3LRCHALLENGE: 1 month down 2 to go

Hey guys,

We are done with month 1 of the 3LRCHALLENGE, I hope you guys are all sticking through and excited for the next month. 

A few updates.. 

August Winner: Congratulations to the August giveaway winner Lauren Davis

 

September Giveaway: For more information on the September Plank Challenge click

Weekly Giveaways: Congrats to Tasha Harris our picture challenge weekly giveaway winner.
There are still many more giveaways throughout the duration of the challenge. To learn more click the link

 

 

If you missed any of our prior newsletters be sure to subscribe by registering here

 

Make sure to check Miss Tegas Blog

 

 

XOXO

 

Bella Joya

3LRCHALLENGE: 10 REASONS TO DRINK MORE WATER

Hey Guys,


We all hear that water is important but just in case you were wondering exactly why, here a 10 reasons to drink more water.

1.      The body is made up of about 60% water, which helps regulate body temperature, transport nutrients in the body, digestion, and circulation to name a few. Replenishing the water in the body, which is lost through breathing, sweating, urinating and bowel movement, helps to ensure the body carries out its functions properly.

2.      Water helps to transport all the toxins, and waste produced by the body out of the body. A quick way to check if you are hydrated is by the color of your urine, if its light yellow/pale/clear in color then you are hydrated but if its dark yellow/orange and has a strong smell you know you need more water.

3.      Lack of water leads to dehydration, which is when your body does not have enough fluids to carry out its daily functions.

4.      Drinking water helps to fill up the stomach and reduce hunger while at the same time increasing your metabolism.

5.      Water has zero calories.

6.      Proper hydration keeps the joints and muscles well lubricated which reduces the likelihood of pain/soreness.

7.      Water helps improve skin elasticity, and leaves the skin moisturized.

8.      Water can help prevent headaches.

9.      Water helps reduce fatigue during exercise, and reduces recovery time

10.  Water helps to regulate the body temperature.

8 ounces a day is a good starting point

Note: Please make sure to consult your doctor before engaging in physical activity.

Be Sure to visit Tega's Blog for more Hair, Health and Beauty tips

XOXO

 

Bella Joya

3LRCHALLENGE: STYLING TWISTS/BRAIDS FOR WORK

Here are a few different ways I have worn my twists/braids  to work

 

Top Side Bun



Top Side Bun

twisted Up-do



Loose twists

Twisted Up-do on Havana Twists

High Bun on Havana twists

Twisted Up-do on Havana Twists

Braided Back

2-Strand Twists pulled back with hair bands

Low Side Ponytail

Twisted Up-do

Flat Twisted 2-Strand Twists

Be Sure to check out Tega's blog, she has a few tutorials on how she styled her loose twists

XOXO

 

Bella Joya

3LRCHALLENGE: DO'S AND DON'TS OF WEARING HAIR EXTENSIONS

Hey Guys,

I have worn my hair in various extensions styles here are a few helpful tips for maintaining your hair while it's in extensions



Havana Twists

Crotchet Braids

Curly sew-in

Jumbo Box Braids



Jumbo Box Braids

 

 

 

 

Installation

·         Make sure your hair has been thoroughly cleansed, deep conditioned and stretched out before installing the extensions

·         Braids/twists/cornrows should be firm but not too tight.

·         Try not to braid every single strand of hair around the perimeter of your head (the hair here is usually delicate, and can be ripped easily)

·         Stretched hair gives a smoother finish, you can either air dry using 2 strand twists/dookie braids or blow dry

·         While braiding or twisting avoid using any thick or heavy products as this may lead to build up

 

Maintaining

·         Moisturize at least once a week with water, a light leave-in and seal with a light  oil such as grape seed or sweet almond oil

·         Scalp massages are great, use a mix of a light oil such as coconut, and a few drops of peppermint or tea tree essential oil.

·         Apply witch hazel to a cotton ball, and use to lightly clean the scalp if you don’t plan on washing your hair while you have extensions in

·         You may consider washing the extensions if you plan on keeping them in for a long period of time, just be sure to moisturize and seal.

·         Avoid leaving in braids for longer than 6 weeks.

·         If the edges get fuzzy you can easily re-twist so the hair looks neat the entire time you have them in

 

The Take down

·         Take down the extensions and lightly finger de-tangle each section making sure fingers are coated with a light oil such as coconut oil.

·         Once all the braids have been taken down, part of the hair into workable sections, spritz with some water, apply a conditioner with a lot of slip, and de-tangle each section either using your fingers or a comb. Twist up each de-tangled section so it stays stretched and you avoid further tangles.

·         Only wash your hair after it had been thoroughly de-tangled. DO NOT SHAMPOO WITHOUT DE-TANGLING FIRST

·         Be sure to follow up with a deep condition.

 

Hope this comes in handy

 

XOXO

 

Bella Joya

 





3LRCHALLENGE: Meal Prep 101

Hey Guys,

 

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle by eating properly and exercising is one of the goals for the 3LRCHALLENGE. To help with achieving that goal I will be featuring some health and fitness articles that will help us out and make it a little easier to eat properly and exercise. The first of these features is the idea of Meal Prepping.

 

Meal Prep 101

 

When trying to maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle, one of the challenges a lot of people face is sticking to the meal plan. With all the things that go on in our daily life it is usually easy to eat out, or just eat what is available when you are hungry. A good way to combat this issue is my meal prepping. In other words setting a meal plan, and preparing in advance for it so you can stick to your meal plan. Meal prep allows you to cook food in advance so you take away that extra burden of cooking every day. A few basic steps to follow:

 

Plan and shop for Meals

· Write out a list of meals you plan to eat during the week

· Search the Internet or your favorite food blogs for recipes

· List all the ingredients that will be required to prepare your meals

· Allow for 1 or 2 cheat meals during the week

· Get Re-use able containers they are a good way to portion out each meal

· Plan what items you will freeze or store in the refrigerator

· Stock up on fruits, vegetables, nuts and things you can snack on

 

Prepare the Meals

·          Set aside about 2-3 hours every weekend for prepping meals

·          rinse and cut things like fruits and veggies, and note that most fruits and vegetables for smoothies can be cut up and frozen in Ziploc bags

·          Cook Batches of food that can be eaten multiple times during the week proteins, veggies and carbs (soups, baked chicken, baked fish, carrots, rice, broccoli, potatoes)

·          Portion out each meal for as far in advance as you want, e.g you can portion each food container with baked potatoes, veggies and chicken.

·          Considering your body needs and fitness regimen allow yourself about 5-6 meals during the day, with the major ones being breakfast, lunch and dinner, and then 2 or 3 snacks.

·          Snack options include fruit, nuts, veggies, salad.

·          Store your meals either in the refrigerator, or the freezer (most meals can easily be thawed the night before and heated up in the oven or microwave when needed)

·          don’t forget to stay hydrated.

 

I hope this information helps and don't forget to drop a comment if you have any issues or concerns.

 

My Co-host for the challenge Tega is also sharing lots of tips and helpful information on her blog so be sure to follow her blog Social Hermit

Follow us on twitter and instagram @3lrchallenge

If you are not yet subscribed to the challenge go to http://eepurl.com/B5eJPto register.

Our first newsletter is also posted here

https://us7.admin.mailchimp.com/campaigns/preview-content-html?id=59697#

If you missed our welcome email here is a link, http://eepurl.com/CVZmv

 

XOXO

Bella Joya

 

3LRCHALLENGE: Maintaining Protective Styles While Exercising

Hey Guys,

Here are a few helpful tips to maintain a protective style when working out

 

 

1. Wear a head band to protect your edges from absorbing all the sweat, and causing your hair to frizz up
2. Depending on how much you sweat .you may need to wash/ co-wash your hair to get rid of any dirt, and salt buildup from sweating.
3. If you are washing your hair don’t forget to moisturize and seal in the moisture
4. Set aside time to either rinse out your hair, co-wash or wash.
5. Another option may be to clean the scalp with an astringent or witch hazel, and then follow with a moisturizer.
6. I find that keeping my hair stretched while working out reduces tangles
7. Hair can be put in a Bun (low or high bun), High ponytail, Single braid, Pineapple method, which is simple gathering all the hair into a high ponytail at the top of your head and securing loosely
8. If it is possible consider tying your protective style down with a scarf or hair bonnet, I mean hey it's OK to not look perfect all the time.
9. Peppermint or tea tree oil is great for relieving any itching (just make sure to dilute with a carrier oil so you don’t irritate your scalp)
10. If you have in braids or twists with extensions don't forget to moisturize the hair, at least to the point your hair stops, and then seal with an oil.

 

I hope these tips help.

 

My Co-host for the challenge Tega is also sharing lots of tips and helpful information on her blog so be sure to follow her blog Social Hermit

Follow us on twitter and instagram @3lrchallenge

If you are not yet subscribed to the challenge go to http://eepurl.com/B5eJPto register.
Our first newsletter is also posted here https://us7.admin.mailchimp.com/campaigns/preview-content-html?id=59697#
If you missed our welcome email here is a link, http://eepurl.com/CVZmv

 

 

XOXO

 

Bella Joya

 

 

 

 

3LRCHALLENGE: Natural Hair Regimen Basics

Hey Guys,

A typical regimen includes at the very basics a step for hair de-tangling, cleansing, and moisturizing. It is however important that we know why these steps are important so we can properly incorporate them into our hair regimen.

De-tangling:

 Curly hair has the tendency to knot on itself and form tangles, and this is where de-tangling comes into play. I avoid de-tangling on dry hair because I find that for me, I get more breakage. This may be the opposite case for you, so try out both methods if you are unsure which your hair prefers. To detangle on wet hair you simply saturate your hair with water, and a conditioner with good slip, and then work your way combing through the hair, starting from the tips to the roots. You can use either a comb, a Denman, tangle teaser or simply your hands. Detangling is important because it gets rid of tangles and allows for easier styling. De-tangling on dry hair involves saturating hair with an oil and them working through the tangles either by hand, or with a comb.

Cleansing:

Cleansing is getting the hair clean, and rid of any dirt and buildup. A clean scalp and hair should always be the starting point for taking care of your hair. The idea behind washing our bodies to keep our skin clean is the same we should apply to keeping our hair and scalp clean. A dirty scalp is a breeding ground for bacteria, it attracts dirt and does not allow for circulation.

My preferred method for cleansing my scalp is by using a shampoo. In the past year, I have grown to appreciate sulfate free shampoos, but I will be the first to say that I have no issues with using a sulfate shampoo if it is available. Some people use cleansers that aim to clean the scalp without leaving it feeling stripped (This does not work for me because my scalp usually doesn’t get cleaned, and it starts to get irritated soon after). Others 'co-wash', which is simply using a conditioner to clean the hair and scalp, as opposed to using a shampoo (look up curly girl routine by Lorraine Massey​)

Moisturizing:

 

Moisture can ONLY be introduced by either adding water, or a water based product to your hair. Hair oil will not moisturize your hair, but only help to seal in any moisture you already added in. A lot of hair butters, and other 'moisturizers' out on the market are usually water based so it does offer some comfort that your hair is getting moisturized. It is always helpful to read the ingredients label to see what's in the product to determine if it is an oil based product or not. Rule of thumb is if water is listed in the first 4 ingredients then it’s usually a water based product. Moisture is important to keep your hair hydrated, and it is important for binding with the protein structure in hair to allow for stable hair structure.

My Co-host for the challenge Tega is also sharing lots of tips and helpful information on her blog so be sure to follow her blog Social Hermit

Follow us on twitter and instagram @3lrchallenge

If you are not yet subscribed to the challenge go to http://eepurl.com/B5eJPto register.

Our first newsletter is also posted here https://us7.admin.mailchimp.com/campaigns/preview-content-html?id=59697#

If you missed our welcome email here is a link, http://eepurl.com/CVZmv

XOXO

Bella Joya