Daily Archives: March 13, 2012

Mar13

Dreams

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by Weusi

Ok so … this makes it more than official … I’m really into this natural hair stuff …

I just awoke from a dream …

Shelli and I were holding hands as we got off the subway and went up the stairs, exiting the subway station. We walked past a few of her friends on the steps (I think that this was triggered by seeing Shelli’s friend, LaNora Williams-Clark, randomly last week at the 125th Street stop). I jokingly commented that she was famous as we stopped and talked with her friends.

Afterwards, we walked into what looked like Central Park. The next thing I know, we are at a concert. The stage looked like the top of the BB King marquee. There was a full orchestra and it was rocking! There were not many people. But the ones who were out were partying and many were laying out on blankets listening. Somehow we ended up in the front and we set up our chairs, some little speakers that were connected to the sound system and an old receiver that was controlled by the amp. I don’t know why we had speakers and lawn chairs!!

The next thing we know, Esperanza Spalding comes to the front of the stage. Then, I notice that Robert Glasper is there playing keys. It looks like he’s the Music Director of the band/orchestra. I kept telling Shelli that the Robert Glasper album is so incredible and that (the fact that?) he’s playing with Esperanza is magical!

For some reason, the people in the crowd couldn’t hear clearly, so I turned my little system up so that they could hear better. Then Esperanza, who was between songs, shouted me out by name. Shelli joked about that of course; you know her. Esperanza then continues with her set.

Now … the reason that I know that I’m sprung on this natural hair stuff is because, what made me jump up out of bed and write out this dream is that the part of the dream that I really remember is the various hair style Esperanza rocked during the course of her show!!! And, at the end of the show, she bows to the audience, salutes Robert Glasper and the band, waves to me and then says something about people loving music again and it not being about wardrobe changes. The crowd cheers wildly … then she thanks “whoever Hairscapades is for all these quick and easy hairstyles, because they were more fun than costume changes!”

Shelli just sits there in amazement! She doesn’t say a word! If you know Shelli … that’s a big deal!

After the show, I run into Esperanza at a pretzal vendor in the park. I tell her that I have a surprise for her. We walk back to Shelli and I introduce her as my fiancé  and Esperanza gets all excited. Then I tell her that she’s the person behind Hairscapades. She goes CRAZY! The two of them end up leaving me standing there with a pretzel! I woke up when I was at the vendor truck and he wouldn’t give me any mustard on the side of my pretzel.

Who knows knows what this all means? I DO …

In my mind, this dream makes a few things obvious … I’m a music lovin’ Hairscapades junky that wants Shelli and Hairscapades to blow up!!!

Hmmm … I really gotta get some new hobbies/interest/ride my bike more/exercise … do something!!

the end 

…

Well, not quite.

Here’s some background on Robert Glasper’s latest project, BLACK RADIO:

And here’s a clip of The Robert Glasper Experiment song, Ahh Yeah, featuring Chrisette Michele and Musiq Soulchild.

This is a tune called, Always Shine, featuring Bilal and Lupe Fiasco. My favorite part is that Robert Glasper is on the baby grand piano and the Fender Rhodes at the same time.

And this is a limited time only link to NPR First Listen of Esperanza Spalding’s upcoming album, RADIO MUSIC SOCIETY.

http://www.npr.org/2012/03/11/147979893/first-listen-esperanza-spalding-radio-music-society

You can pre-order the album here, on iTunes or wherever you buy music. Please support the art and the artist.

SHiNE 

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Mar13

Mini-Hairscapader: Maleah’s HairStory

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Remember Tiffany from the Hairscapades GOC First Wave? Well, check out the hairstory of her mini-me ;)!!

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as told by Tiffany

What’s your child’s name and age?
This is my daughter Maleah Brook Marie, she is a 2 1/2 years old with the mouth of a 5 year old. When we go out, people often asks how old she is because the conversations she has are not normal for a 2 1/2 year old. She is very spunky and loves to read (even though she can’t just yet).

How do you care for her hair? What products do you use, how often do you wash/condition, what techniques do you use, etc.?
As much as I don’t like tackling my hair, I really hate tackling hers. I wash her hair once a week with all Shea Moisture products. Her hair is very, very curly, about a 3c on the texture chart. On Friday nights, I pre-poo with Vatika oil, olive oil, amla oil and JBCO. Her hair is usually in a braided style, so it is semi detangled. So, I use a Deman brush to loosen it.

Do the same products that work for you work for your child’s hair?
I’ve only tried a limited amount of products on her hair and Shea Moisture seems to be doing well. SO, I would have to say yes. Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus shampoo, conditioner and deep conditioner hair treatment. I occasionally use Miss Jessie’s Baby Butter Creme for her edges.

What is a typical style? Do you employ protective styles? If so, how often?
My go to styles are ponytails, because I can’t braid too well and my cornrows only last one day.

What challenges do you face with your child’s hair?
I can’t find a style to last more than a day. My husband takes her to school and he can’t do hair, so I usually do it the night before and put a stocking cap on it. She sleeps rough and her edges unravel. Her wash and gos usually dry out and don’t stay moisturized. So moisture is our problem. (My husband’s non-hair-doing self is another problem.)

Have you ever relaxed/texlaxed your daughter’s hair? Why or why not and, if you relaxed her hair, what prompted the decision to return to natural?
I won’t ever put a perm in her hair. If she wants one as she get older, I will educate her with options.

Anything else that you’d like to add?
I need a staple style that lasts more than one day and that my husband can maintain in the mornings!

In case you didn’t get enough of Miss Maleah (and how could you?), here are some more pics of this little cutie!

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Mar13

Detangling: Never Underestimate the Power of the Shower Stream

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Tips and Tricks Number Eighteen

I’ve been meaning to write this post for a couple of months now to highlight, share and co-sign on a trick that I read on CurlyNikki long ago, but only started employing more recently. There are several viable and effective options for detangling naturally curly hair: dry with oil, slightly damp with oil and/or conditioner, wet and saturated with conditioner, fingers, wide-tooth comb, Denman, etc. I’m not going to go into the various techniques here, but if you want to learn more, check out this detailed post on CurlyNikki: Detangling Methods for Natural Hair.

So, back to the point of this post. Over the last year and a half, I have mostly finger detangled on dry hair during my pre-poo routine. However, for the majority of my twelve years natural, I only detangled when it was completely wet and saturated with conditioner. Every now and again, I revisit the wet method and this weekend was one such occasion. I didn’t pre-poo, because I was doing a henna/indigo treatment and wanted to apply it to dry hair. So, my detangling process didn’t start until the henna/indigo conditioner rinse.

Let me tell you, putting my head under the shower stream once my hair is wet and saturated with conditioner really helps dissolve the tangles! In the past, I would wet my hair, add tons of conditioner, maybe add a little more water and go at it with the wide tooth comb. I generally only went back under the water stream when it was time to rinse. But the last few times I’ve wet detangled, I repeatedly put my head under the shower stream when I hit snags, adding more conditioner as needed. The water running down the conditioner-covered strands really seems to help melt the tangles down and out of my hair with a little assistance from my “nimble” fingers ;).

So, if you’ve never tried this and find yourself conditioned up, but needing a little help with a nasty snarl, turn to your new friend, the shower stream. You may be pleasantly surprised by how helpful “she” is!!

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Have you beheld the power of the shower stream?