Homemade Scalp and Beard Oil

Skin Scalp and Beard Oil Recipe

Today I prepared a lovely natural organic oil for the family – for skin, scalp and beard.  It was expensive to get everything but at least I know we will get a few uses or bottles out of them – they should last a while. Rastafari and Muslims here in Trinidad go to a store in Port of Spain called Mustafa’s. But they sell all kinds of essential oils, the raw black soap, shea and cocoa butters from Afrika. You can even get incense and musks, all types of shampoos and baby items – literally everything. You can buy in bulk or in small quantity which is great too. But its better to buy in bulk and store.
If you live in a cold place, this oil may become more of a butter that will soften when it makes contact with the skin, so you cannot use a container like what i did, but something with a wide mouth.

Also pictured below is Miswak flouride free all natural toothpaste. Lots of great tooth pastes and powders come to Trinidad out of India.

1.5 -2  cups cold-pressed coconut oil

1 cup a mixture of cocoa and shea butter (4 big pieces of cocoa butter and 2 spoons of shea butter)

1 tbsp jojoba oil

½ tsp of rosemary oil

½ tsp bergamot oil

½ tsp tea tree oil

5 drops of patchouli oil

1 tsp sweet almond

1 Container with a fine spout ( a plastic condiment container from a variety store or dollar store)

Metal container and pot it can fit into

Metal teaspoon

Now this is a thick mixture so if you know you hate a lot of oil, lessen the Shea and cocoa butter to quarter cup. Shea and cocoa butter can also cause build up on the locks but I find them to be such good moisturizers still.  Good thing about this recipe is that you can tweak it to suit your tastes. 
You can use a combination of two or more oils or just one oil even, like olive oil or the coconut or sweet almond or jojoba, they are all good hair oils on their own. 


NOTE: I have found that shea butter causes me to get a serious acne break out - so I remade this oil eliminating both butters  - instead To make a light and simple oil that won't cause breakouts I use the coldpressed coconut oil, rosemary oil, jojoba oil, sweet almond oil and bergamot oil. i use this on my entire body and scalp while the rest of the family uses the recipe with the butters for their scalp and beard only not body. Again you can tweak as you wish!

So to start:

Put some water in the pot, bring to boil.

Set the metal bowl into the pot and in it, melt cocoa and shea butter. Use a metal spoon. Turn off the stove when the pieces are tiny they will melt on their own. Remove the bowl and swizzle the melted butters in the breeze to cool it instantly.

Pour into the container it will be kept it. Add in the other oils and cover. missing is the tea tree oil from the picture. in the line you can see how much from each bottle I used.

Apply this oil directly to the scalp and ends of natty after a hair wash. Massage the oil into the scalp and locks. Apply directly to the skin under the beard and massage well. I don't usually reapply to scalp unless I have an itchy area. I use shea butter to make the front hairs and my ends moist. Keeping the ends moist reduce split ends and breakage or shedding of the locks.

These particular oils chosen are good for skin and blemishes. They also nourish the skin/scalp improving wool and skin quality. The natty crown will have more lustre and be stronger, grow abundantly.  I recommend using this mixture should along with pure water and pure Afrikan black soap, to clear up acne and dandruff issues – and for the general maintenance of all nattys in the family! I will also be using it for underarms, and for blemishes on my face in hopes of reducing breakouts.

Here are some pictures of what I did for my princess today. I washed, dried for a bit then I separated her locks because our hair tends to matt up very badly. I then applied the oil all over her scalp directly and rubbed it in and palm rolled each after. I didn’t need to reapply oil very often the oil spread well.

Stay blessed and in good health!

Ila

How to Sew an Overalls Dress

Greetings and Blessed Love,

I was to post this tutorial so long ago while I was pregnant but I kept sticking with putting it together. And I should have because I didnt do my best job with editting down the footage given that I am juggling everything I do with taking care of my two month old - he is certainly growing! has gotten very fat and sweet, and has just started cooing and looking at things. and of course homeschool has started back with his big sister. coupled with Ila Designs and running the home, Ive got my hands full like many other RasTa Mamas.

 but I find the tutorial is still easy to follow - perfect as a summer dress or a beach overall dress, or as a maternity and breastfeeding dress.

One Love
Ila

How to Sew a Basic Maxi Skirt with Knit stretch fabric

Greetings and Blessed RasTafari Love to all!


I know I havent been around for a while, but having a newborn is so time-consuming that I really don't get much time to sit at the computer, or to make new tutorials... But I am trying to get back into the groove, as I am being creative again when I can  these days, after not making items for a while during my pregnancy. I am also working on some written material on His Majesty and the duty and roles of a king as determined in the Ible. I also want to work on some video reasonings. so things are going on behind the scenes even if it may take me longer than before to get my products online.

I really wanted to make a maxi skirt to take some pictures or do a mini photoshoot for some upcoming designs. so this beautiful camo-like fabric is what I decided to use. This is a very very basic tutorial, nothing new to the blog - but since it is knit I decided to do another tutorial on the basic A-line maxi.

Keep on trodding the path of the Virtuous Dawta!
Rastafari!
Ila

Refashion a Dress or Skirt into an Elastic Belted Maxi Skirt

Blessed Love,

I found out yesterday that I am having a son and we are so excited! All this time not knowing it seems so strange to finally know it is a prince inside there. But this pregnancy has been sooooo different from the first it is suiting that it is another gender. Now it is time to really find a name!

This is a refashion DIY that I have had for months and months that I finally remembered to post up.
Make a dress, halter or skirt into a high-waisted maxi skirt that has an elastic belt. I love this style as you can see I made about 4 different skirts.

I turned this dress

 into this skirt

and this maxiskirt

  into this one

these i made from scratch, using one seam.

Here's the video:

All the best with your sewing projects!!
SIs. Ila

Naturally Sweet Oatmeal

Greetings Beloved RasTafari,

 I am not a fan of oatmeal but I am trying it these days for carbs.  So this is a nice sweet Ital recipe that you can try if you too are not a fan, or if you have children that like it. It is naturally sweet and filled with great breakfast foods.

I used one minute rolled oats

 

 1 large well mashed banana

cook 1/2 cup rolled oats with 1 cup coconut milk (I used powder) for one minute (if instant oats)

 mix finished oats with mashed banana and add dried fruit

eat warm!

Blessed Sabbath coming!

Sis Ital

The Art of Salad Making n a quick Mash Soup Recipe

One Perfect Love!

If you are looking for Ital recipes and reasoning, I have created a special page for that, you can access it from the menu bar!
More Sistren are interested in recipes and I want to reiterate that many of my tutorials are basic steps to creating stir fry, salad, soup, or stew whether peas or provision. You can use whatever your taste is to create many meals by following the steps I do.
This post is about salad making but I have included a simple mash soup recipe which will make a perfect side or follow-up meal to salad for those who don't find salad to be filling on its own for very long.

Today I had this soup as dinner, after fruit for breakfast and a big salad for lunch and popcorn for snack.
Mash soups are great for when you are dieting or trying to lose weight because it is more of a liquid soup that you drink in mugs throughout the day. there are no real pieces of vegetables or the like - mash soup is made from mainly peas (one or more types), or a combination of peas and provision. the ingredients are either mashed or blended up to make it a drinkable soup. It is well seasoned with herbs as well.

I made a sweet soup of pumpkin, split pea, sweet potato and English potato. I added some dumplings for my daughter.

Sweet Mash Soup

 I simply boiled 3/4 cup split peas until they were soft,with onion, pepper, garlic etc.
 I filled the pot with water and just let it boil down, I never added water again. the soup should be boiling but on a medium flame throughout.
then I added about a quarter of a half piece of pumpkin cut in cubes, that was like two cups of big chunks. I mashed them together with the peas in the pot when they  got soft as well. this was to form the soup base.
I cubed one big potato and one medium size sweet potato and added them to the mashed base boiling In the pot. As the potatoes softened I mashed them down too. The soup will have a thick texture but not many chunks.
To make the dumplings I sifted 3/4 cup whole wheat flour and 1/4 corn flour, with 1 teaspoon baking powder and spoon of sugar, with a dash of salt. I used about 1/2 cup water adding gradually. Roll into balls with a little flour after dough is formed.
When I was satisfied with the texture of the soup I dropped the dumplings in. I let it cook five to ten minutes and then turned it off.

It is mellow, creamy and sweet! yum!!

But back to the salad!

The Art of Great Salad Making

I know it seems hard to make salad and  eat it everyday, for some it is not filling or appetising, or too crunchy. But it doesn't have to be that way - salad is quite enjoyable! It is all in how you prepare it.

1. First you have got to make your salad interesting!
Don't just put lettuce, tomato and cucumber and expect a miracle! The more fresh ingredients the better!
Tomato, carrot, cucumber, green leafy vegetables, okra, avocado, broccoli and beet root are great bases for a salad. I make sure I have all of these in each salad (except the avocado which is coming to season any day now).

2. Change your green leafy vegetables regularly!
Don't just use lettuce all the time. Use different kinds of lettuce like romaine, try kale and spicy green leaves like arugula and watercress. Chives and thyme and basil will also add some kick.

3. Add fruit for sweetness!
Beet root or carrot is sweet but chunks of fruit are great too. I like apple, strawberry, blue berries, pear and kiwi. I usually add just one fruit. But two works just as good. Cubes peaches, mango and apricots might also be quite nice. Some like tangerine slices.

Likewise if you want spice or zing add fresh onion or a pepper.

4. Add seeds or nuts to get more nutritional value! Pumpkin seeds are a favourite of many.

5. Add a grain to increase the "heaviness" of your salad if you don't feel full (though the bigger the salad the more full you will feel. It is a meal so make it big)

Add room temperature quinoa or cous cous, bulgar wheat or even millet, and make sure when you prepare them that your water is well seasoned with curry, saffron, cumin to name a few spices.

 6. Make everything bite size!
Eating salad as a meal isn't fun when u spend all your energy trying to chew hard chunks of carrot and cucumber!

Make sure your chunks are bite size for tomato, avocado, cucumber, strawberries, brocolli, apple, pear and kiwi. For broccoli I make sure to break the heads apart so that they are small as well and I add chunks of the stalk.

For the leafy veges I also chop them finely so that they blend well with everything else.

For okra I slice it very thin and then half it - I don't usually add more than two small okra because of the slime.

For carrot and beet root I always use a grater instead of chopping them - they are just too hard to chew in any size. u can add more this way too.

7. Make a dressing!
Lime juice or lemon juice works great.
If you want creamy you can blend an avocado.
Some people like oily dressing, so using olive or sesame or coconut oil, you can blend fresh herbs such as rosemary, thyme, mint, chive, oregano and so on. Even add pepper if you like heat.

8. Have a great side dish like soup, or a pea stew, ground provision or fruit.
You don't have to eat your salad alone but it is good to ensure that at least once a day it is the bigger part of the meal. the more raw nutrients you get everyday, the better for your body!
While you may love cooked Ital, the best way to live is on a greater raw or fresh food intake than a cooked because you lose so much of the nutrients of the food to the heat.
You can even drink an herbal tea or a fresh juice or smoothie along with the salad.


9. Don't eat it cold, and store well to maintain freshness!
You don't have to eat it at room temp, but when the salad is not cold I find chewing all that freshness is not so hard on the teeth.

 

So I hope these tips will help you to eat more salad and actually full-joy it! they have helped me tremendously and now my body is set to have that for lunch everyday, leaving the heavy cooked meal until the evening time around 5-6 pm. If I eat more cooked meals in the day I find my dinner spoilt and too heavy.

Remember that treating the body well is a must if you are to balance your Irituality and Creativity. They must all harmonize for true wellness and health.

Blessed Love and Light!
Sis. Ila

Hold Your Head Up Sis! (and a Quinoa Channa Burger/Patty Recipe)

Blessed Love

Today's and yesterday's reasonings on the group in Facebook have really been deep. And I know some Sistren shy away from saying more than they do, or going too in depth - but I encourage it because we are there to strengthen one another. The reasoning has to be intense in some way or else what's the point lol. Right?
 I know Sistren all over share the same fears, insecurities and struggles as wife, mother, daughter, employee - everything! We all at some point actually go through the same changes in tide, whether it's insecurity about a relationship, parenting, how you live, your job, the list goes on. you can never be altogether perfect for everyone or everything all the time, and sometimes you may want to just break and give up. You might want to escape from something that is at the end of the day, your responsibility.

So it is important to always have faith and to always go deep within yourself and truly find that Irit of JAH within. Relying on the wisdom of other Black Wombman who have put the teaching out there is a blessing waiting to be grabbed. It is important to truly take care of yourself and know yourself as a wombman. Everything in our life is connected to the other: the way we think, feel, how we eat, what we do and don't do, how we feel about others, interact with others - each one of these things is connected to the other. So there must not only be an evaluation and motivation of self to get these things in sync, but a positive outlook on one's life and being. We have to feel accountable to/for ourselves to make and receive the best for ourselves! Without that to hold on to things will fall apart, life wont be manageable, relationships wont sustain. Let's face it - nothing is perfect but we can try to be and do better every day. Feeling defeated one day doesn't mean that you are. The right frame of mind will pull you through everything.

The lesson I take from today is to look within and Iditate on my own vibes - what I am putting out there, what am I receiving as a result. What can I do better. I feel motivated to work harder on things that I let slip. How am I accountable for my own imbalance of happiness/unhappiness?

The journey is never ending and winding, but it is ours to embrace and make the best of in any given situation. I pray that all Sistren in whatever situation they are in will take accountability, criticism and enlightenment and work harder to get to the strong Wombman they see themselves being.


That being said... how about a recipe!

I just made these on a whim

Quinoa Channa Burgers/Patties

1 small or a half of a sweet potato - like 1/2 cup mashed

1 cup chick peas or channa

1/2 cup quinoa

4 chives

2 garlic cloves

1 pimento pepper

1/2 an onion

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp curry powder

dash ginger powder

1 tbsp oil

2 tsp coconut milk powder

2 tsp  arrowroot powder

1 sprig fine leaf thyme

salt and 1/2 lime optional

corn flour

water

Method

1. Boil or bake sweet potato and cook the quinoa - I added the curry, cumin and turmeric to the quinoa as well. You can add it there and put in the mix if you want to.

2. Blend the fresh seasoning with the channa or chick peas, use some water and the oil to make it moist. you can also use a good masher - it doesn't have to be as smooth as I made mine. add lime here also if you use. I also added the coconut powder, arrowroot powder, cumin, saffron and so on at this time to flavour.

3. Mash potato and add to channa and mix those together. let the quinoa cool by spreading it out on a plate and setting by a window. It worked fast for me!

4. Add quinoa to the potato channa mix with 4 1/2 tbsp of corn flour.

5. Mold into small patties or big burgers. This could make about 4 medium burgers. Dust with corn flour on both sides. 

6. Set on foil that is greased and bake on bottom rack for 15 minutes on each side or until golden brown. 150 degree celsius or medium heat . 

7. I really loved these patties - mine were flat so they were more patty like, but next time I am making burgers that are thicker.

I ate them with a  salad

And then as a burger sandwich - I LOVE how they taste with raw food! I would recommend pairing it with a salad or like the sandwich but made with a special homemade bread not store bought! 

  

Channa is often used as "mock fish" because it DOES have a seafoody taste, this is the first time I ever really tasted it like that for myself. There was really a seafood flavour in the patty! So definitely try this patty - overall I think I have a lot more ingredients than might be necessary, but it was a trial and error that worked well!

More Love and Positive Word Sound and Power for the Sabbath Iditation

I am really going to have a blessed sabbath, learning from Dr Jewel Pookram 

Omega Ites!

Sis Ila

High Necked Tank Maxi Dress Tutorial

Blessed Love!

I hope all Sistren are feeling upfull and bright these days. It is important to have your own time where you can create, Iditate, make decisions or just read or try something new. Time for self is really a healing time and restful time for the body, because it isn't about stress, but about things that make the I happy! As you know, for me it is sewing, crocheting, reading and going to the spring that really mellow my vibes right out! So if sewing is also one your "me-time activities" then you should love this simple tutorial to create an elegantly casual jersey dress.

This tutorial explains how to create a different neckline for the tank maxi dress and draw string dress.  very basic and easy! Hope you like it!

 

Bless
Ila