Dare I say it…I had a pretty awesome birthday this past weekend & sneaking suspicions point to my hair. Yerp. Instead of waking up on Saturday thinking …’woe is meeeeee….I can’t belieeeeeve I’m getting older. Aggggaaaiiin.’ I instead whipped my hair all over Brooklyn (and my worn out mirror) and took it for a spin in pretty frigid weather for November. ….This is really a senseless post, but I had a great birthday weekend & wanted to express sincerest thanks to all who wished me well;-). Not sure how it all came about, but I was able to score eight day hair this past week and these pics are solid evidence! Don’t know when I’ll behold this magic again, but tonight…as I get a late start to this week in more ways than one…I sit with one hand typing while the other is quietly blow drying freshly washed hair using the same method from last week.Yes kiddos…eight day hair from a twist-out IS possible…see me cheesin? Report on tonight’s hair shenanigans to follow in the coming days.

Alright. I figured it was time to relay a bit of a secret…something I’ve been late in owning up to because having a ‘good hair’ day often takes precedence over most else…sometimes. I love…LOVE dabbling in the latest product du jour, whether it’s a new hair butter to soften up those parched coils or a pudding to twist & define strands that have long lost their way…I  love the anticipation of trying something new and being rewarded with amazing results! The term product junkie is fast becoming a label I abhor simply because I hate explaining my love of…stuff. Mainly beauty products related to hair/skin/nails…the beauty supply store & I are always on a first name basis & this I don’t mind. And yet lately, the one thing I’ve been turning to in light of a busier calendar schedule & the increasing bustle of another holiday season is simplicity. Where has it been all my life & WHY did it take me so long to admit that it’s okay to want a little less…most times. It’s okay to be out of the favorite hair cream, hair milk, twist-n-lock whatevs …because you simply couldn’t make it to the BSS. It’s okay…really, to use whatever it is that’s on hand & to find a way to make it work.

Products Used:

• Pre-Poo: Frutopia Curls & Waves Conditioner
• Cleanse: Carol’s Daughter Hair Milk Curl Perfecting Shampoo
• Condition/Style: EO Moisture Rich Conditioner + KBB’s Hair Nectar

I should’ve just blamed this all on lack of time…but in all honesty this was the one thing not lacking this past week. Aside from curbing my buying habits, I’ve been sticking to this whole…conditioner as styler thing and can’t tell you how much ‘WIN’ this has become. I cleansed hair in sections while in the shower after a quick pre-poo and sat my bum down to detangle & style with EO’s Moisture Rich Conditioner. Opted to use a bit less conditioner on each twist (dime size amount) & coupled it with KBB’s hair Nectar, a lighter version of the hair milk…still creamy & equally moisturizing. This combo worked much better than expected!

The hair was kept in large twists day after washing, pinned up and away then taken down the following day. The results were easily comparable to many of the hair creams/butters used in the past. Hair came out shinny, full of bounce and most importantly…moisturized! Using the right balance of conditioner is always key…do NOT want hair to become limp and overmoisturized once it’s set & dry. Although this is an easy fix if it does happen…achieving the wowNESS of a great hair session on the first attempt is always special.

Right, so not the greatest secret to share. Lately it seems living and spending a lot less on what we often always consider essentials is more on trend, and perhaps this is not such a bad thing….? It’s good to have options…I guess this is what I know for sure. It doesn’t always have to be perfect, open your eyes to what you really do have…whether it’s hair products, clothes, beauty products or even the people in your life. Feeling grateful lately for learning such a small lesson… which enables me to feel so much richer in spirit. Yeaaah….it’s ‘just hair,’ but please forgive, the holidays bring out the melancholy in me.

If we don’t meet until next week’s time, have a Happy Thanksgiving & safe travels!

I had the pleasure of not only viewing this thoughtful documentary a few months back, but was able to meet the creative mind behind it. Had such an incredible time meeting & hanging out with  like-minded people, getting the chance to talk politics & hair without any filters….good times!

Thankfully, another screening is making it’s way tomorrow night here in Brooklyn, NY & I hope you’ll find the time to support!

Activist Filmmaker O.M. (Shola) Ajayi and Black Women’s Blueprint Invites you to a Screening of Two Short Films

HAIR: A CONVERSATION and A JOURNEY TO UNDERSTANDING

Join Us As We Speak Truth to Power

Friday, November 19, 2010

6pm Reception

7pm Screening and Discussion

The Commons, 388 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11217

Tickets $10 at www.bwbtickets.webs.com

Click here for a sneak peak!

I have something called a Birthday which is fast approaching. Can’t say I’m too thrilled…a huge part of my psyche has been stuck in quarter-life crisis mode over the past few years. And yet….I still choose to celebrate the celebrations aspect…searching for goodies and trinkets online & in-store that enable me to splurge and indulge in the most random of things. Random wants…hardly needs, but ever so beautiful and gorgeous!

AphroChic debuted the latest in their Fall collection yesterday, and there was an collective ‘ohhhh…& ahhhh‘ moment sweeping through my apartment as I made my way through the latest additions. Every new piece in the collection is simply gorgeous & inspired by the designer’s latest muse, Brooklyn. The distinctions are easy to spot in many of the prints & accent pieces.

There’s a lot to be shared & lived out here in Brooklyn, and it’s even more inspiring to see others, designers & artists alike… reaching out and using that creativity in a much broader sense.

The collection now includes beautifully detailed tableware, shower curtains & wallpaper. More here.

This weekend was sincerely one of those unexpected treasures in which you couldn’t help but smile. The weather was impossible to describe unless you were knee deep in the warmth, out enjoying brunch with friends or snuggled up indoors enjoying the sun as it greeted you on a gorgeous Sunday morning. I managed just a few of these things while out running errands at the supermarket, shopping to replenish my ‘lost’ wardrobe & making a pitstop at Vitamin World to snag a jar of Bentonite clay for a much needed deep cleaning this week. The scalp has been in repair mode for the past few weeks, and a Bentonite treatment was my way  of ensuring that all my hard work was not in vain.

Products Used:

• Pre-Poo: Shea Moisture’s Deep Recovery Mask
• Scalp Cleanse: Bentonite Clay mixed w/Water, Avocado Oil & Aloe Vera
• Cleanse: KBB’s Ultimate Conditioning Shampoo
• Condition/Leave-In: Darcy’s Botanicals Pumpkin Seed Moisturizing Conditioner

Had a bit left over of the Shea Moisture Mask & decided to mix in a bit of water and cover my strands before applying the clay mask to my scalp. Left both the conditioner & treatment in the hair for a little over an hour before rinsing with lukewarm water. To completely rid the clay from the hair, I doubled up on a conditioning shampoo using one from Karen’s Body Beautiful and was pretty taken aback by the results. I hadn’t seen my hair looking as clean, well defined and healthy looking in a VERY long time! It often takes a lot of product and/or conditioner to help my kinks and curls clump together, and after the Bentonite treatment it all seemed effortless.

In an attempt to revisit last week’s conditioner as styler episode, decided to condition/style with Darcy’s Botanicals Pumpkin Seed Conditioner, a very thick formula which in hindsight might’ve been better used as a rinse out. This has been by far one of my favorite conditioners to help replenish lost moisture, and while it did not necessarily perform the way I would’ve hoped when used as a leave-in/styler, it did a good enough job in setting my hair for another work week.

Not much in the way of definition after actually twisting, but hair & scalp feel incredibly healthy & clean after the Bentonite. Before heading to bed, I did seal ends with KBB’s Creamylicious hair cream & added a touch more once unraveling this morning for increased shine.

Helluuur Frizz! Just a tad….on the crown….and that odd pocket of hair near my ear.  But eh…managed to finish this week in less than 4 hours which is always a bonus. Tonight will either twist & seal or pony puff, then don trusty satin cap.

Did I mention how incredibly BEAUTIFUL it was this weekend? Apart from appreciating a pretty amazing Autumn weekend, woke up Sunday Morning in the mood for Pumpkin of another variety. I managed to bake one of my absolute favorite treats during this time of year, the Pumpkin Muffin! Turned out quite tasty & goes perfectly with a fresh cup of brewed coffee…au lait style (for the Caribbean grl in me;-).

I used a recipe from one of my favorite blogs, the Gluten-Free Goddess due to a few allergens I have with most baked goodies, but found this equally satisfying recipe over at one of my daily blog reads, Felicia Sullivan.com. I’ve often thought gluten free automatically translated into taste-free, but thankfully this Pumpkin recipe proved me completely wrong! Baked enough to freeze for later, and plenty to savor in the a.m. before trecking to work!

Hoping your weekend was equally pleasant!

It’s been happening a lot more lately. Less time to collect my thoughts, attend to the laundry, clean the apartment, call the folks, check e-mail account # 4 of like…7. I’ve fallen behind on a few things in Chai’s sphere and it’s beginning to irritate the crap out of me. I have reassurances from friends that this is often the norm when you have one foot planted in a regular 9-5 & the other in nightly grad school classes, but this weekend I found the clock ticking way past 5pm, while my disheveled Fro initiated the side eye. Typically hair shenanigans commence waaaay before evening hours to ensure my thick hair is able to dry 100%, and this past weekend even with 1 full extra hour to coordinate more tasks, I was left to improvise with the old adage….’Less Is More.’

Products Used:

• Pre-Poo: Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil
• Cleanse: Carol’s Daughter Curl Perfecting Shampoo
• Condition/Style: EO Protective Moisture Rich Rose & Chamomile Conditioner

For the first time in a very long time I was able to pre-poo, cleanse & style hair in less than 2 hours & achieve surprisingly good results. I choose to pre-poo with Coconut Oil because it’s fast penetrating, nourishing yet light enough so as not to weigh hair down prior to cleansing. Used the Curl Perfecting Shampoo to cleanse while hair was in sections followed by the EO Conditioner. All steps where done in the shower which helped tremendously with detangling. The natural flow of the water helped to free up a few tangles and I let my fingers and a wide tooth comb do the rest. Twisted & styled with the conditioner while in the shower, then let hair air dry.

Hair was still very much damp in the a.m., which helped me make an easy decision to pin and tuck the twists against an unusually cold day in NYC.

Bobby pinned and pulled hair up in what’s fast becoming a staple style during these increasingly colder days. I’m revisiting my current accessory collection and thinking of growing the hair pin situation…on the lookout for a few cute headbands and vintage combs.

This morning the weather was slightly warmer and decided to undo each twist, though continue to keep hair semi-protected and pinned up.

This style was probably the easiest because of that handy dandy claw clip (that I SWEAR, have had for close to 7 yrs!). My hair is pretty dense so a plastic claw hardly ever holds anything in place, investing in a sturdy metal one a few years ago turned out to be a great choice. A few more jumbo  bobby pins helps to keep everything else in place & with plenty of time left to worry about what to wear to work.

Biggest concern this week was using a conditioner as a styler, an old method I’d abandoned many moons ago. Time constraints forced me to dabble in it again, & I’m so happy I did! Hair came out surprisingly soft, moisturized, shinny and far from crunchy. I chose to use a moisturizing conditioner that wasn’t necessarily heavy yet had enough good ‘stuff’ ( jojoba, coconut & olive oil are in this conditioner formula) to help nourish my strands. Scalp irritations have been behaving in light of the dryness in the air ,though next week all bets are ON for a bentonite treatment.

Would love to hope for a return to ‘normal’ this ending week, but eh. There’s this rumor running rampant that not only do Black Girls Rock, but we are also empowering, inspiring, exceptional, fearless, successful, innovative, bold…