#weekly article

Hi, my friends!

     I went to bed at 10:30 last night--I just couldn’t do it. I was so tired. I woke at about 8 this morning and laid around until 9:30, but I’m up now and I’m ready to be (somewhat) productive. 

     As for the new article, Tough Topic Tuesday, I have made a decision with the help of one of my lovely followers and friends, @mylifeshapedinmovies . (Thanks so much for your help, Blake.) 

     Motivational Monday will be discontinued as from this moment forward, January 25, 2018. Instead, the blog will feature a new weekly article, called Tough Topic Tuesday. In said article, we will discuss tough topics, such as abortion, freedom of speech, guns, etc. I will always place them under a “Keep Reading” tab, just as to not offend anyone with the topic that week or my opinions on it. In a way, it’ll be more like a short research paper for the purpose or furthering everyone’s knowledge about the topic for that week.

     Also, WTF Friday will not be continued on Friday or called as such. Instead, it will be every Saturday, and it will now be titled Same ‘ol Shit Saturday. It will still consist of the same weekly readings; an update on my week, what I’m watching/reading, etc. It’s just being moved back a day to keep a respectful distance between Tough Topic Tuesday. 

I hope everyone is okay with these sudden changes; please feel free to message me or send me a question regarding these changes if you would like. I’d love any input on them you guys can offer.

     As for today, I’m going to do a little schoolwork, and then I have class later on tonight. I go back to work tomorrow night, and I work every day until Monday, so I’m going to make sure that this week’s Same ‘ol Shit Saturday and next week’s Tough Topic Tuesday are prepared for you guys!

Love you all!

Growing out your hair is hard. People might tell you it isn't, but they're probably pulling your chain. While there aren't any miracle potions that you can use to make your hair grow an inch a week or something ridiculous like that, there are some things that can help speed up the process a little bit and overall make your hair stronger and healthier (which, in reality would be good whether you want long hair or not.). Before we get into speeding up the hair growth process, though, you have to remember not to get discouraged and here are some facts that might help that -- straight from my grandmother, who was a beautician for over 20 years.

Your hair actually never stops growing, contrary to many peoples' belief that they're hair gets to a point and then just stops. Only mammals that shed seasonally have that problem. What actually happens is that hair grows in cycles. Your hair will grow relatively quickly for a period of time and then slow down for a few months, only to speed up again. Your hair might just also get to it's breaking point. You have to remember that, in the case of most people, by the time your hair is past your shoulders, it has been there for at least a year of daily wear and tear, which causes weakening and breakage of the strands and often times split ends that make you have to trim off more than you want to.

The way to combat these is simply to make your hair stronger and try to keep it from sustaining more damage than it has to. Ideally, that would mean no (or at least limited) heat styling or sun exposure and a relatively strict regimen of hair care designed to stimulate your hair follicles for faster growth.

It is recommended that you should only wash your hair about once every two or three days as shampoo and soaps tend to dry it out. But conditioning your hair can be a daily thing if you so desire. It also can help against breakage to braid your hair or tie it into a loose pony tail or bun to sleep. Beyond that, give these a try:

Stuff that stimulates hair growth:

-Hanging upside down (this promotes blood flow to the head, plus -- in moderation -- it can be good for your brain)

-Taking vitamins (there's not a magic pill, but hair has a lot to do with your overall health)

-Get plenty of sleep (this goes back to the overall health thing.)

-Eat your fruits and vegetables, but don't forget the protein

-Head massages (recommended weekly and can be done in conjunction with many oils)

Oils to stimulate hair growth:

-Lavender

-Rosemary

-Ylang Ylang

-Lemon

-Chamomile

-Sage

-Cypress

-Thyme

(according to The Ananda Apothecary)

**READ THIS IF YOU PLAN TO TRY THE ESSENTIAL OILS**

Essential oils are basically super concentrate herbs and can be incredibly strong. They can cause rashes to damage to your Nervous System if you use them too much or incorrectly. (I have personal experience with this from back before I really knew what I was doing that you can read about here.) If you don't know how to use essential oils, do a lot of research, or go to someone that does know how to use them. Always dilute essential oils and test your reaction to them on the inside of your arm before you go slathering a ton on your head. I recommend starting with an effective, yet difficult to screw up, essential oil like Lavender.