The Naked Truth: Alopecia Awareness Month

Every month these days seem be "_____ (fill in the blank) Awareness Month" and September is no exception. We know that there are a few health issues and causes associated with the month of september alone (for example: childhood cancer awarness) but the one that I near and dear to us is Alopicia. One of the biggest challenges we faced from about age 11 until present day has been living with the auto immune disorder Alopecia Areata. Alopecia Areata causes different types of hair loss. Areata causes hair loss in round patches, Totalis causes loss of all scalp hair, and Universalis you lose all hair on the body. This hair loss is not contagious nor is it caused by poor hair habits. It’s actually the result of the body’s immune system attacking its own hair follicles suppressing or stopping hair growth. We have both heard and experienced so many misconceptions about this disorder over the years, all the way from bad jokes told by people who are completely ignorant to what it really is, to downright false information being circulated about Alopicia's causes and effects. Being in the beauty industry  surprisingly sometimes is even worse.... hearing jokes like "HAHAHA her doll baby (maniquinn) has Alopicia!" when she develops a bald spot, Stylists "diagnosing" clients, or worse, clients "diagnosing" themselves, without the guidance of a dermatologist. As we explained above there are different types and progressions of this disorder and each are complex and handled by their own complexities. For example there's something called "traction alopecia" where if too much tension is put on delicate parts of the scalp, the hair will begin to thin, or be pulled from the root. This however is not to be confused with Alopecia Areata, which causes round patches of hair loss due to the body attacking itself, confusing hair with a deadly virus that it needs to desperately fight off.   


After being diagnosed at a young age, we had to begin learning how to cope with loving ourselves and having healthy esteem, despite the fact that we were young girls who were losing their hair. For us the journey began with Blue. Mid year, 6th grade she developed her first "spot". Left temple, silver dollar size. I can remember feeling like an alien. What was wrong with me?? I felt like everyone could see it, stared at it, and laughed at it... What kind of "girl" is she? Junior high school brought with it, it's own set of challenges. We tried our best to feel normal, we helped each other cover our newly formed "spots" & celebrated each other's victories when we had times of hair growth. When high school approched the yearning for acceptance grew stronger, especially with all of the growing hair trends. We had some fool proof "cover" methods but experimented with some of the things all the other girls were doing. Sometimes they worked and sometimes they failed! The journey continues with Pink. She was rocking a new braided style, but it was one of the fails....she didn't realize that it was a fail....that is until she and Blue felt the burn of eyes, and heard the sting of snickering laughs from the group of basketball players seated behind them in a practice. They saw what seemed to be the joke of the day....They are missing hair!They are baldheaded girls! When in reality it was just two girls with a disease that they could not control, trying to feel like normal girls in a world that could never understand what they were truly going through, a world that screamed "real girls have hair!" Senior year the ultimate fashion event prom was approaching, and while most girls were planning their outfits and shoes....we were agonizing over how we would style our hair! How could we cover everything, AND still be beautiful...elegant....normal! We got creative, pulled it all together and had an awesome night. For the first time in a long time we felt beautiful! We made it through our school years and graduated together, supporting each other. Through the teasing, bullying, and never feeling normal or pretty enough, we have always been there for each other. Shielding and protecting each other from the stares and snickers, helping one another with tips and tricks to cover our bald spots and listening when we complained about the struggles of losing hair. 


These are challenges that we have more recently been able to overcome as women, although it still a work in progress. Through dating years and while our now husbands were "courting" us, we struggled with acceptance and feeling worthy of love. As we navigated the twists and turns of love lives, we found our safety in the wonderful men that we now call husband. Of course it was nerve racking thinking of how we would tell them about our disorder, (and even more traumatic) how we would "show" them. This was enough to make us both convince ourselves that somehow we didn't deserve them or that they couldn't possibly love us...US!  As we settled into years with the loves of our lives, we would get more and more comfortable with our "heads" as we call them, being exposed around our husbands. Although we did (and still) find ourselves filled with those same feelings of shame about our condition, reverting to an almost "shyness" around them, we try to move past it. "Women have hair, men don't", a nagging voice in the back of our heads that often hovers over simple moments we have with our spouses while our heads are exposed. Sometimes it's a struggle to be seen without a wig or headwrap, not only by our significant others, but even by our own children. It has become a day by day, moment by moment, experience by experience thing that we have to overcome. But we are starting to realize that we love ourselves, our husbands and children love us with or without hair, so we have it made! For me (Blue) As my husband rubs my head and tells me that I am beautiful, after I have shed the wig and makeup, And my 7 yr old son kisses my naked head and tells me I am the best mommy every time he sees me with out my coined blue tresses, I realize that THAT is what matters! Most importantly God loves us and created us just the way we are. We do our best to renew our mind through the word, constantly reminding ourselves of the words that our creator spoke over us before we were formed in our mothers womb.  

Our experiences with coming up with different styles and cover methods really drove me (Pink) to a passion for hair and beauty, eventually becoming a licensed cosmetologist 3 years ago while I (Blue) am following in her footsteps, finishing cosmetology school in January! Now at 30, we are so much more comfortable in our own skin, and can say with confidence that we love ourselves & each other JUST as God created us….. Bald &Beautiful! Lol. Don’t get it twisted though, you probably won’t see us walking around bald and free…. Anybody that knows us, knows we love our brightly colored wigs and extensions….. but you get the point. We are comfortable with who we are underneath it all!

-Blue & Pink

Pink's Kreative Korner: My new My little pony hair!

Anyone who really knows me knows that I love change up my hair.....some (mainly my husband) would venture to say I have a slight addiction to being a chameleon when it comes to the tresses! It's pretty funny when I try to convince the hubby why it is so imperative that I change my hair this time, or what is oh so different about this new style/hair or why this new hair will so much better/more convenient/better maintainable than the last! I think he agrees to my ever changing hair xscapades because he is so grateful that I can pull it off myself without HIM having to give me a million bucks (not really) to pay SOMEONE ELSE to do it for me.... (Insert cosmetology license to the rescue,lol) 

So I've had this wig that I ordered a while back, that that been on reserve in my wig vault (lol). I didn't really want to pull it out until the fall because it's long and I hate having long hair in the hot summer.....HOWEVER...I've been so (what I call) hair bored lately....so I decided to whip it out do this cool color concept that I've been dreaming up for a while now. This turned out to definitely be my favorite fav custom colored full lace wig yet! The best part of having alopecia areata is all the fun things I get to do with my hair and wigs!! so here she is.... "My Little Pony" 

 

Here are the colors I used....

 

We shall see how long "my little pony" curbs my hair changing appetite.....but as for now....I am totally in love with her! 

~Pink~

Pink's Kreative Korner: Cake Pop Bonanza

This weekend I had the pleasure of getting my cake baking juices back flowing.... Got to "flex" my flour muscles! Lol. Well technically I didn't do a cake this time...I actually created a few "herds" of farm animal cake pops! One of the handsome little boys at our church turned 3 and had an awesome farm animal birthday bash complete with a real live petting zoo, in their backyard!!! So cool.... Anyways here's some pics of the cake pops I created. 

(The cake was done by another person) 


Cows, Chicks, Sheep and Pigs Oh My!

~Pink~

Blue's Kreative Korner : Easter Sunday DIY Threads!

It's a Branch family tradition (an unspoken one but a certain one all the same) to create our own Easter ensembles. My husband and I, since the time we got hitched, have painted on, sewed and styled ourselves and our boys since 2007 and the tradition continues this year! I want to share some pics to show you all what we came up with: 

For Mom: Pleated skirt with elastic waistband. I had a pattern that I wanted to use but I ran out of time so i decided to make this quick and easy skirt. I just took 2 yard of fabric, cut it in half, sewed to two halfs together and pleated it all the way across. Then I cut and hemmed the bottom to desired length, sewed the ends together and made a waistband from 1 1/2 inch elastic and the leftover fabric from the hem..... And Voila!! Quick and Easy pleated skirt! 

For the Branch boys: 

Now this was a bit more complicated. I wanted to make the boys hooded vest but could not for the life of me find a hoodie pattern for a child. I don't know how to convert a pattern or anything yet so I did the next best thing.... Created a pattern using an tracing paper and an existing hoodie they already had!! 

I also made bow ties from leftover fabric I used to line the hoods. And to anyone who knows our sons DeJahe (7) and Jeriah (6) no outfit would be complete to the Branch Boys without their favorite accessory... The imfamous bow tie!!!! Since they were around 2 years old hats and bow ties have been thier signature look. Sometimes when I want to forgo them they plead and insist, and this Easter was no excepion! 

Last but no least, 

For Daddy: 

My husband is a true artist when it comes to his creations. He is so out of the box and abstract. This year he didn't have a clear idea of what he wanted to wear as he has been working a lot and doesn't have the time you used to. He opted for a laid back look with a thrifted short sleeved button down and dockers blue pants. He made a custom pocket square with leftover fabric from the boys and my outfits and a "Scrappy" scarf he calls "Drapes" (He's silly) out of leftover fabric and a unused bedsheet we had laying around the house!!! I told you all he was abstract! Lol. 

So we hope that everyone had a wonderful (and fashionable) Easter Sunday as we celebrated the sacrifice that Jesus made for us!! Next fashion DIY, I will make a tutorial. So if there is anything you have seen me create that you want to see a tutorial for please leave it in the comments and I will make it happen :) 

Pink's Kreative Korner: Minion Maddness & Hello Kitty Ballerina

I love creating ANYTHING, but I must say Amigurumi (crochet dolls/stuffed animals) are one of my favorites. Mostly because of the joy and comfort they bring to the children in my life. So I FINALLY finished my latest creation Miss Hello Kitty and she's a ballerina! Both of my beautiful nieces have been waiting on  hello kitty amigurumi dolls made by their Auntie Pink since they were in her mother's wombs! Lol...... now that they have made début into the world Auntie Pink is officially late for the party! Well I completed the first Miss Kitty and here she is!

 

 

The second Hello Kitty is on her way to completion and I can't wait to send them off for some major cuddle time with my nieces!!

 

 

Keeping on my quest to finish all of my procrastinated projects, last month I also finished my son's minion from the Despicable Me movies!! My oldest son JJ got his for his birthday in September and  I decided to make one for my youngest. JJ is a basketball fanatic so I made his wearing favorite basketball player's "jersey overalls" and we call him "King James". My youngest MaKai loves all of the minions so I just settled on the short one with the comb over and middle part in his hair! I think he is too cute in the movies!! His name in the movie is "Dave" so that's what we decided to call him!

 

Love on a Paper Plate: Homemade Gyros

Last night I stepped out on one of my many meal adventures which are usually sparked by a craving, then inspired by pinterest... Missing my favorite little Greek takeout restaurant back home in Ohio, I had been craving Gyros (with tons of tzatziki sauce!!). So off to scroll the pages of Pinterest I went..... and this is what I came up with.

Ingredients:

Gyro Meat:
1lb Ground Turkey
1lb Ground Beef
1 tsp. Dried Oregano
1 tsp. Dried Rosemary
2 tsp. Cumin
2 tsp. Salt & Pepper
2 tsp. Minced Garlic
1/2 Chopped Onion

Toppings:
Tomato
Lettuce
Feta Cheese
Red Onion

Tzatziki Sauce:
Greek Yogurt
The juice of 1 lemon
1 shredded cucumber
Minced Garlic
Fresh chopped Dill

Mix all seasonings and ingredients until meat is well incorporated with everything. Now this id the tricky part..... you are going to put your meat mixture into a food processor in small batches, pulsing until its like a pasty consistency. Then press each batch down into a loaf pan until you get all of your mixture into the pan. I baked mine about 75% of the way done, then took the loaf put of the loaf pan and placed on a wire rack (I used the rack from my toaster oven). I put the rack on top of another baking dish (creating a drip pan), and put that whole thing into the oven to finish baking.



This allowed the meat to drip off the remainder of the grease, making it easier to slice. Cook your meat loaf the remainder of the way through, let it cool for about 20 minutes, while its cooling, warm up some Pitas....slice some tomatoes, red onions and lettuce.

Then make your Tzatziki sauce. This part is fairly easy. Just shred your cucumber with a cheese shredder, (scoop out the seeds first), add lemon juice, Greek yogurt, dill and minced garlic. Mix it all together.

Now you are ready to slice your meat into thin slices and fill up that pita with all the yummyness you have prepared!

Happy eating!!
~Pink~

 

 

 

Brow Pow Wow!!!

Ok beauties, so right now perfectly groomed and sculpted eyebrows are trending. From celebrity socialites to the girl next door divas…. Everyone is sporting those signature “snatched” brows. Although there are great examples of achieving that great looking brow, there are an abundance of epic fails floating around out there.  To keep you ladies from rocking the “magic marker” or the “ Mr. Potato Head Angry Brows” eyebrow, the colors would like to share our favorite tips and tricks we have learned and used over the years to achieve a natural looking, beautifully defined brow.

Our top 5 Eyebrow Pet Peeves and Solutions:

   1.   Shapes:

-          DON’T go too thick/thin.

-          DO use your preferred grooming technique (waxing, plucking, or razor) PRIOR to filling or defining brows. HOWEVER, please take care not to over groom, as you want to have something to work with AND you don’t want to end up with sparse or no eyebrows if it is preventable.

-          DO choose an eyebrow shape that fits your face shape. Every brow, isn’t or everybody. 

 (Chart courtesy of www.seoulbrow.com)

2.       Color:

-          DON'T use black eyeliner! Dark brown is the darkest color that should grace your eyebrows. Even if your hair is jet black, black liner is too heavy for a brow. It’s not very flattering! Black eyeliner is great for lining eyelids and lining the waterline (under eye).

-          DO select a pencil/brow powder that coordinates with and accentuates you hair and eye color.

Hair Colour	Eye Brow Colour
Ashy, cool tones, brown or blonde	Ashy, cool tones, light-to-+medium brown
Red or with reddish highlights	Auburn or brownish-red
Platinum Blonde	Taupe, light brown, medium brown
Golden /Dark Blonde	Medium brown or golden brown
Brunettes	Dark brown
Black	Dark brown or charcoal black
Grey or White	Medium brown or slate grey

 (Chart courtesy of www.seoulbrow.com)

3.       Placement:

-          DON’T freehand if you are just starting out. Take your time to prefect your correct shape and placement.

 (Chart Courtesy of www.seoulbrow.com)

   

   DO use the placement technique, lining up the front, arch and tail end of your brow using your nose and pencil as a guide.

*SPARSE OR NO EYEBROWS: this step is critical as you may be working with a blank canvas. Be sure to take the extra time to use the brow placement guides in order to create a realistic shape, correct placement and perfect arch.

 

-     

4. Filling:

-          DON’T drag your pencil through your brow, use small feathering motions that mimic the short hairs present in brows.

-          DON’T over extend or fill liner so far past the top and bottom of your natural brow hairs that you see where the pencil or powder begins and ends.

*SPARSE OR NO EYEBROWS: Remember to follow the guides above while filling. This will aid in determining where the brow needs to begin in the front or where the tail ends. The feathering technique should still be used as this helps create the most natural outcome. 

5. Highlighting & Defining

- DON’T solely use a concealer under the brow. For a more natural look, use a foundation matching your skin tone, under and or above the brow first. Then highlight ONLY under ARCH using your two shades lighter concealer. 

        

-DO blend 2 shades lighter concealer downward into previously applied skin tone foundation. BLEND, BLEND, BLEND!!!!

  

-DON’T leave harsh lines! We’re looking for classy looking brows ladies, not really going for the “sharpie” or “Bozo the clown” box brows look. Apply a small amount foundation to the front of the brow and blend into liner with brow brush to eliminate the hard line at the beginning of brow.

  

So there you have it ladies, once you get the technique down, this can definitely become an easy everyday addition to your existing makeup regimen.

Now here are a few pics of some common mistakes made when attempting brow artistry.

Don't fall victim beauties! Practice, Practice, Practice!! 

Too Close Together/ Too Thick/ Exaggerated Arch

Too Thick/ Too Dark/ Harsh Lines

Too Thin/ Harsh Lines 

  

Too Thick/ Pencil Extended Way Past Natural Brow/
Unrealistic Shape/ Harsh Lines









Happy Browing!!!

~"The Colors"~