It’s been a quiet week all around as I save myself from pulling out my hair while in the midst of paying for another semester of grad school, realizing that while complaining about Summer along with the rest seems fine at first, the days do keep on trolling on. Where in the world did July go?!

…Last time I heard new material from Lauryn Hill, my hair looked different, I walked/talked different…my style had not yet developed into any feeling of comfort, had ZERO direction of who/what were my friends, who/where felt like home apart from ‘family,’ and Sallie Mae the great beastly loan shark was still treating me nice.

But somehow come Friday…I always find the space I need to breath a little easier. And even though this track by Lauryn might not fill the years we soooo missed her, while most of us got on with our lives and incurred mountains of debt and memories, it was the greatest feeling to hear ‘Repercussions’ this past week.

Have a Blessed Weekend;-)

via PBB

Apparently this is turning into one of those Summers where, while the care of my hair is still of the utmost importance, maintaining a cool head – literally – is taking just a tad more precedence. I really did languish in the idea of dunking my head into a cool streaming flow of water this past weekend, but absolutely dreaded combing through two weeks worth of shed and albeit knotted hair as the result of my two-strand twist protective style. I ended up pre-pooing the hair first due to the some over dryness,  and made absolute sure the entire head of hair was fully untwisted. Adding a pre-poo conditioner (Suave’s Almond & Shea Butter Conditioner)  helped as I did find ample stray twists floating around before shampooing my scalp.

This week turned to Paul Mitchell’s Instant Moisture Daily Shampoo to cleanse the scalp & added a palmful or so of Trader Joe’s Tea Tree Tingle conditioner just because I enjoy the cooling sensation during a blazing hot heat wave, and it helps a great deal for any shampoo I choose to use in not overly stripping my hair. While Paul Mitchell’s Instant Moisture DOES contain a sulfate, I can attest to this particular shampoo as non-stripping. My hair still feels soft and non-matted after cleansing and rinsing.

Quickly Deep conditioned & detangled with Aubrey Organics Honey Suckle Rose Conditioner for 45 minutes, cold rinsed and began styling with Eco Styler Gel. *Slight mistake on my part, mostly due to time constraints, but really did fail to completely rinse the DC out of my hair. Some parts of my hair, particularly the roots still had remaining condish, which is often not the best setup when opting to shingle and quickly style the hair with gel. My textured hair prefers to be bare bones when applying a gel and while MOST of the condish was rinsed out, I had to fight to get the smoothness and frizz free look I was hoping for.

Applied the Eco Styler gel beginning from the back, working with my hair in sections and gradually worked my way forward. A little Aloe Vera gel was added to the hair to help soften the curls once they dried – total application took all of 20 minutes, then let air dry.

Now, one would assume that air drying a head full of gelled hair in 95 degree weather would yield…eh, quick results. But ALAS! Curly textured hair always has a mind of it’s own, yah? Pray tell…why did my hair take 1 day and a half to FULLY escape the wet arena? Inevitable frizz did follow as evidenced below, though with the high humid temperatures still feel the hair adapted well after fully drying.

I digress, only because this was only one battle to be fought. The other fight involved beating the always inevitable crunch factor my hair leans towards after applying a gel. The goal each week when styling the hair, is to have it last well past the 4 day mark, and to do this while using a gel as styler required at the very least a tweaked nighttime routine.  Not typically a huge fan of adding a ton of product during the week, this usually makes cleansing the hair just a bit more troublesome. Though, applying a touch of Carol’s Daughter’s Some of Marguerite’s Magic throughout the hair before heading to bed with a baggy & satin cap, I woke up in the a.m. over the past few days with much softer, manageable hair. To ensure the hair kept it’s shine, I applied a bit of Monoi de Tahiti oil, my absolute new favorite finishing product, and pinned up the hair so as to keep it FAR way from my shoulders.

For the past three days, hair has stayed soft and easily manageable, and the always inevitable crunch usually proceeded after a shingling gel application has dramatically subsided. Happy, still sweaty/hot. But hair is looking FAMOUS!

I always manage to feel some kind of way when Friday rolls up, and says hello!  And I’m thinking by kicking it off musically is best bets to put everyone – who is willing & ready- in the right mood

I love this man’s music. That.is.All.

Enjoy another hella hawt weekend;-)!

 via Harlem

The Story of Cosmetics, released on July 21st, 2010 at storyofcosmetics.org, examines the pervasive use of toxic chemicals in our everyday personal care products, from lipstick to baby shampoo. Produced by Free Range Studios and hosted by Annie Leonard, the seven-minute film reveals the implications for consumer and worker health and the environment, and outlines ways we can move the industry away from hazardous chemicals and towards safer alternatives. The film concludes with a call for viewers to support legislation aimed at ensuring the safety of cosmetics and personal care products.

This was a great introduction into a world we certainly knew existed but could not see due to bureaucracy and just plain money grubbing fools. Defintely not surprised to hear a few familiar top brands mentioned in the piece, considering they’re the leaders in hair care/skin care products sold across the world.

To read more about The Safe Cosmetics Act & to get involved click here.

*via The Health Beauty Project

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First time I went natural many years ago, I hid. I shied away from family, friends and often times the same mirror I struck a pose for countless times as a little girl. I was afraid to show those in my life, who’d meant so much over the years- for the first time, my authentic self. It was a slow evolution – I donned hats in the summer, then slowly revealed tiny twists & coils to friends, then plaits to family & coworkers.  Time was necessary for all the right adjustments, yet soon enough being natural became more entwined with my sense of self than any other choice I’d made up til that point.

…It’s tough. I really can’t think of anything else to call ‘it’ – it’s a complicated, sordid web of “am I or aren’t I my hair?” All of us, men/women come from similar/dissimilar backgrounds that lend themselves to each of our respective identities, cultures and reasons for doing what we do day in & day out. Wearing our hair – women, choosing to go natural and changing their own “norm” is the oldest form of self discovery – yet it’s still one that leaves us open to the most criticism.

Whether you need to step over the naysayers or tread all over them to find the better understanding you’re entitled to…do it. Do whatever makes you happy. Find your self, explore your worth and screw whoever intends to get in your way.

Interesting documentary, would love to hear your thoughts!

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Are you detangling your natural hair the correct way? Is there a right way to plow through the curls-n-kinks without the added aggravation?

A few years ago, an easy answer to this question would have been no. I would have handed in a resigned “No” and continued to yank & squeal my way through yet another detangling session with my thick coarse hair. Last year I came across an article on Ymib which reminded me of my many failed past attempts at sorting through the tangles, and soon realized this could in fact be a major deterrent many newly naturals face early on.

Truthfully, I did not begin properly separating  & detangling  my hair until 2 1/2 years ago after stumbling on a handful of YouTube videos. Prior to YouTube, combing and washing my hair was an arduous process I loathed for many years. It wasn’t until then that I understood a better, less painful way of combing my way while wet – the method my own mother could never adopt- was indeed possible, it only took practice and better tools.

Proper ways to detangle natural hair:

• If your goal is to detangle your hair prior to shampooing and conditioning, please first consider applying a pre-poo treatment to help the process. Cheap but effective conditioners such as Herbal Essences Hello Hydration or Suave have amazing slip or pure Coconut/Olive oil. The goal is to coat the hair in either the right conditioner or oil blend, but not enough to saturate your strands. If your hair is coarse and more prone to breakage, try leaving the pre-poo in for 5-10 minutes before detangling.
• If you’re a person who is short on time but still opts for a Deep Conditioning, choose one with adequate slip & one that is cost effective (because you want the option of adding more if necessary without the gilt), or you have the option of mixing a good cheapie conditioner with a slightly more expensive option.  After cleansing with a non-stripping moisturizing shampoo, section hair into quadrants and begin applying conditioner.
• Having the right tools to make the detangling process easier is key. Working hand in hand with the proper conditioner while using a wide toothed comb is often best. The tips of the comb should NOT have bulbs and in fact should be smooth along with the ridges in order to prevent further tangles. *Also, consider your shower as an added tool! The continuous flow of water can dramatically help loosen and set free stubborn snarls.
• Don’t be so quick to reach for the Denman Brush while detangling. While it is the preferred tool by many naturals to cut through the knots and tangles, it should be looked at as a finishing tool or an aid to the wide tooth comb. A wide toothed comb is by far the safest most effective tool in releasing knots and smoothing the hair without contributing to added breakage. After hair is sectioned and starting from the ends of the hair, gently comb through – applying more conditioner if necessary. Holding the hair taut an inch and a half or so above where you’re choosing to detangle, speeds the process along as you continue to work your way up, making sure each section is fully smooth and knot free before continuing.

To prevent further knots from forming in between shampooing and conditioning, consider sectioning the hair into twists prior to adding your shampoo, or placing your cleanser in an applicator tip bottle – applying ONLY to the scalp, then continuing to work through the hair using the raking method as opposed to palming and unevenly distributing the shampoo. Working your cleanser into your hair using a circular method is at best ineffective, and produces more work when it comes time to separate and detangle.

One of my Fav YouTubers, CharyJay offers great advice to those currently transitioning:

If you are in the stages of transitioning from relaxed to natural, and are battling the two-textured zone, now is most certainly the time to practice patience. Avoid detangling from your roots down to the tips of your ends, instead gently separate the ends using a wide toothed comb, applying more  conditioner and/or oil and set to work! The added time you set aside now to practice and perfect this routine, is the same time you’ll have saved later when you’ve perfected the art of detangling a head full of natural hair.