May21

Pocahontas Braids

Posted on by
Pocahontas Braids

Ummmm … I meant twists!! LOL! I attempted this style months and months ago after seeing the tutorial on CurlyNikki. But, my hair was just too tangly to get the twists right. It was stretched, but I just couldn’t seem to work with my hair without breaking strands and fighting spiderweb tangles. Now, with the addition of strengthening protein to my regimen and the wonder that is Aubrey Organics conditioners, I decided to give it another go!! My hair was smooth and stretched and I was able to do the loose two-strand twists necessary for this style relatively easily. It’s not perfect. But, I’m sure that I can do it now and can’t wait to rock it on the weekend with a cute little sundress and accessorized with one of the strands of pretty trim that I picked up last year at Michael’s and JoAnn Fabrics!!

Here’s the tutorial and a few more pics!

via whoissugar

♥

Hair stretched by a twist-out.

May21

April GOC Update: Charelle (#10)

Posted on by
April GOC Update: Charelle (#10)

by Charelle of Candy Curl

Hey All!

April hasn’t been an interesting month for me and my hair. Just sticking to the routine. I have decided, however, to cut out silicones once and for all. I was using the Organic Root Stimulator Hair Mayonnaise for my weekly deep conditioning treatments and one day I decided to look at the ingredients. It contains silicones and parabens, which did not sit well with me. It makes no sense for me to deep condition with a product that has silicones and then try to moisturize my hair afterwards. The moisture that I try to infuse my hair with will be blocked by the residue of the silicones that I would have only washed out with water.

My new deep conditioner will consist of just some TreSemme Naturals Conditioner, olive oil and honey. I’m also going to start deep conditioning my hair prior to washing it. I wash my hair every Friday night, wear it out Saturday and Sunday, then bun it for the rest of the week. Every morning during the week, I’ll take down my bun, refresh with water and slather my hair with coconut oil, then put it back in a bun. I know, pretty boring.

This month, I mostly wore Bantu Knot-Outs, Wash ‘n Gos and Twist ‘n Curls.

… Until next month, can’t wait to meet some of you at the meet-up later this month!!

♦

Want to see Charelle’s first GOC – The Sequel post? Then, check it out here.

May21

Natural Hair in Fashion

Posted on by
Natural Hair in Fashion

by Tiffany of Natural Hair in the Media

Natural hair and fashion! What could be better? Thanks a tweet by SheaMoisture, I saw this summary on natural hair in the fashion world. In this article, author Marjon Carlos details the increasing trend of well-known black models choosing to wear their natural hair on the runway.

Among the shout-outs are models Alek Wek and Noemi Lenoir. Can I just say that it’s definitely refreshing to see an article like this in Vogue Italia? Update: Tata Naka was actually first featured in Vogue UK. Thanks to a tip from reader, you can go here and read about their inspiration for the line.

Inspired by Motown, the Autumn/Winter 2012-13 Tata Naka collection is shown here being unveiled during London’s Fashion Week.

via Vogue.it

As if by rite of passage, the Black model archive is filled with trials of hapharzard handling of one’s hair. Left in the hands of hairstylists deaf to the temperment of Black tresses, Black fashion pioneers have recounted tales of their coils and strands being stretched to their breaking, frayed ends; scalps carelessly permed, harshly scorched, battered with color, and left to be restored by weaves, wigs, and the shearing of frazzled locks.

It is uplifting then to see the newest pack of Black models storming the catwalks in full embrace of their natural hairstyles, from cropped Afros, flat tops, to buzzed scalps–and in turn being embraced by the industry that has typically approached Black hair with skepticism and harsh critique.

As Canadian model, Herieth Paul’s, almost ubiquitous presence on the top Fall 2012 catwalks of Burberry Prorsum, Diane Von Furstenberg, Yigal Azourel, Costello Tagliapietra shown, the model’s coiffed ‘fro isn’t for a second deterring her imminent ascent. Then there is of course Ajak Deng’s signature buzz that has marked her career, creating a striking, anomalous silhouette along the runways of Suno, Roksanda Ilincic, and Issa this season, as well as with her turns on couture’s Spring 2012 stages just last month. Newcomer Akuol de Mabior, the beautiful offspring of Sudan’s former Vice President, walked for Jasper Conran and Louise Gray under a crown of curls that bore a striking resemblance to the very style lauded actress, Viola Davis, made famous at Sunday’s Academy Awards. While Flaviana Mataka, Nana Keita, and Elyce Cole reimagined the Afro in its various forms for Vivienne Westwood Red, Ashish, and William Okpo, respectively.

As I read through the article, I am struck by many things. This includes the author’s mention of Viola Davis’ hair at the Oscar Awards. Was she suggesting that her appearance at the show with a TWA made natural hair “famous?” It was unclear to me, maybe something got lost in translation …

Was it a pivotal moment in the culture and politics of black hair? Sure, imo. Why? Because a well-known Hollywood actress rocked natural hair at such an important event. Whether or not she intended to, Davis probably increased the visibility of natural hair in the media significantly. It may mean that more people will start paying attention to (and perhaps embracing) natural hair.

To the author’s suggestion that “this reoccurring presence of natural Black hair on the runways certainly mirrors and could be correlated to the natural Black hair craze that is currently taking place off the runway,” I *nod* emphatically in response. Not only are celebrities like Solange Knowles wearing their natural hair, but everyday women are too. Women just like me and you. And to all the black models with natural hair: You. Better. Work.

Go to Vogue Italia website to read the full article.

*********************************************************************************************************

Have you noticed natural hair in commercials, advertisements, on the runway? Is natural hair more than a trend? Why do you think there are more naturals in the media?

May21

April GOC Update: Marsha (#24)

Posted on by
April GOC Update: Marsha (#24)

6 day old twist out from old stretched curlformers set.

by Marsha of Hairology aka 24hourhair

How do you know you are over your obsessions and PJisms?

Ever since becoming natural, I have been obsessing over my hair, YouTube videos, natural hair blogs and new hair products. Of late, I can honestly say that I spend less time stalking  YT videos about natural hair, different hair blogs/sites, obsessing over different styles to try on my hair and natural hair care products.

On my day off, I usually spend countless hours stalking YT videos, and hair care blogs. I’m trying to read more, in order to stay away from being obsessed. I recently started reading a raved fave by readers, Fifty Shades of Grey.

I haven’t been tempted to try any new hair products and I’ve been sticking to what I think my hair loves. My all time love is KCKT mixed with castor oil, for that cure for my dry hair, and a great styler for curlformers and twists sets.

It has been a month since starting the GOC with Hairscapades and it has been going great.

  • I have been deep conditioning weekly.
  • Weekly wash sessions with Terressential hair mud wash.
  • Monthly clarifying with apple cider vinegar and distilled water.
  • I have been doing more overnight weekly pre-poo treatments. Last nights prepoo was a little mayonnaise, honey and Vatika coconut oil. I think I was a little heavy-handed with the oil. I rinsed with cool water and Giovanni conditioner. My hair is incredibly soft.
  • I set my hair with curlformers after washing, which lasts me 6-7 days. I add a light oil (grapeseed) mid-week/style (currently under dryer with curlformers).
  • If I have no time to do curlformers set, I blow my hair out (until its 60-70% dry) doing the tension method, avoiding excessive heat. Then, I use a little KCKT with a little castor oil to set two strand twists, with flexirods to curl the ends.

3 day old two strand twist out. Curled ends with flexirods.

  • I have not used a comb in more than 4 weeks now. My fingers do a terrific job detangling.
  • I only wash my hair in twists.
  • I avoid re-twisting or setting my hair until the next wash day.

So, I plan on continuing with the listed regimen above to see if I’m able to gain or maintain a healthier growth. We shall see …

♦

Check out Marsha’s GOC – The Sequel update here.

May21

I ♥ Aubrey Organics!!!

Posted on by
I ♥ Aubrey Organics!!!

This past Saturday I finally made time for a long overdue henna day.

Pre-Shampoo Deep Conditioning
On Friday night, I decided to take a leap of faith and do a pre-shampoo deep conditioner treatment with the Aubrey Organics GPB (Glycogen Protein Balancing) Conditioner mixed with Vatika Oil. Though it’s a protein conditioner and I was doing a henna treatment, I suspected that I could violate the cardinal rule to not use protein and henna at the same time for two reasons.

  1. I only henna my roots, so I could concentrate the protein conditioner on my length and go lighter on the roots that would get henna.
  2. I was doing the protein treatment prior to shampooing, so I would still be following the henna treatment and protein with a moisturizing deep conditioner.

I slept in the treatment overnight and, on Saturday at around 1 pm, I set out all of my henna and indigo supplies and hopped in the shower. I rinsed the AO GPB/Vatika Oil combo and my hair felt strong, sleek and smooth! SCORE!! It wasn’t hard or brittle at all, it just felt good! After rinsing the deep treatment, I placed my hair into 6 loose twists and shampooed with diluted DevaCare No Poo (again, diluting the shampoo with water makes it go on so much easier, more thoroughly and aids in detangling). I rinsed that and then applied Herbal Essence Hello Hydration to thoroughly finger detangle before rinsing and hopping out of the shower. Again, detangling was a total breeze. I can’t tell you how awesome that feels as my hair had started to become a struggle to detangle and I thought that it was due to the added length and wear and tear. What a difference Aubrey Organics makes!!! I am in love (I even begged Wei to let me put it in his hair on Sunday for a pre-poo DC before he hit the shower so that he could see what I was talking about!!! I was just so excited about it. I don’t think he was too impressed though ;) . Of course, he didn’t condition after he shampooed either. Men. *lol*).

Henna/Hendigo
Now on to the henna/hendigo treatment. I reeeeeeeaaally didn’t feel like adoing a two step treatment,which at the minimum adds another 1 1/2 hours to the process, so I decided to give hendigo another whirl. I applied straight henna (mixed with honey and Sally’s GVP Matrix Biolage Conditioning Balm) to the center top roots of my hair. Then I applied what I think was about 2/3 indigo mixed with 1/3 henna to do the sides and back of my hair (again, roots only) in hopes that it would make them a dark brown. Finally, I applied Sally’s GVP MBCB to the untreated length of my hair and sat under my heat cap for a full 4 hours. #FAIL … AGAIN.

Ugh. So, it looks like I have no option if I want dark brown/black hair in some areas. I can’t take the shortcut. I have to do the two-step henna/indigo process *sigh*.

Anywho, though the hendigo was a bust, the length of my hair that had conditioner on it was so smooth and sleek!! The parts with henna had the typical, post henna, dry, hay-like feel. As it seemed the Sally’s GVP MBCB worked wonders on my length, I decided to pull out the jar of the real deal that I picked up many months ago on sale at Ulta!! Although it isn’t formulated as a deep conditioner, it seemed to work great! So, I applied it heavily to my henna treated hair and very lightly to the length. Then, I sat under the heat cap again.

After an hour, I removed the heat cap and allowed my hair to cool for about 10 minutes. Then, I pulled out my other new Aubrey’s acquisition, the Green Tea Cream Rinse. This is a different looking conditioning product. It has a light, minty green color and smells like mint green tea. The consistency is like Pepto Bismol, which was a surprise. I guess it is because the first ingredient is “coconut fatty acid cream base?”

What they say:

Want shiny, healthy-looking hair in a hurry? Fast-acting cream rinse infuses vital nutrients and rinses clean to help hair dry quickly for easy styling. Detangles on contact and controls flyaways to leave lengths silky and full and curls softly defined.

I diluted it with filtered water in a dye applicator bottle and applied it directly over the DC, then rinsed with cold water. Again, smooth, sleek, silky hair!!

Styling
Finally, I hopped out of the shower one last time and proceeded to gently and easily finger detangle and set my hair in 13 plump twists … yes, you read that right. THIRTEEN PLUMP twists! When does that happen on my fine hair?? I used AO Honeysuckle Rose Conditioner as my leave-in and sealed the ends with a JBCO/EVOO mix.

Wei and I then went out to dinner and those jokers had the nerve to be dry by the time we got home a couple of hours later. AGAIN, another “never” event for my hair!! The hits just kept coming!!

 Since my twists were dry, I decided to release them and found a very defined, but soft and silky twist-out!

Could have used some more fluffing, but it worked. I can’t wait until I fully transition out my thinner ends!

And that’s it!! Aubrey Organics is a KEEPER!! My PJ ways may be over y’all! I’ll probably still try other things to give reviews, but I really think that the products in this line are going to be my staples/holy grails!! I mean, have you seen Jasmine and Zhara’s hair?!?! The proof is in the pudding!! I ordered one other product that I’ve yet to try, the Green Tea Clarifying Shampoo. I didn’t want to strip my hair too much as I was doing a henna treatment. So, I didn’t use it this wash day. But, I want to try it this upcoming Friday in order to get nicely clean hair for my first Curlformers attempt!! We’ll see!! I don’t know if I should be experimenting with a Meet-Up on the line! LOL!!

Oh, and lastly, I put my dryer together on Sunday! It was very easy to assemble. Test drive pending.

Don’t get it twisted. I assembled it! He’s just Vanna White;).

GOOD MORNING SUNSHINES!! WISHING YOU ALL A WONDERFUL MONDAY!

May18

Hairscapades Meet-Up: Confirm Attendance & Updates!!

Posted on by
Hairscapades Meet-Up: Confirm Attendance & Updates!!

Saturday, May 26th
1 – 4 pm

Pooka Boutique
15 South Essex Avenue
Orange, NJ 07050

T#: (973) 954-2471

♦

To all the ladies who made the cut-off for the Meet-Up (first 30), please send an e-mail to hairscapades@gmail.com to confirm that you are attending and your count (1 or +1). Please include your name as it was listed in your RSVP on this post and confirm attendance by Tuesday, May 22nd. I’m going to send an e-mail to all confirmed attendees to bring to the event as I’m strictly limited to 30 people by the venue. If I don’t receive a confirmation e-mail, I will move to the next RSVPs who didn’t make the cut-off and offer them entrance. So, if you are one of those ladies who didn’t make the first cut, send an e-mail to let me know if you’re still interested. If anyone doesn’t confirm, I’ll send any additional entry confirmation e-mails on Wednesday.

UPDATES

Now, for all of the amazing goodies!!!

Thank you to all the companies who have graciously donated samples, giveaways and their time to make this an amazing event!!

One last thing, I’m trying to gauge interest in having dinner after the event for attendees and those who didn’t make the cut-off. There is a spot in Maplewood, Health, Love & Soul (HLS) Restaurant,that we could head over to after the meet-up. But, I want to see how many might be interested so that I can call ahead and make a reservation with the head count. So, if you’d like to do that, please comment below. Thank you!

Can’t wait to see you guys for the fun next Saturday!!

May18

TGIF

Posted on by
TGIF

It has been a rooughhhh work week ladies. I’ve been on the road up and down the highways and bi-ways of NJ and in meetings galore. I’ve been running after work as well, not getting home until midnight on Wednesday and running to an important meeting for my condo association yesterday. I had a headache all afternoon and went to bed 9 pm with my frontal lobe pounding. Woke up this morning with the same dang headache!! Ughhhh … one more day … one more meeting … then the weekend will finally be here!

Anywho, felt so bad about not having any posts yesterday, but I just couldn’t. And, I HATE missing a weekday :( ! As I didn’t want the one day without posts to turn into two, I’m posting a couple pics I took of my braid out, turned twist-out, refresh. On Tuesday night, I re-braided my hair with the Curls Curl Souffle for another braid out. Once again, my hair was ÜBER soft when I released the following day. But, by the time the afternoon rolled around, my hair had expanded and lost a lot of the definition (another humid day in NJ). I was deep in South Jersey and hit the road to head back to my north Jersey office.

At the halfway point, had to stop for a potty break and saw the wildness that had become my hair. So, I divided my hair into two, dampened my hands with some water, smoothed them down the bottom half of my hair to “reactivate” the Curls Souffle and twisted. Then, I took two of those big doobie pins and wrapped the ends of the twists around them to secure and curl.

When I pulled up into my office, I released the pins and twists to controlled hair and just allowed it to do it’s own thing (i.e. self-fluff *lol*).


Again, the Curls Souffle adds great softness to my hair, plus it smells delicious. But, it really has no hold for a dry braid or twist out. So, I’ll be trying it on freshly washed, wet hair for a TnC or a WnG like HeyFranHey did here with gorgeous results!

So that’s it! This weekend, it’s Henna Time!! Oh, and my hard bonnet salon hair dryer on wheels arrived earlier this week!! Wooh-hooh! It’s still in the box, because I haven’t had time to open it and set it up! I’ll be doing that this weekend and I may sit under it with my henna, just to see how it works!

HAPPY FRIDAY!!

*********************************************************************************************************

What do you have planned for this weekend?! (Go see Avengers if you didn’t see it yet!! LOL!)

May16

April GOC Update: Cassandra (#26)

Posted on by
April GOC Update: Cassandra (#26)

Here’s my April update!

How did you do in regard to following your planned regimen (hair and health & fitness)?
Overall, my edges are growing in nicely. I recently purchased the Curly Girl (CG) Method handbook and will be following the CG Method as closely as possible. The hardest thing is to not comb/brush my hair with anything other than my fingers. Hopefully, within the next few weeks, I can find a Devachan salon close to me and book an appointment to get a trim.

Health & Fitness-wise, I have completely changed my diet and exercise regimen. I have taken to eating six small meals a day and working out twice a day. I have noticed a drastic change in inches lost just from the way my clothes are fitting, but not a lot of pounds lost, so maybe I am gaining muscles due to the increased exercise?

What tweaks have you made (did you try something new? Add something? Remove something, etc.)?
For the past week, I have followed the CG Method. I have noticed a difference in the way my hair feels and my curls are tighter with less frizz. I wouldn’t have necessary thought I had dry hair, but apparently I didn’t have enough moisture and was using silicone-laden shampoo. I like it a lot so far, so I will keep up with it during the challenge.

Health-wise, I will be increasing my exercise routine by incorporating the Supreme 90 DVDs so that my calories lost are more than my intake of calories.

Have you had any challenges? Setbacks? Accomplishments?
The main challenge I noticed is that the lack of pounds lost during the past month. It is frustrating to just lose inches and not weight, but I am trying to be patient and find other ways to get over the plateau. Another challenge will be to find CG -friendly products since all my other “normal” products have silicone/sulfates. I can see myself keeping the book in my purse so that I can review the labels before I purchase. Also, I will not be using castor oil anymore, since it’s not CG-friendly. But, I will try scalp massages instead and keeping the area moisturized.

♦

Check out how Cassandra threw her hair into the GOC ring here. 

May16

Prissy’s HairStory

Posted on by
Prissy’s HairStory

by Prissy of Black Hair in Paris

I am a new naturalista. But I never planned to be. I didn’t go for the big chop. I didn’t have a hair tragedy or develop an allergy to chemicals. I didn’t watch Chris Rock’s “Good Hair.” I came into the look I’ve always wanted simply by accident. Serendipity is my friend.

I got my first relaxer at 13. I tagged along with my aunt to the salon. While sitting there amazed at her glossy results, she asked me if I wanted one. I said yes, all gooey-eyed, and that experience led to me using chemicals for the next two decades. Before my relaxer, I got my hair “pressed” as folks back home call it. Every Saturday night we’d go to my grandparent’s and sit in the middle of the kitchen. I still remember my grandmother saying, “Grab your ear girl” and me cringing, hoping she wouldn’t slip and burn my finger. When she’d finished and all the smoke had gone, there we sat with our long hair reaching our shoulders. Happy. Proud. Ready for ribbons and church on Sunday.

Those were the days.

After I initially got my relaxer, I kept it simple until I reached 18. I was away at college and modeling part time. For one of the fashion shows, the organizers sent me to a hair stylist. She turned out to be a weave specialist and said, “Why don’t you try it, at least for the show?” I went from having a bob to being a diva overnight. That led to what I call my “Diana Ross Years.”

Afterwards, I wore long hair extensions (braided in, glued in, sewed in) off and on for several years. If I cut my hair and missed it, I’d go and get it weaved in again. If I simply got bored with my already long hair, I’d go and get even longer hair. Curly weaves were my kryptonite.

In 2006, I decided that length no longer mattered to me. I didn’t need super long hair. Not even long hair. I went for a super short bob and it was one of the best looks I’ve ever rocked. But then, I let my hair grow out and I was bored again. I returned to my old habits and went and got another weave. Sigh. The vicious cycle was hard to break. I finally got rid of it once and for all in 2009.

I was then expecting a bundle of joy. I didn’t want to go to the salon. I went for a long time without doing anything to my hair other than a simple shampoo and a pull back. After the baby came, I knew it was time to get my head taken care of. Nicole Pembrook of Polished Hair Care told me on my first trip back to the salon, “You know what? You don’t need a relaxer. I’m not putting one in. In fact you never needed one.”

WHAT?

I didn’t believe it. I’d had a relaxer since … forever. In the back of my mind I thought, “I’ll just try it out. She’ll see.” That day, I walked away with a shampoo and blow out. No one could tell that I didn’t have a relaxer. I would wear my hair blown out and flat-ironed for the next two years.

In December 2011, I was travelling home to America for Christmas. I had a weave specialist’s number. He was inexpensive and good. I didn’t want to go back to relaxers or weaves, but I wanted to change the texture. I wanted curly hair again. It turns out he wasn’t available (thank God!) so I decided to wash it myself. However, when I looked in the mirror afterwards, I didn’t recognize my own head: I had a head full of naturally curly hair.

It’s been two months since I had a blow out. My family, my friends, and most of all, ME love my new hair! The icing on the cake was when my daughter, who has curly hair too, looked at me, patted my hair and said, “Mom pretty hair.”

What more could a girl ask for? Absolutely nothing.

May16

Frizz Ball

Posted on by
Frizz Ball

So, on Monday, I mentioned that I re-braided my hair on Sunday night with a new product, which I would reveal on Tuesday. Well, I didn’t reveal the results, because I didn’t capture them upon releasing my hair and when I got home that evening, my mop was about as defined as the picture above!! LOL!!

I didn’t feel like the product got a fair shake though, because it clearly states on the tub, “Medium Curl Cream – without hold.” However, it does also state, “for effortless, frizz free curls.” The earlier claim I can co-sign, the second one, not so much. You see, it was hella humid and rainy on Monday and my braid-out did NOT survive the  moisture-filled air. In fact, halfway through the work day, I formed two twists to tame the frizz cloud that was floating around my face.

But, my hair was super soft and felt lovely. So, I know what you’re saying … “WHAT’S THE PRODUCT SHELLI?” *lol* It was Curls Souffle gifted to me in a Curls Cocktail box by CurlyNikki. It’s one of her faves. And, again, I don’t think I gave it a fair shake. So, this isn’t really a review. I’m just sharing to appease “my public” as Veronica put it!! LOL ;) !!

********************************************************************************************************* 

Have you tried the Curls Souffle? Any recommendations on what to layer it with to get moisture with hold?