourselves.. Then we can join with the world.. Not the way we're doing it now. We are just "fitting in".. Not belonging.. Now I don't think if belonging means being greedy and not caring we should make that our goal. But having the world just look at a black business man as a business man. That he may OWN the company instead of just working for it. You see a black man with a nice car, he's not stealing it. And he's not a dope dealer. He's just doing well. You know.. Same way they look at THEM, they need to see us like that. And they aren't gonna just do it.. We have to put that image out there.

Now how do we do that? I don't know. I'd say support black business, but I've seen that backfire too. You spend and spend.. Get them well off.. And they give you @ss to kiss.. Like they made the money by calling the money faerie! But we have to start somewhere.. Quit raising our sons to be thugs- Thugs are not strong men. They are just dumb animals.. And that's not how I want the world to see our Bredren anymore. Stop raising our daughters to be 'hos. Make them go to school. Learn the word! Have some respect! I'm tired of the world thinking our young women are just 'bitc#es and 'hos. Or ghetto chicks. Just plain tired of it! We have to do something. We need to all.. ALL SEXES AND AGES read up on some Marcus Garvey, some Haile Selesie, Some Malcolm X. LEARN about the past to better the future..

**Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free out minds; How long shall they kill our prophets, while we stand around and look?!** Bob Marley

One Love, Bless Up!

Jen