Post Master Cleanse

I've been so crazy busy I forgot to post about my last few days. I finished the cleanse at the end of day 10. I feel great! I did a 1/2 ease-out process by drinking a quart of fresh squeezed orange juice and vegetable stew. 

My tongue never turned pink.


I'm so happy to be eating. Now I savor every bite. I have been enjoying watermelon lately. I swear I could eat an entire watermelon every day. I also missed drinking my green smoothies. My first smoothie off of the cleanse was kale, 1 lemon, 2 apples, 1 qt water, 2 scoops of the Ultimate Meal, & 2 bananas.

I had a long talk with my locktician, Moraa. She is so knowledgeable about vegan eating, herbs, and food nutrition. I have so many things to blog about! In the meantime, I need to make a dent in the pile of books I've checked out from the library and the book I purchased (Medisin). I love Link+, but ALL of the books I placed on hold came in at the same time :P. That's what I get for being curious.

Master Cleanse - Days 7-9

I am officially a "walker"! My partner and I are walking 3 miles in the morning. It feels great! Yesterday I found $5 during the walk...what an incentive. Everything is going well with the cleanse. I'm not feeling hungry, though it is difficult to cook for my family. I broke down and made nachos for my son. It was so hard to grate cheese without eating the last little bit. I love cheese. It doesn't love me.

My coworkers have been showering me with lemons from their trees. My last day is tomorrow so I will pass them along to my coworkers who have started the cleanse.  My tongue is not pink yet, but 10 days is enough. I have been reading so many vegetarian cookbooks and recipes on the internet that I am ready to try them out. I think this time around I will do the ease-out procedure. Every other time I've done the master cleanse I started eating immediately (vegetable soup). I didn't have any serious effects that I noticed, but this time I want to do it right.

Master Cleanse - Day 6

I am amazed at my stick-to-it-ness this time around with the Master Cleanse. The last time I did it, around the Christmas holiday season, it was difficult. It could have been the fact that I was on vacation and had all the time in the world to sit and think about food. My partner pointed out that around this time I usually get a little spacy (slow to respond, start forgetting things, outward appearance is lathargic, etc.), however this time, she says I look energized. I've never felt this sort of drive before. I still sit and think about food, but in a good way. I am reading a few books to learn about what my body needs and how my body responds to certain kinds of food. I am also every morning when I rise. I feel great!

I'm beginning to run out of lemons. I hope my co-workers bring in lemons from their trees. Trader Joe's lemons are .39¢ each! On the average, I use 6 to make the cup and a half that I need for the day and I still have 4 more days to go.

My skin is still broken out...but looking a little better. I'm not sure it will be clear by the end of 10 days. We shall see. My tongue is still coated white. I have the feeling that I will be doing this cleanse a bit longer until my tongue is pink again.  I found an interesting website about what the coating means. My tongue is equally thinly coated white from top to bottom, except the very outside edges (liver and gallbladder and heart areas) are pink. When I began, I quickly developed a thick coat of white. The tongue scraper became my best friend.

4 more days (or more depending on my tongue) to go! I can do it!

Master Cleanse - Day 5

Today I could not get warm. I walked around most of the day wearing a scarf, jacket, and gloves. Other than being cold, my cleanse is going well. I did my morning walk and I'm thinking of extending my 1.3 miles to a 3 mile walk. I would need to get up about 30 minutes earlier...which means an earlier bedtime. I'll try it out tomorrow.

I can't wait until my skin clears up. I have a fine layer of bumps. I know that my body is releasing toxins right now and unfortunately I have to deal with it coming out on my face and back. 5 more days to go (or longer depending on how long it takes for my tongue to turn pink). I just went to Trader Joe's to get more Grade B Maple Syrup. That stuff is not cheap at $16 a bottle. So far I have used almost 2 bottles in 5 days.

I'm still researching the best way to eat once I come off of this cleanse. I know that I don't want to go back to eating mucus producing foods. I also know that I want to be in control of my mood...instead of feeling the negative effects of food on my mood. One of my co-workers told me that I seem happy. I am :)

Master Cleanse - Day 4 & Baby Locks Update

A co-worker told me she noticed my skin is changing. By the end of the day my face is usually oily. Today, it was normal. My dry patches are almost gone and my pores are not as pronounced. I also noticed that I'm not having allergy symptoms. I actually had not paid attention to it until a co-worker came into the library with watery eyes, complaining of her persistent symptoms this week. Flatulence is nonexistent! I should have known all of those symptoms were related to my diet. Now I need to figure out what I CAN eat that will agree with my body. I want to look into Macrobiotics. It seems to fit my emerging flexitarian self.

I am loving learning more about my hair, skin, & body and what works for it. It's funny, anytime my goal has been weight loss, I fail. Now that the goal is self-care/self-love/self-discovery, I'm successful.

Oh...and best of all, now that my hair is locked, I don't waste 40 minutes in the morning trying to comb it out. I love that I can get up, either soak my hair in the shower, or let it fall with the steam, and go! I am growing to love the curly fuzzies (my baby locks). Right now I am washing my hair about every 4 days or so, which might be too much, but I love having a fresh scalp.

Master Cleanse - Day 3

This morning I woke up and it felt like I drank coffee. I don't know where this sudden burst of energy and elevated mood came from. I skipped my walk today because of the rain...it doesn't take much for me to postpone exercise (still working on that one). I felt much better not doing that salt water flush. I take 6 of the Oxy Powder pills and that does my system just fine.

I haven't been drinking extra water. As a matter of fact, its difficult for me to keep up with drinking the entire gallon of my daily portion of the Master Cleanse. I end up with a quart left by the end of the day. Yesterday I fell asleep and had 1/2 quart left. Today...about the same. Tomorrow I'm going to aim for adding more water to my day.

Today I found myself daydreaming about the last day of the cleanse. I can't wait to make my crockpot veggie stew. I have 7 days to go. I think my skin is getting better. I have been using an Oil Cleansing Method (more about that later). I've been thinking that I need to start getting more sleep. I know that would help everything. Right now I get about 5-6 hours. I should experiment one week and get 8 each day and see how that works for me. Oh...and I'm currently reading a new book, Medisin by Dr. Scott Whitaker, ND & Jose Feming, CN, MH. After viewing Food, Inc. and reading this book, I wonder what I will be able to eat. Sometimes I wish I took the blue pill.

Master Cleanse - Day 2

Everything is going well. I'm not feeling hungry. My energy level is good. I did however eat a banana. I couldn't resist! I was making green smoothies for my family and they smelled so good. I figured a banana wouldn't hurt. Oh well...

I decided today will be the last day to do the Salt Water Flush. I hate the taste. Today my gag reflex almost kicked in and I thought I would throw the whole thing up. Instead I will be using Oxy Powder tablets at night. They produce the same effects without having to swallow salt water. Two of my co-workers said they would start the cleanse next week! It would be great to have support during my last few days.

I took a walk today too! It feels good to take care of myself.

Master Cleanse - Day 1

**Warning** If you don't want to read about bodily functions...this is NOT the blog for you.


I started the Master Cleanse today. I had all kinds of ailments over the last 2-3 weeks: mood swings, acne on my face and back, horrible allergies, dry skin, lack of energy...I had enough! Every time I do the Master Cleanse, I feel great. I drink the following each day:

1 gallon of spring water in a 3 gallon container
1 and 1/2 cup of fresh lemon juice (in the juicer w/ pulp)
1 and 1/2 cup of Grade B maple syrup
1 teaspoon of Cayenne pepper.

This makes a days worth. Stir well and pour into several containers.  My coworkers and kids know I'm always drinking some strange conconction (green smoothies), so I don't get questioned about drinking yet another strange thing :) It is very important to shake up the container before and during the pour into the smaller bottles otherwise you will have some very peppery drinks as all the cayenne will be in the last 2 (along with all the pulp).
In the morning I do a Salt Water Flush (SWF) using 1 quart of room temperature filtered water and 1 tablespoon of sea salt. Un-iodized organic sea salt is essential. It tastes awful! It took about 5 minutes for me to drink the entire thing. I hear that standing in front of the mirror while you drink helps you to do it in one shot. After that, I took a 1.3 mile brisk walk outside....YES! I went outside for a walk! I never do that! It took me about 19 minutes. I need to pick up the pace next time.

An hour after taking the SWF, I was finally ready to eliminate. There were no cramping side effects, however my BM was completely liquid. It took about 30 mins on the toilet for it to finally stop.  I made sure to drink the SWF 2 hours before I had to leave my house for work to give it time to take effect. I would hate to have to go to the bathroom...that way...at school...ugh!

At night they suggest using a laxitive tea or doing another SWF...however, I will be using Oxy-Powder Colon Cleanse and a huge glass of water. I can't imagine doing that Salt Water Flush twice a day. I am also drinking 1 cup of water with 2 Tablespoons apple cidar vinegar as my Cleansing Skin Detox. I've also heard that apple cidar vinegar is good for allergies. I hope so. I need all the help I can get this season.

I plan on incorporating Yoga at the end of my day. I have been so wound up lately (physically and emotionally), this should help.

So far so good. I am 6 hours into my day. The last time I did this cleanse, I had crazy headaches. I chalk that up to my caffeine addiction. I used to drink 1-2 cups of coffee per day. Now I am on th Green Smoothie train. I drink a Green Smoothie every morning instead of coffee. Now coffee is a "sometime" thing (about 1x per month). This time around, I have been off of regular coffee use so I shouldn't experience the headaches.

Want to join me in my cleanse? Who's in? Want to know more about the Master Cleanse? Read here.

1st Loc Tightening

There is no feeling like having someone wash your hair. I have been doing my hair for at least the last 12 years. I know it's been longer than that, but I'm using the birth of my son as a time marker :) I know I haven't had my hair washed in a shop since before I was pregnant. Moraa washed my hair 3x with a variety of Dr. Bronner's pure castile soap. I was shocked at how vigorously she scrubbed my scalp with her fingers. I had been so careful, thinking I would unravel my locs. To my surprise, they held together well. She estimated it would take 2 hours to tighten my hair, but she was done in 1 1/2 hours. I was pleased by the results. Before tightening, my hair was starting to fall all around my face. After the tightening, the front of my hair was pointing back.





After a couple days of showering, it returned to settling around my face again.

This time around the locs felt tight. They were much tighter than when she put them in. It brought back memories of getting my hair braided as a kid. I have a few bumps in the back of my hairline from them being so tight. Next time I will ask for her to make them a bit more loose. I guess there are pros and cons to the tight vs. loose thing. If its too loose, the hair comes out and you have loose hairs the entire time until the next tightening. When too tight, you can develop hair bumps, or worse, hair loss over time from the stress on the hairline. I think I'll choose the "too loose" option next time.

Morning Hair...

THIS is how my hair looked when I woke up this morning. Thank goodness for water and steam in the shower or I would be forced to look like Coolio all day.

March 30, 2010 My Locks Are Born

I showed up for my lock appointment with my hair freshly washed and air dried, according to Moraa's instructions. It felt strange not to put ANYTHING into my hair after having a personal minute-to-minute relationship with conditioner for so many months. I still don't know what I will do with all of my hair products after all of this.

I arrived early. Moraa was finishing up a consultation with another client. I love that she is prompt with her schedule. One of the reasons why I stopped going to the barber shops and beauty salons is that I HATE to wait. There were no issues here.

Before we got started, Moraa and I agreed on the size I would get (about the size of a pencil) and how it would be parted. She said she could make organic parts as she goes or design a grid of parts (triangle, semi-circle, square, etc.). My main objective is that my locks look neat and that when they grow long, I would be able to style them. Square parts felt right for me. The entire process was quite relaxing. Moraa had calming music playing and the temperature inside was just right. The only difficulty I had was around the edges and top part of my hair. When she got to that part, it triggered something in my sinus and I wanted to sneeze or blow. The same thing happens to me when I pluck my eyebrows. That was a small price to pay. It was worth the sneezing in the end.

When I got home, both my son and my partner said they liked it. Now I just need to get used to seeing myself with locks. It's all a process.

My Lock Consultation

Moraa gives free consultations! She spent about 20 minutes talking to me about the process of locking my hair. I wasn't sure how thick I wanted my locks because I had read that if your locks are too thin, they can break, and if they are too thick, it's difficult to go thin. I let her use her judgement and she chose something close to the size of a standard pencil. She did a couple of sample locks that I ended up keeping in my hair for 3 days. I was shocked by how easy it was for her to install them. I thought they would be tight around the scalp, but I was wrong. They felt as comfortable as having my natural hair loose. I made sure to wash them, carefully, using castile soap (I wanted to see how they would hold up). Because my hair is so kinky/curly, the locks look very similar to my regular hair. The curly overpowers the locks. I wonder what's going to happen when they are all over my head? They looked like little curly/fuzzy caterpillars :) I loved them!

My questions to her were pretty simple. She said it would take 4-5 hours for my length of hair (3 inches).

It was pretty easy to take them out. However, I did have to snip the end of one of them in order to unravel it. I didn't have to wait 5 minutes before I knew I wanted to make an appointment. I was so ready to STOP COMBING MY HAIR!!! Thank goodness for Spring Break. I decided to get them over my vacation so I could get used to seeing myself before I revealed myself to my kids (365 kindergarden - 5th grade students). They've seen me bald, curly haired, wrapped, braided, twisted, and wigged. I'm sure they will like it...or maybe they won't even notice.

My Natural Hair Journey

I've braided, weaved, wigged, colored, relaxed, latch hooked, wrapped, & shaved. Sometime before the Summer of 2009, I had enough. I decided to finally allow my hair to grow naturally. I had been wearing my hair shaved close to my head for the past couple years, so it wasn't a difficult decision to make. There was no "big chop" (cutting off processed hair) experience for me. As with everything, I began researching. I discovered a huge natural hair community on YouTube. Just search for "natural hair", "natural hair care", "natural hair styles", or "styles for short natural hair". I was so grateful to find other women of color sharing their experiences with their hair. I have a friend who had natural hair, but she struggled with her hair until she finally gave up and got her hair relaxed after a couple years. Natural hair is not EASY. I spent at least 30-40 mins everyday in the shower combing my hair out with conditioner. I owned gallons of hair products...I never found anything that was "just right" for my hair. The products were either too greasy, made my hair hard, or smelled bad. I was also careful to stay away from products with mineral oil and alcohol.

I was so fed up with my hair by March that I started seeking someone to braid my hair. I quickly changed my mind when I remembered how much work it is to take braids down. So, you see I am not patient. I wanted something low-maintenance. I always loved the look of locs, but I knew I didn't have the patience to wait for my hair to loc. I am also accustomed to wetting my hair on a daily basis. That would not work for the palm rolling method. So...I began researching dreadlocks. I discovered that there are several methods to achieving dreadlocks. After learning a bit about the different kinds, I choose to get my hair interlocked.

March 2010 I decided to loc my hair. I just new that when I searched for interlock salons, I would find a bunch. After all, I am in the Bay Area where everyone wants to be natural about EVERYTHING! I found just a few people advertising dreadlocking using the interlock method. Thank goodness for Yelp...that's how I discovered Beautiful Loks by Moraa. After reading the reviews from her customers, I knew she would be right for me. What really sold me was reading these 2 reviews:

I called and set up a consultation the following week. Bye bye comb!