Celebrating Black Love and Natural Hair

I know you all are just as shocked as I am-more than 2 posts from me for the month of April!! LOL! As April is my favorite month of the year (I get to celebrate my birthday and the weather truly turns to Springtime), I've let my excitement pour over into my blog. So, I came across this article on Clutch Magazine (LOVE this website!) and had to share with my followers. I'm sure you all are aware of the media hoopla surrounding single black women. Well, one blogger, Leila Nolliste, decided to do a "backlash" to the plight that seems to surround black women. She encouraged her followers to not only submit pictures of them with their husband or fiancee', but she also wanted to see their NATURAL hair!!! As someone who is beyond tired of hearing about the single black woman in mass media, I'm so encouraged by the this post. It lets me, and other women like me, know that love is out there...and it's real. We just have to be patient. Click here to read the article. Until next time, stay nappturally beautiful....

Encourage Yourself...and Each Other

In the Black community, the "crabs in a barrel" concept is nothing foreign to us...unfortunately. The practice of tearing each other down to bring ourselves up has been a part of our culture for centuries. It is so easy to talk about someone else in hopes of bringing up your own self esteem. This concept even goes to our hair. While living in Florida, I received a few "looks" (akin to "Why is she wearing her hair like that?") from other black people after I went natural and had my 'fro; it took my own father to get used to my new look, not to mention my 7 year old cousin that lives in South Carolina who said "I don't like your hair like that" when she saw me when I went home for a visit. After my move to DC, where there are many more women who are natural, I felt more comfortable in my choice. Now, my mother raised me to not let what people say or what they think about me to affect me. She always told me to hold my head high and to believe in myself. Wouldn't it be amazing if all women taught their daughters, nieces, sisters, and friends to believe in themselves no matter what? We need to teach our girls to believe that they are beautiful, no matter how short their hair, how much money they make, or where they live. I'm sure that most of us have experienced some form of childhood torture, directed at us or not, ranging from "You're too black", "Your hair is nappy", or "You're stupid", among others. I think that if girls were taught at a young age that they were beautiful and worthy, they would feel comfortable being their natural selves. Now, don't get me wrong-I'm not saying that if all Black women felt beautiful they would be natural. I'm just saying that if we were encouraged as little girls we would feel beautiful no matter what.
I know I was kinda all over the place with this post, but as someone who has worked with middle school and high school aged girls for years, I felt like this was something important to discuss. So, I challenge all of you to encourage that young girl you see at church, where you volunteer, or even that girl that lives in your neighborhood. If she hears it enough, she may start believing it...

The New 'Do

So, I did it... I got my sew-in! (But shhhhh....don't tell anyone, because a lot of people think it's my hair!) In an effort to give my hair a much needed break, and to switch up my style, I decided to get my sew-in. The good thing is is that it's not over the top, and people think it's my hair! My friend did, and it turned out GREAT! (even though my head still hurts a little...) A lot of my friends loved it and thought it was my hair, so I am very thankful for that! And another great thing is that I can style it as I did my own hair when I wore it natural. Depending on how much my hair grows during this process, I may go back to my hair during the late Fall/early Winter. I do have some breakage, so hopefully this break will allow my hair to grow. If not, I am prepared to cut my hair off, and start over...(Yeah, I'm actually still praying about that...) But don't fret, the hair stories will continue. I'm sure I will have tons of stories with the new 'do, and I will be sure to provide some tips. The post I'm really excited about posting is on products. I actually had a chance to be involved in a discussion on product choices, so I can't wait to share that with you guys! Until next time, stay nappturally beautiful!!

Keratin Hair Treatments

This past weekend, a friend and I were having a discussion on what to do with our hair for the summer (yes, she read my previous post!). She had mentioned that she was interested in getting a Keratin Hair Treatment, but didn't know that much about it. So, being the nice person I am, I decided to do some research and blog about it. Now, this post in no way is my endorsement for Keratin treatments, nor is it my saying don't get the Keratin treatment. This is strictly for informational purposes only! I will outline exactly what a Keratin treatment is, how long it lasts, the average costs, and any side effects.

First, Keratin is a natural protein found in nails, skin, and hair. A keratin treatment is a non-chemical (or low chemical depending on whose site you go to) treament that keeps hair straight up to 4 months. Keratin treatments claim to remove frizz and make hair straight, sleek, shiny, and more manageable. To seal in the keratin, hair can be flat-ironed for a total of 5 times with a 450 degree flat iron. The total process can take up to 5 hours, depending on the length and thickness of the hair, and no water can touch the hair for the first 72 hours after a treatment is done. Clients can also not wear bobby pins, hair ties/bows, nor can they tuck hair behind their ears. The average price is $300. Clients must also purchase a special shampoo and conditioner to use on their hair to maintain the treatment for as long as possible. As time goes on, the treatment will leave the hair and the hair will return to its normal state until the next treatment.

Some of the side effects of keratin treatments are excessive hair loss, deterioration of hair texture, harsh smells (while the product is being applied), the client have a burning sensation, and the treatment does contain formaldehyde.

So, ladies, I will say proceed with caution, as you would with any product or treatment you would do to your hair, whether it's a press, blow-out, etc. I hope this helped to inform those of you who wanted more information about Keratin treatments. If any of you have had a keratin treatment or know someone who has, please feel free to share your story. As always, stay nappturally beautiful!

To Weave or Not to Weave??? That is the Question.

As some of you know who know me personally, we are less than 2 weeks away from my birthday and about a week away from my birthday dinner. So as I prepare to get ready to get my look together, a lot of things are going through my head...how do I wear my hair for my birthday and what the heck am I going to do with my hair this summer??? Like most cities around the country that are in the South or near water, DC has a tendency to get a little humid during the hottest season of the year. Even though I started wearing my hair straight last summer (I'm still not sure why I picked the summertime), I'm looking to do something different this year. A few weeks ago, I called a friend of mine who does hair on the side and asked her if she would give me a sew-in. She graciously said yes. I figured this will give me a new look for my birthday, the Spring, and allow me not to worry about my hair while I work out. My hair will have a chance to take a break and not be manipulated everyday. No matter what ANYBODY says, maintaining natural hair is much more cumbersome than having relaxed hair. Anything I can do to minimize potential hair disasters, at least during the summer when there's a good chance I will be out and about going to cook-outs, pool parties, rooftop parties, or really just any outside activity, I'm willing to do-just short of cutting my hair off... So to not worry about what my hair's going to look like (a poofball after I've been outside for awhile based on Summer 2009), I think getting my sew-in for the summer is a great idea. And I may even switch it up later on in the season to get some braids or twists. It's wonderful that now my hair is trained to stay straight, but I'm not sure if I will have the same luck during the summer; I also miss wearing my hair natural, a la Jill Scott (who I happen to invoke with my natural look). I'm not sure I want to start taking the chance of looking crazy after straightening my hair during the summer that I took last year.
So, as I bring this post to an end, I think I've made the decision to go ahead and get that sew-in sooner rather than later. I'll let you know how it turns out. In the meantime, stay nappturally beautiful...