Eliza’s 5 Feel Good Anime for your Bad Days

Way, way back I did a list of 5 Feel Good Movies on Netflix for your Bad Days to share some personal favorite go-to films when I feel like a piece of crap. And I thought it’d be fun again to do with another form of media: anime!

There’s hundreds upon hundreds of anime series out there begging for new viewers, but where the hell will your binging tendencies take you next? One question I always like to ask myself when finding something to watch is “What do I want to feel today?” And sometimes, I just need something delightful to not feel so bad about the inevitable heat death of the universe. And I have some select favorites which never fail to bring a smile to my face.

Without further ado, here’s Eliza’s 5 Feel Good Anime for your Bad Days!

5 Things to Know Before Starting Your Curly Hair Journey

So I’ve been on a curly hair routine for a year now, and I couldn’t be happier with how much healthier my hair is. Not that I had a crap ton of damage to recover from, but I can’t imagine ever going back to how I used to take care of my hair. Some weeks are rougher than others with all the experimentation I do, but I finally nailed down on what works and what doesn’t for the best results.

Now anyone who begins a curly hair routine knows some of the basics: don’t wash your hair every freaking day, avoid sulfates and silicons, don’t brush your hair dry, et cetera, et cetera. Since going on a curly hair routine, I learned a few other things I wish I knew when I began. These are little topics I may see brought up time-to-time from social media influencers, but they’re not as widespread talking points. And of course, I had to make it into a list.

Here are 5 Things to Know Before Starting Your Curly Hair Journey!

Hair Care Review: Shea Moisture’s Green Coconut & Activated Charcoal Purifying & Hydrating Exfoliating Hair Mud

Alright, so this was definitely a slight impulse purchase from one of the last times I was at Marshall’s, but I just couldn’t resist. And as of late, I noticed my scalp gets super oily in between washes. It doesn’t help that I’m a bit unironically OCD on maintaining a curl pattern and reducing frizz that I overdo leave-ins when I refresh my hair. Typical remedies for build up include apple cider vinegar, scrubs, or you can even get away with using a bit of a sulfate shampoo.

Although this scalp treatment is advertised as a mud, it falls more into the scrub category with a ton of great ingredients to exfoliate. It contains sugar, coconut oil, Shea butter, coconut juice, charcoal powder, and white tea extract. Sugar and charcoal powder are excellent exfoliators to combat flakes, oiliness and product build-up while coconut, shea butter and white tea nourish and reinvigorate the scalp. Usually this container goes for about $12, but I managed to find it for $8 at Marshall’s. It works as either a weekly treatment or a complete replacement for shampoo. Since I only wash my hair once a week, it’s wonderful as a weekly treatment in my regular routine for some extra oomph to get a clean scalp. And since I started reverse washing, it’s perfect to get out any conditioner on my scalp since I sometimes get huge fucking knots on top of my head.

This stuff is super thick with a slight sticky texture, and you definitely have to rub it in your hands before putting it on your scalp. It’s a little rough when you lather it up, but it’s much more gentle once you work it into your scalp. I like the slight roughness of this mud because it feels like it’s getting the job done to cleanse and thankfully not strip my hair of natural oils. You can either rinse it out as is or follow up with shampoo. I usually follow up with a gentle cleanser with little to no lather like Shea Moisture’s Smooth and Tame line to be sure I get out all the chunks of sugar without over-cleaning.

The hair mud was an excellent addition to my regular hair care routine and is a hell of a life-saver when I start feeling too greasy. It’s the perfect way to refresh my scalp for a new week and guarantee a deep clean with a boost of moisture. Regardless of your hair type, if you struggle with product build-up, flakes or an oily scalp and shampoo alone just isn’t doing your favors, consider this brilliant hair mud from Shea Moisture and see what wonders it gives to your routine.

Eliza’s 5 Feel Good Movies on Netflix for Your Bad Days

Under pressure and stress, some people meditate, and other exercise. Me? I prefer watching a good flick. Something to uplift my spirits and escape from the dread of reality with a reminder that the world isn’t so bad and has many splendors to enjoy. And I have quite a few go-tos which never fail to make me smile no matter how many times I watch them.

Welcome to Eliza’s 5 Feel Good Movies on Netflix for Your Bad Days!

Hair Mask of the Week: Shea Moisture Manuka Honey & Mafura Oil Intensive Hydration Treatment Masque

If y’all missed my DevaCurl review last week, I wanted to test the full potential of just those products alone, and therefore skipped deep conditioning.

A stupid, horrible fucking mistake.

I could’ve taken pictures to show how much of a frizzed, tangled puffball I looked like by day 3, but I was so frustrated and embarrassed by how bad my hair got so quickly. I just shoved it all into an amalgamation of braids/buns until wash day. It was like an unholy cross-breed of Cousin It and Kuriboh.

Yeah, I’m too lazy to buy Photoshop. Just use your imagination.

So I learned my lesson the hard way. Never skipping deep conditioner ever again.

After pondering over my little dragon hoard of hair masks, the one which most caught my attention was Shea Moisture’s Manuka Honey & Mafura Oil Intensive Hydration Treatment Masque. “Hydrate and Replenish Extra Dry Hair?” Well, let’s put that to the test.

This darling packet includes coconut oil, shea butter, mafura seed oil, honey, hydrolyzed rice protein, baobab seed oil, avocado oil, fig extract, mango seed butter, and aloe extract. It’s already off to a good start with some rocking natural ingredients advertised as the perfect blend of nutrients, antioxidants and what-have-you to restore and lock in moisture. The scent is very light with the coconut oil standing out the most– it’s very similar to their 100% Virgin Coconut Oil Masque and leaves your hair smelling so sweet and fruity. As usual, the masque has a wonderfully thick consistency and applies spectacularly to get those stray tangles you missed with your regular conditioner.

As an added bonus, this was the first hair mask where I tried out my new deep  conditioning cap I got for Christmas! My sister’s fiance got me a microwaveable cap from Glow by Daye, and from one use, it already works 100 times better at absorbing product than wrapping my hair in a turban and running a hair dryer over it. If you can make the investment for a deep conditioning cap, I definitely recommend it. It’ll make the perfect addition to your hair routine.

After rinsing, putting in stylers, and air-drying,  here are the final results!

So, sooooo much better than what my hair’s been in the past couple weeks; super defined, minimal frizz, soft and voluminous! I also styled with Shea Moisture’s Coconut Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie and Curling Gel Souffle which has proven to be the best styler combo for hold and moisture without heaviness or crunch. I’ve never been happier with my curls!

This was also a hell of a week to test my hair’s versatility with the sudden cold, rainy and windy weather here in Northern California. Given that I commute everywhere and have to walk forever to get to a bus stop, I was worried my hair would immediately suffer, especially since I had to shove it in a hood most days. But to my surprise, I didn’t have to add more of the smoothie until day 4 and only on day 5 did I have to put my hair in a protective style.

Here’s my day 4 hair for reference.

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God. Damn. I never had my hair last longer than 3 days without morphing into total a rats’ nest, so I’m thoroughly impressed!

The Manuka Honey & Mafura Oil definitely takes 100% Virgin Coconut Oil’s place as one of Shea Moisture’s best hair masques I tried thus far. If you’re really struggling to keep in moisture, you exhausted every other treatment, and the weather is being absolutely unkind to your hair, you gotta give this masque a go.

It’s a perfect 10/10 from me!

How to Travel with Your Curly Hair Routine

So you have a big trip coming up. Going to the city for a weekend, visiting your family after finals, maybe traveling abroad. But, oh dear, your wash day is coming up!

You only have so much space in your luggage, and not all of your essentials come in convenient travel size containers. Do you put your hair in a tight braid and pray to God it’ll last for a few extra days? Do you gamble with whatever shampoo and conditioner your parents own? Do you just buy brand new stuff while on the go and make space during your traveling?

Well, have no fear, because I’m here to break down how to travel with your curly hair routine without taking up too much space or getting in trouble with TSA!

I’ll soon be flying down to Southern California to be home with my family for Christmas, so I knew when it came time to back, I had to make some executive decisions on what I wanted to bring for wash day. I actually will have a checked bag since I’m transporting Christmas presents, but I thought it’d be fun to explore options for a curly hair routine while traveling. Here we go!

Shampoo

If you’re like me and only wash your hair once a week or less, chances are likely it takes you forever to go through shampoo. Hell, I’m only just at the halfway mark of the first Shea Moisture shampoo I bought back in early July. As such, I don’t need to buy new shampoo just for traveling when for a lesser price, I can just fill up an empty travel size bottle with the shampoo I already have. As an alternative, you can also pack a solid shampoo bar and not worry at all about the strict fluid ounces guidelines.

For this trip, I’m packing the Shea Moisture Rose Oil Complex shampoo which I already have in travel size bottles thanks to the original packaging crapping out on me and spilling all over the goddamn shower floor. Yes, I’m still mildly irked about that ordeal. This shampoo is a bit more runny than I’m used to with Shea Moisture, but it still gets the job done for a clean scalp with a lovely rose scent.

Conditioner

I previously reviewed one of Garnier Fructis’s One Minute Hair Masks, and one thing I loved the most was that it was the perfect size for traveling at 3.4 fluid ounces. It’s also a 3-in-1 with a conditioner, mask and leave-in, so that’s already about half of your routine in one product. So I will use this as both my conditioner and leave-in. Instead of the goji berry mask, I will use the avocado one, which is advertised as a smoothing treatment. I don’t know how much differently it will perform (though I already do like the lighter fruity scent), but I’m still psyched to try it out. Again, you can also use a solid conditioner bar as an alternative to fluids and wondering if 3.4 ounces is enough for your curls. Shea Moisture also has a travel size leave-in treatment spray, or if you prefer to DIY, mix one part conditioner with two parts water in a spray bottle.

Hair Mask

Even though the One Minute Hair Mask functions as a 3-in-1, I need something with a little extra oomph to lock in moisture. And that goes to Hask’s Keratin Protein Smoothing Deep Conditioner. I’m thankfully not protein sensitive (at least knowing of the masks I tried so far), and this brand just does wonders for my hair. I can’t wait to finally get around to reviewing another mask from them. Hair mask packets are always 2 ounces or under and for super cheap, so this is the easiest thing to pick up for traveling. Hask and Shea Moisture always have an abundant variety of masks to choose from for your needs.

Styler

Stylers are the biggest pains in the ass to find in a travel size. Sometimes you may have to forgo them entirely so you can focus on packing everything else. But I was thankfully able to find one styler in travel size: Shea Moisture’s Coconut and Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie. This is one of the brand’s most popular lines with a powerful floral scent and a ton of essentials ingredients to moisturize your hair. Their Curling Gel Souffle is working wonders to hold my curl pattern without product build up, so I have high hopes for the smoothie.

Miscellaneous

You will also still need to pack the following major essentials for your hair routine, because you never know if your destination will only have terry-cloth fiber towels:

1. Plastic caps
2. 2 Cotton T-shirts (one to scrunch out water, one to plop at night)
   • If you have a microfiber towel and/or silk scarves, even better!
3. Scrunchies

And voila! You’re ready to go on your trip without skipping your wash day!

Of course, everyone’s routines and needs will vary, and you may have to sacrifice a couple steps or improvise with what you can find on your trip. I know I’ll definitely have to scourge through the kitchen for a pre-poo cause lord knows conditioning without will be absolute hell. Hopefully, these recommendations and tips will help make at least one part of packing much smoother.

Happy Holidays!

Eliza’s Top 15 Disney Songs to Get You Through School

We’re more than half-way through August, my dears. And for many, that means it’s the back-to-school season! Time to procrastinate on all your summer homework, go shopping for supplies and overpriced textbooks, return to your on-campus apartment, and prepare for a new school year!

One of my little bits of self-care for school was finding music to put me in a good mood and motivate me to persevere through the upcoming challenges. And what better songs to find motivation than those from beloved Disney movies? Their stories touched our hearts to be better people, never give up, and strive for greatness. With that came some goddamn catchy music which speaks to our struggles and desires. And I’m here to list off some of those great songs.

Here is Eliza’s Top 15 Disney Songs to Get You Through School!