I BOUGHT A BLOWDRYER!!

Picture got from Jesuseun

So, yeeeeeeaaaaah, I bought a blowdryer. It worries me a bit because I heat damaged my hair at the start of my natural hair journey. However, there have been quite a number of reasons for me to purchase this hair tool and that's what I will talk about in this blog post.


REASON 1: I am a uni student and I live a bit far from school
As a uni student, I need more time studying and working and less time doing other things. So, by investing in a dryer, I can quickly dry and stretch my curls and the curls will stay stretched longer and I might even get them more stretched than if I just braided them (and some times, aft,,.er setting your hair in braids, you wake up and your braids are still damp!).
Also, I live 30mins away from school if I use the tube (London Underground) and I need to have my hair dry when I leave where I live especially if I wash/rinse my hair in the morning, which I might do depending on if I go to the gym in the morning or in the evening.


REASON 2: It has been predicted that the UK will experience the coldest winter in 50 years this year
Wet hair and being out in the cold are two things that do not go together well. I don't want ice in my hair neither do I want to be freezing because I walked out the door with wet hair.


REASON 3: I work out on an almost daily basis now
Working out a lot, I might need to rinse my hair out every now and then so it still looks good and yeah, I'll need a blowdryer to speed up the process of rinsing and drying out my hair in the morning/late at night.


REASON 4: It's easier to style stretched hair/styles look better when done on stretched hair
I must say, a braid out on pre-stretched hair looks really good and so does a twist out. If the braid/twist-out is done on a Curlformer set or on hair that wast stretched by pre-braiding, African threading, banding, et cetera it looks better than if it was done on freshly washed and wet hair, in my opinion. Well, this is the case for my hair. With a blowdryer, I can stretch my hair to style it much easier and faster than if I just banded, braided, African threaded it.


So, yeah, I had one or two more reasons, but I can't remember them right now.

Hope this helps you understand why I decided to take this step and invest in a blow dryer.

~SammyWithTheBigHair
(SammyWithThe"Not as big, but will soon be as big"Hair)

Anjola Fagbemi is Naturally Glamorous

I have know Anjola for YEARS! I recently reconnected with Anjola via Facebook and realised that she was natural now and guess what! She has amazing hair! Sooooo.... I decided to interview her and I was glad when she agreed to do the interview.

Anjola is a wonderful person so I hope you enjoy this interview and when you're done reading it, you go check her out online (the links will be left down below), subscribe to her YouTube channel and 'Like' her Facebook page.

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Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Hello guys! I’m Anjola Fagbemi of TheBejewelledBud. A self proclaimed fashion enthusiast and modish minimalist. I am a Fashion and Lifestyle blogger who is currently in University. I also produce video content on YouTube and I am a photographer!

How long have you been natural?

I just did my big chop in January 2014, so I've been “natural” for about five months now and I love my hair! (Well sometimes I feel like copping it off too lol.)

When did you get your first relaxer and why'd you get it? 

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always had straight hair. I had no say in the decision to relax it because I was really young and my mum made the decision. It was second nature to get a relaxer as soon as I had growth so I just kept getting it in because it was normal to me.

What made you decide to go natural?

I had a friend in A levels who was trying her best to convince me to transition and go natural. She was ahead of the craze and was one of the first people I had seen who was actively taking charge of her hair. When she big chopped, I was utterly and absolutely convinced because she had the most magnificent afro. I took on the challenge because I wanted to see how big my afro could get!

How did your family and friends react to the idea of you going natural?

Oh my gosh, you would have thought the sky was falling because they were all opposed to it. My mum fought it so hard, and my cousins joked that it was because she had worked so hard to grow my relaxed hair to the beautiful, long position it was at that moment in time. The hair dressers advised me against it; my aunties didn’t want me to, and my friends had no clue because I had just changed schools and they were basically clueless about my journey.

What's your hair journey been like so far (and how has it changed your perception on some things)?

At first, it was just a huge relief to chop all the dead ends off because my mum had finally agreed to let me get rid of it. But then, I had no clue of what to do with it so I ended up wearing a hat to church the next day because I couldn’t get it to look right. But, so far my hair has taught me how to be patient! There are so many days (like today) were I feel like chopping it all off, and other days were I absolutely love it. 

What is your daily hair regimen (including your night-time routine)?

It’s summer time and I’ve hardly stayed at one location for a week so having a regimen has been really tough! Right now I have a weave in so it is very low maintenance but before that I had a bunch of regimens! My old regimen consisted of deep conditioning and washing my hair ever weekend ( If I was lazy I could skip a week of doing anything to it). After which, I would twist my hair or bantu it into a style it would remain in for the rest of the week!

Do you think you might be changing or incorporating new things to your regimen soon? If so, what do you have in mind?

My most recent one is the no-comb regimen combined with a minimal product regimen. Not combing the hair as often reduces breakage and reducing the amount of products used increases the amount of moisture the hair strands receive.

What are your go-to hairstyles, which is your fav. and how do you achieve it?

At one point in time, I could only pull my hair up in high buns because it was so short and it is still my go-to. I haven’t got the length to rock that many styles yet.

What are your must-have hair accessories and tools?

Huge hair ties and a ribbon. A ribbon is one of the only things that can squeeze all my hair in at times! 

How do you deal with hair issues such as: breakage and length retention?

To combat breakage I hardly comb my hair; and if I do, I do so gently- working my way from my ends to my roots.

What products do you currently use, and how are they working for you?  

I currently use Argan oil based products, and I find that they moisturize really well!

Hand-In-Hair syndrome -  an issue I have now only that....it's not my hand. Do you have this issue? Do people ask before touching your hair or do they just randomly reach out and touch (or grab) it? How does this make you feel? What is your reaction to this?

It bothered me a lot before but don’t really care anymore. Random people just stick their hands in my hair, and it was a shock at first; but, now I just stand there (while quietly thinking of how messy my style is going to end up).

What do you love the most about being naturally curly?

I can defy gravity. That’s pretty cool, huh?

Any to say to the natural teens, parents, kids and grandparents?

You guys are so beautiful! I admire your courage and willingness to find your definition of beauty even though it is different from what the society might portray it as. I think you are strong for stepping out on a limb to learn more about who you are through your hair, and you are awesome.

Where can we find you online?

My fashion and lifestyle blog: bejewelledbud.com

My YouTube channel where I share more hair related things:  TheBejewelledBud

My Tumblr, for my creative expression: TheBejewelledBud

And of course Facebook: TheBejeweledBud

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I hope you enjoyed reading this interview and you check out Anjola online soon! :)

My Hair Salon Experience (after about 3 years)

Picture got from Keller Williams on KWSA

Hallo!

Wie gehts?
Been working on my German lately. I love that language :)

Anyways! So, I went to a hair salon! O.M.Geeez!
I also got a weave for the first time in years! O.M.MAJOR. GEEEEZ!

Here's my experience:

Once upon a time (yesterday, actually), in a city known as 'Southampton' lived a girl named, 'Samantha.' Due to it being difficult for her aunt to help her reinstall her crochet braids this time, she went in search of a hair salon that could help her get her hair done before returning to her school in Somerset. Samantha was being very brave by doing this as she had not been to a hair salon in years.
She searched for and wide, in and near the city centre (mostly on foot) looking for a particular salon her mum had found online, but had changed address without updating their website. Eventually, she found the place, but only one person worked there and that person had a client who was possibly on their way and therefore referred her to another salon which was about 5 minutes away, but gave her the wrong street name. So, Samantha, walked over to the wrong street and walked down it and thought to herself, "this street is starting to look pretty dodgy," so she turned around and headed back up the street and to a store known as 'Afro City' where she asked where the salon was and was pointed in the right direction. Sam quickly found the salon walked in and....

Okay! So, extension were picked out and I was placed in a chair with a giant bib-like thing placed round my neck (you know those things put over guys when they get their hair cut?). My scarf was taken off my hair and the stylist/owner of the salon was like, "WOW! Your hair is big and long!" and went on to say, "I've been trying to grow out my hair. How did you do it?" That should have been a red flag for me. It made me feel a little iffy.

Soooo the lady used a product on my hair that contained petrolatum and all sorts of other chemicals that I do not use on my hair and are definitely not CG friendly and I was like, "Sam, it's just once, your hair will be fine." Next I knew, the blow drier was out with a comb attachment on it and she went through my hair, but only made one or so passes of the the hair drier on it (unless she felt she had to comb from the ends up) and I said to myself, "Sam, you haven't used heat on your hair in 4 years, but this is just once. Your hair will be fine." I kinda liked seeing my hair stretched out like that, but mainly because it hanged longer and I could be like, "giiirrrrrrl, APL hair! You did it!"

A lady walked into the salon and the first thing she said was, "look at all that hair! Your hair is huge! It's long too!" and once again, I was asked what the secret was. In case you are wondering, I just told them that I use all-natural products on my hair  and mentioned a few brands before they went on to talk about the products that were in the store (not CG friendly) and other stuff, partially in a different language.

So, the stylist started cornrowing my hair in preparation for the weave and the cornrowing was fine, didn't hurt and I was like, "okay, this is good. Not so bad, not so bad," but then....BUT THEN....OH! HONEY BOO-BOO CHILD! BUT THEN! She started sewing in the weave and I was like, "OUCH!" Why the heck did no one tell me that weaves hurt like crazy?! I don't know if it's that the weave is pulling two cornrows closer together or whatever, but it hurts and when she got to the front, it was like the weave started pulling at my edges and stuff and like pretty much, I am praying that my hairline doesn't recede. This girl does not want to lose her edges after growing them out.

Okay! So, the weave was done and honey, it was not big. My hair is naturally big, as you must have been able to tell from the name of this blog and from the comment made about my hair that I mentioned above. My crochet braids have always been big. Honey, this thing was not big. It looked okay and better from the back, but I didn't like how thin it looked because I am not used to thin-looking hair. The stylist said that I could separate the curls in order to achieve a bigger look and I have done a bit of this, but it's still not as big as I want it to be. I am not used to this.

Final verdict:
This salon experience was not a total disaster. The people who worked in the salon (both black African) were really nice and friendly people. They offered me a cup of tea, gave me advice on life as they found out that I am just finishing college and we had nice conversations. You will have a nice salon experience if you go there (as long as you do not get a weave). People have been commenting since yesterday on how they love my hair even though I am not really feeling it 'cause of how thin it looks (and my brain may just be over-reacting, I don't know).


ANYWAYS, if you would like me to upload a list of natural hair salons in Southampton and in London, let me know. Also, if you would like me to do some research to find some natural hair salons in your area or country, let me know too and I would love to help you find them.

Aaron Harris is Naturally Debonair

Hey people!

Guess who's finally done with her exams - Me! and guess who finally got to interview a curly guy - Me! :)

Okay! So this is Aaron. I stumbled onto one of his YouTube videos a few weeks ago and had to interview him for this blog. I was glad that he agreed to do the interview. So, without further ado, here i is:

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Tell us a little about yourself.

Hey everyone so, my name is Aaron Harris and I'm 20 years old I am originally from Detroit but I've been in Atlanta since I was about 10. I grew up wanting to be a professional tennis player, but over the last two years I've found a newfound passion for acting and music. I am a senior in college majoring in software development and I want to move to L.A. probably in 2017 or so. My free time consists of acting classes, writing music, staying in shape, hanging out with people with good energy (very important) among many various other things.

When did you start your hair journey?

I started my junior year of high school in 2011, but I recently got 90% of my hair cut off last year for a acting gig. I regret doing it to be honest. I've been growing my hair out 4 years total but my hair length now is about 15 months of growth

What motivated you to want to take better care of your hair and to grow it out?

Not sure what totally sparked me growing out my hair, but I remember I was in high school and I had two brothers so it was expensive for us to get haircuts every week like most guys do, so we would often get ours cut once every 1-2 months and i remember this girl I liked said she liked my mini fro and I really liked it too so I just kept it. It's weird cause now I can't even see myself getting another haircut again

How did your family and friends react to the idea of you wanting to do this with your hair?

My mom and dad didn't like me growing out my hair at all for the fear of me looking unkempt and thuggish. I remember at one point my mom threatened to ground me if i didn't cut my hair. I don't think my Dad liked it either because he would always ask me if I wanted to go to the barbershop with him LOL. My friends loved my hair and thought it fit my personality well and so did I. Of course I got teased by a couple of people in high school but I think deep down they were jealous they didn't have the courage to grow their hair out

What has your hair journey been like so far?

Really good, I feel like a different person since I started growing out my hair. I don't think the hair is the reason I changed, but I believe it was the start of me doing what I want to do regardless of what my parents, and friends thought. So it's kind of empowering in a way

What is your daily hair regimen (including your night-time routine)?

My daily hair regimen is a wash and go. I was doing the max hydration method for a while, but I've modified it to fit my needs. I wash my hair every 2-3 days with bentonite clay/ACV then finger detangle with conditioner and then put gel on my hair in sections. I don't really have a night time routine, I just sleep on a satin pillowcase. In between the days I wash my hair I use a spray bottle with water to spray my hair every morning.

What are your go-to hairstyles, which is your fav. and how do you achieve it? 

Like I said earlier, wash and goes all day. I tried twist outs 2-3 years ago and hated how they looked and they took forever. Sometimes I'll put my hair in a ponytail if I'm playing sports but I try not to do that often because wearing ponytails all the time I heard can cause breakage.

What are your must-have hair tools?

Hair bands for sectioning hair. I dont use a lot of tools

How do you deal with hair issues such as: breakage, length retention and moisture?

I think properly moisturizing your hair will give you length retention and stop breakage. So I make sure to wet my hair 3-4x a week in the shower and the days I don't wet my hair in the shower I spray it with water from my spray bottle. I know a lot of naturals can be obsessed over length retention and stuff, but I think its also important to have a simple regimen that you doesn't feel like a lot of "work". 

What products do you currently use, and how are they working for you?  

I use bentonite clay and ACV for cleansing, Tresemmé Perfectly UnDone Conditioner for detangling/conditioning and I'm currently experimenting with a bunch of gels (sweet soul magic curl stimulator, AS I am curling jelly, my own homemade gel, etc) I don't like to use a lot of products.

Hand-In-Hair syndrome -  an issue I have had for some years now, only that....it's not my hand. Do you have this issue? Do people ask before touching your hair or do they just randomly reach out and touch (or grab) it? How does this make you feel? What is your reaction to this?

Yeah I've had some people do this to me. Mostly some of my friends. I've never had a stranger touch my hair without asking. My friends will touch my hair without asking and then realize I have product in my hair and try to rub it off on my clothes. I get really irritated by this because for one you didn't ask to touch my hair and two you are staining my clothes. Once I have a conversation with them they understand and normally don't do it again. 

What do you love the most about being naturally curly?

I love how curly hair is so unique and everyone's curls are different.

Any advice for the natural teens, parents, kids and grandparents?

My advice for naturals would be to keep it simple and let your hair do its thing. Find people with similar hair characteristics (porosity, length, texture) and do what they do

What resources (tailored to men) did you use when you started your hair journey? I know there aren't that many out there so, let's support the few that are.

Oh this is a really good question, to be honest there weren't many male Youtubers doing natural hair videos when I first started in 2011 so most of the stuff I learned was from female Youtubers. I remember searching for male natural hair videos and all I could find was like texturizer videos and how to get 360 waves and stuff which wasn't really what I was looking for. At the end of the day natural hair is natural hair regardless if its on a female or male so I think men can learn from both sexes regarding natural hair. Some good Youtubers I like are MahoganyCurls, ThaKidPuma, Quest for the Perfect Curl, DanabNatural, theres a long list of Youtubers that I've watched over the past 4 years and they all have good hair practices. I take certain things from each Youtuber that works for my hair type and toss the things that I don't. Theres a lot of experimentation I do and still am doing. 

<><

You can find Aaron on YouTube, Instagram and Twitter. Just click on the following links:

YouTube

Twitter

Instagram

Marissa Chukwu is Naturally Glamorous

I know I haven't done an interview in a while and I guess it's because I've been busy with school and stuff and also, I've been waiting to stumble onto a picture of someone that makes me go, "I HAVE GOT TO INTERVIEW THIS PERSON!"

So, I'm going to introduce you to my very good friend of 'God-only-knows' how many years, the crazy girl that you will never fully understand, who makes orange juice when life gives her lemons and leaves you wondering how on Earth she did that, a strong lil ol' lady, Miss. Marissa Chukwu! :)

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How long have you been natural?

I have been natural for a 1 year and 4 months now.


When did you get your first relaxer and why'd you get it?

Sadly I have been relaxing my hair all my life up until now without choice due to the fact that my mom was not so keen on me having nappy hair at the time (But now she loves it :D )


What made you decide to go natural?

I had a very bad experience with heat and weaves due to my hairdresser who believed that straight hair was the only way to go so my hair was practically on the verge of falling all off and breaking on all sides. I didn't really think of going nappy at the time cause alot of people around me weren't really into the idea but I guess I wanted to try something a little different, having straight hair most of my life was getting boring ha ha.


How did your family and friends react to the idea of you going natural?

Lol! Everyone I knew thought I had gone bonkers: no one took the idea positively at all which was simultaneously hilarious and depressing to me. (*cough* *cough* I gave you "subtle" lol hints to go natural years ago, even wrote out a list of products and blogs for you) The day I decided to do my big chop was actually very unplanned. I had woken up, looked in the mirror with disgusts of how my 3 month old transitioning hair was looking (curly at the base, straight at the ends) and decided its time. I big chopped my own hair in my bathroom! I can never forget the shock my mother had on her face when she saw most of my hair on the floor.

What's your hair journey been like so far?

Absolutely amazing! I wish I had gone natural years ago. I've had the chance to experiment with so many style and hair regimens. I didn't even realize how much hair care I could have been doing since if not I had gone natural. To be honest, for me, its not watching my hair grow that's the fun but learning more and more of the possibilities that come with having nappy hair. I;m even looking forward to trying more regimens and styles as I discover them.


What is your daily hair regimen (including your night-time routine)?

I like to keep my regimen as simple as possible because it's not what you use that matters but how its's used. IN the mornings I moisturize my hair using coconut oil/avocado oil, Cantu Shea butter conditioning hair repair cream or just raw Shea butter that I have imported from Nigeria, a little spritz of water and voila! Nothing too special. Then at night I spritz my hair with a mix of water and apple cider vinegar, moisturize with the Shea moisture raw Shea butter deep treatment masque (believe it or not that product makes some awesome twist-outs) and also an oil; most definitely coconut oil/avocado oil/olive oil. Ladies! Silk scarfs are your friend, nothing worse than sleeping after moisturizing your, going to sleep and finding all that product on your pillow. I've learned the hard way ha ha. I also wash my hair weekly to make sure my hair is clean, fresh and moisturized well; deep condition twice a month.

What are your go-to hairstyles, which is your fav. and how do you achieve it?

You'd be surprised the amount of styles you can achieve with an Afro. I definitely am a fan of up-dos like medium to high puffs but I don't do it excessively cause it tends to affect my edges sometimes so when I'm not rocking my up-dos, I would be rocking like a nice fro-hawk or your everyday protective styles like kinky twists.


What are your must-have hair accessories and tools?

Afro Comb! Afro Comb! Afro Comb! Ha I'm kidding, no but really my Afro comb is my number one tool right next to bobby pins, I've tons of them! I don't really go over board with using much accessories when it comes to my hair, I have used shoelaces numerous times to do my up-dos. Other times I may just have like a plain black head band, bandanna around my head for a lazy day style but that's it, nothing really crazy.

How do you deal with hair issues such as: breakage, shrinkage, length retention and moisture?

Lord, I fear breakage, I hate it so badly. I definitely keep my hair moisturized as much as I can to prevent breakage and I've disciplined myself to not touch my hair alot or comb alot. Initially shrinkage and I did not get along, I hated the fact that I would have my hair all puffy and high one day and then get so flat the next. But hey! That's nappy hair, now I've accepted them, embraced them even but if need be I resort to stretching my hair using cornrows and twist-outs.


What products do you currently use, and how are they working for you?

I am a great fan of the shea moisture coconut and hibiscus hairline but just the shampoo and conditioner. As I went along with my hair journey, I realized I didnt need much of the curl enhancing smoothie to do a good twistout but I definitely love the scent it leaves in my hair. I also love the Tresemme Shampoo and Conditioner for natural hair. They leave my hair so soft and smelling lovely it is ridiculous! For moisture I'm really into oils but not much; just coconut oil, avocado oil and olive oil. For even more moisture, I love using the Shea Moisture Raw Shea Moisture Deep Treatment Masque and Cantu Shea Butter Hair Repair Cream. Apart from that water in a spritz bottle is my classic :)

Hand-In-Hair syndrome - an issue I have now only that....it's not my hand. Do you have this issue? Do people ask before touching your hair or do they just randomly reach out and touch (or grab) it? How does this make you feel? What is your reaction to this?

I guess people have noticed I am a fanatic about my hair care so they know better than to touch my hair without my permission. Hand in hair syndrome is very hard sometimes ha ha especially when you're rocking a style that you made yourself that came out right. I guess it's just about disciplining yourself. Most times I can handle not touching my hair cause I'm distracted by school work.

What do you love the most about being naturally curly?

Diversity, the many forms that curly hair can take. Today my curls could be extra defined, another day my hair could be so puffy. With straight hair I couldn't really do much, but with naturally curly hair, the possibilities are endless!

Any advice for the natural teens, parents, kids and grandparents?

Patience is key, at first your hair may look like it wont do anything but before you know it, boom! Also, you-tube and Google are your friends, no one really taught me what I do, it was through research and experimenting with what works best with me. Don't look at other people's hair and neglect yours, the ladies you see rocking mega Afros were once at TWA's making the most of it so like I said earlier, patience is key.

Are you still into art and are you working on anything we should look out for?

Heaven knows I miss art more than anything but between school work and the extras of being a pre-medicine student I barely have time to paint anymore. However I am hoping this summer I will be able to get back on so be expecting some surprises ha ha.


Where can we find you online?

I've got twitter @marissa_cc and Facebook as Marissa Chukwu. I also have a tumblr at marissa-cc.tumblr.com.

Lol, I am still contemplating getting an instagram.

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So, guys, go check out, my good friend, Mesa! :)

Hope you enjoyed reading this interview as much as enjoyed it!

Update on My Hair and Crochet Braids and Plans for my hair

Hi! Privet! Pryvit! Salut! Hallo! Vahām̐! Hola!

In case you didn't know, I love languages! Whether spoken or signed (I sign in ASL).

Anyways, here's just an update on my hair:

So....I cut my hair. I just trimmed off about an inch of my hair, don't worry :) and I believe I've grown all that I cut off back. I haven't taken down my latest crochet braids yet because I have a ball to attend in early July and I plan on reinstalling my crochet braids so....since I'm going to be back home in May, I decided to wait till then so my crochet braids are at their neatest during the ball and so it's easier to manipulate it if I need to. I miss my hair, I should add.

When it comes to washing my hair, I water-only wash most of the time, and usually just my edges (which have been growing pretty well and becoming thicker). When I use shampoo (sulphate-free), I prefer to dilute it a bit and I keep washing until the water runs really really clear and my scalp feels awesome. I don't wash my hair as often as I should because of the drying time and because the weather just mere weeks ago was still on the cold-side. Also, I just didn't have the time to wash my hair often. Anyways, I condition my hair afterwards, but I don't care that much about rinsing out all the conditioner.

To keep my crochet braids looking good, I cut out the tangles daily (not daily when I'm at home and not leaving the house, though). Cutting out the tangles retains that fresh/near-fresh look and it lets you wear your crochet braids for as long as you wish to.

My plans when I take this protective style down is to give my hair a lovely treatment/treatment. Wash it out thoroughly, detangle and wear a wash and go if my hair hangs long enough (and my curls are defined without the need of a gel) for about a day and then stretch out my hair using African threading for a few days before letting it out and just retaining a stretched look (I will wear a puff or bantu knot out/twist out/braid out at times, though). I probably will condition my hair more often or just leave in some conditioner whenever I'm refreshing my hair, but that's pretty much going to be it. I AM GOING TO DO A LENGTH CHECK TOO!!!! :)

I hope that this year, I am as close to waist length as possible. Like, I want to be below bra-strap length before the end of this year! :)

~Sammy

p.s I'm looking into new DIY protein treatments as I'm not keen on putting eggs in my hair anymore and in case you didn't know, mayonnaise contains 0% protein (check the back of your jar/bottle).

My hair since my last post

This is my actual curl pattern :)

Heyo!

So, yeah, I have done quite a bit with my hair since my last blog post.

By the way, from the picture above, do you think my hair's a type 4a or 4b? I have a few actual spirals, but not as big as someone who has type 3 hair.

• Okay! So, I've pretty much had my hair stretching since my last post. However, on New Year's eve at around 4pm, I took my hair out of it's stretching state in African threading and bantu knotted it because I had a party starting at 9pm and I pretty much didn't want to be at it with my hair in African threads.
• At around 9pm, I took out the bantu knots and lifted my roots a bit with a comb. I didn't fully comb out my hair neither did I separate it. I decided to wear a bantu knot out because my hair was pretty much straight from the African threading and I love big, curly hair and I prefer to wear my hair curly than straight.
• So, after the party (at like 3am on New Year's day), I finger combed and braided my hair in for sections and went to bed like that.
• Later on New Year's day, I African threaded my hair again 'cause I wanted to ensure it was stretched for my cousin's birthday party the next day as my roots had reverted a bit from working out. However, I African threaded my braided hair as I couldn't be bothered to rethread my hair in smaller sections or loose like I had done before.
• The next day, honestly, I couldn't really be bothered to take out my hair so and my cousin is family isn't he? Also, I'm cool with everyone who was going to be at his house so....yes, you guessed it, I went to his house with my hair in African threaded braids and people actually like it :) Haha :)
• The next day, after working out, I prepooed (with extra virgin olive oil), washed, conditioned and deep conditioned my hair with it still being in braids because I knew my scalp was what mainly needed the cleaning and I knew my hair would be fine washing it and conditioning it that way.
• After I got out of the shower, I took down each section and worked on them one after each other.
• First, I worked some aloe very gel into it (fresh out of the leaf). Unfortunately, my hair felt horrifyingly dry after this so I got out my spray bottle, spritz my hair, worked some of my BeeMine BeeLovely Daily Moisturising Conditioner into it followed by some extra virgin olive oil, spritzed my hair again and followed with some shea butter.
• Next, I African threaded my hair. I didn't take down and redo the African threading like I did in my last post because I didn't really care if my hair was straight-ish.
• The next morning, I combed my hair out just to ensure it was still fully detangled (which it was) and held it up in a puff with some bangs on the side and I went to church like that.
• After church, I went to my aunt's house where I.....wait for it......wait for iiiiit.....CUT MY HAIR! Yes! I cut about an inch of my hair off! (So, it's back at APL). Why? Well, I did want to trim or cut my hair during the summer however I was too nervous to and went back in a protective style, but this time, I felt like I just had to do it because my ends were starting to look weirdish, my hair was already past a good landmark, I had a few single strand knots and although I didn't really notice any this time, during the summer, I noticed a few split ends. Also, I thought losing my ends will make my hair look better. So, yeah, I did it!
• Still at my aunt's house, I got my hair braided and went along to reinstall my crochet braids, but with a different type of extensions as my signature ones (my usuals) were unfortunately, out of stock. My new extensions look almost dreadlock-y and will take some time to get used to as they're very very different, but I'm sure I can keep these in for as long as I keep in my....usuals ;)

And that's pretty much it! I've just had my crochet braids held up in a gigantic messy bun all day and I sleep with them in a pineapple.

See y'all later!

~Samantha

p.s I'm heading back to school on Wednesday so, new posts are going to be pretty much going to be inexistent till around mid-February when you should expect one or two new posts (I doubt you'll get more than that as I'll be really busy).

Being real with you

Hey,

Sorry for not posting in a while.

Okay, so I am going to be real with you guys. I am not going to give the impression that I have everything under control and that my hair is 100% healthy and moisturised because honestly, it's not. Well, I can get it there though. You see, I haven't really bothered with my hair in a while. I have been focussing more on work and working out and well, those are important especially the work bit as I teach a class at a prep school starting from 8am on Thursdays and Fridays, I've been made a charity representative so I plan a lot of charity events and host many of them, I have tonnes of school work as this is my last year of college, I recently took up a job in a place not so far from my school, I perform often, I have rehearsals twice a week till night for a musical I auditioned for a while back, I have rehearsals for other things too and my vocal coach recently signed me up for 3/4 competitions. I'm also ensuring my health stays up as for once, I am healthy. So, yeah, I've been neglecting my hair a little too much.

My hair is dry, I snap knots I feel in it some times, I fiddle with it a little too much at times and well it is growing, I have about an inch of new growth, but the health of my hair has deteriorated as I only have time for it during the holidays now.

So, this is me telling you all that I don't always have everything under control. I am not some superhuman natural hair blogger. I'm just like you, sometimes, I have everything down, other times, I don't.

I am going to nurse my hair back to health once everything settles down a bit (and I take down my protective style) and yeah, I will be happy with the condition of my hair once again.

I don't like neglecting my hair, but I'm not going to lie to you all or  deceive you and make you think that I never neglect my hair because I do at times.

This is me being real.
~Sammy

My Reaction to the Ebony.com Article, "White Women on #TeamNatural? No, Thanks"

Okay! I'll start by saying this, I'm pretty sure some of you have read the article on Ebony.com titled, "White Women on #TeamNatural? No, Thanks." Please remember, what it says is just Jamila's opinion and not that of Ebony.com (I hope).

So, here's a summary of it, "The black hair movement does not need to be racially diverse."

My Reaction

Whaaaaaaat? Hol' up! So, are y'all being racist? Are y'all discriminating against white women? No? But you want them excluded?
Wait! So, black women were made slaves, told they were not beautiful and started slapping on some creamy crack, skin bleach, et cetera because they wanted to seem more white, "more beautiful"? Now, they're standing up for what they have and embracing it and their beauty so white people have to stay out? Umm.....hol' up! How many slaves does Sarah (lady mentioned in the article) have? How many black people has she mistreated? Don't make her suffer for what her ancestors did.
And black ladies need to stop victimising themselves. I'm not saying racism has ended completely because we all know it hasn't, but black ladies need to realise that they need to stop saying things like, "people don't consider black women as beautiful" because I have heard of many black women that are said to be beautiful and I, someone who looks like a full-black, have been told that I am beautiful by both white and black people.
Stop making it seem like black ladies have it SO BAD and whites have it SO GOOD! Stop making it seem like straight hair is SO EASY to take care of. I have seen that it isn't.

Many white women struggle with their looks. As a matter of fact, many white, Asian or Arabic ladies who we think are naturally straight are actually naturally curly. I have a Japanese fried who surprised me when she told me that she gets a relaxer when she gets noticeable new growth (and I did see her new growth a couple of months ago and it was curly). I have an Arab friend who pretty much detests her curly hair and wishes she was born with straight here. I have a WHITE friend who straightens her hair every. single. morning. because she believes people find straight hair more beautiful than curly hair. BLACK women have felt and some still feel the same way so what makes them any different from the blacks when it comes to this hair thing?

So....what is this thing we call, "natural hair"? Basically, it is our hair in its natural texture/has not undergone a texture-change with the use of chemicals. We have made that term, "natural hair," relate to just curly hair now, aye? So, Sarah has curly hair. She didn't always accept it, but now she does. Is she any less natural than any black woman that has been featured on CurlyNikki.com? I think not. If everything in the post/feature/interview/article about Sarah on Nikki's site was the same, but the pictures in that blog entry were that of a black woman would there be this controversy about the post? Will Jamila's article on Ebony.com exist? I think not.

Jamila works for Ebony.com and I'm pretty sure that recently, Ebony.com was (for the lack of a better word) celebrating that (Black) African writers are in the Vogue magazine. If I'm write, that magazine was started by a white person and bought over by a white person. If blacks are happy to be in a white person's thing, then why can't we be happy with a white person being in a "black person's thing?" Think about that. Remember! I'm not saying Jamila's opinion is the same as that of Ebony.com!

Seriously, to all the black people out there, if you really want racism against blacks to end, quit making statements like Jamila's, quit not accepting whites in what you consider to be a "black thing," quit discriminating against whites and quit discriminating against yourselves. And please note, I'm not saying that all blacks do this.

DIY Whipped Shea Butter for Natural Hair + Skin

Written by CristinaC

Here's a simple, easy-to-follow DIY whipped shea butter recipe created by NaturallyCurly.com's Social Media and Community Manager, Evelyn, that even the most novice of Curly Mixologists could make at home. With a few drops of your favourite essential oils and a little bit of shea butter you can whip up a super creamy mix that's  great for sealing moisture into your skin or hair! 

WHAT YOU'LL NEED

• 8 oz raw unrefined Shea Butter
• 1 Tbsp Jojoba Oil 
• Spearmint Essential Oil
• Lemongrass Essential Oil 
• Electric Beater 
• Ziploc bag

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine the shea butter and jojoba oil in a bowl
2. Boil a pot of water and place your bowl inside the pot to create a double boiler, stir until soft
3. Add less than 10 drops each of spearmint and lemongrass essential oils
4. Whip the mixture with a handheld mixer 
5. Create a piping bag by placing a ziploc bag inside a large cup
6. Scoop the whipped mixture into a ziploc bag
7. Cut a hole in one of the corners of the ziploc and squeeze the mixture into a container

Watch the Video

Sad News...

It is quite sad to say that on the 9th of April, the natural community has lost our beloved Domineque Banks. Some of you might not remember her by hair actual name, but by her YouTube channel's name which is, "LongHairDon'tCare."

After many years of fighting this, Domineque died from Lupus, which is an autoimmune disease that causes the immune system to fight the body's skin cells and tissues.

I am using this blog post not just to let you all know about the passing of Domineque, but to also create an awareness of lupus. The more we mention it, the more we create awareness of it and this is the key to finding a cure for it. I have an aunt living with lupus. I would love for her and other people living with this disease to have a cure for it.

May Domineque Rest in Paradise.

She helped so many of us and she brought such joy and happiness to people.

My sincere condolences to her family and loved ones.

To help donate to her funeral and cremation please follow this link: https://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/rmd4/in-memory-of-domineque-banks

My Mini Twists so far. Take-down in a few days.

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Hola!

So, my mini twists are still in, but they're coming down on Saturday. This means that I'll have had them in for about two and a half weeks. Not bad, not bad, longest I've kept mini twists with just my hair in. I guess if they were a bit smaller, I'll have kept them in longer.

Okay! So, I've been spraying my hair with lavender water and lavender oil (in a spray bottle) daily. I hand picked the lavender leaves from the garden. After that, I seal in the moisture with my lovely new product (did I mention that it's pH balanced?). I dusted all my twists some days ago, can't remember when exactly. The ends of my twists are like popping with defined curls and I didn't twirl them neither where they twirled when they were done. They're just popping and looking gorg'.

Okay! So, my plans are.....I'm going to wash my hair with the twists in on Friday, stretch out the twists overnight and take them down on Saturday. I actually just wash my scalp and condition my hair, not wash my hair. I never work shampoo into the hair strands. I don't even work amla into my hair strands. I focus on my scalp and the hair's cleansed when I rinse out what I washed my scalp with. So, I guess I'm going to braid the twists in sections or just hold them off with ouchless bands and work section by section washing my scalp and working conditioner in my hair then I'm going to seal in the moisture (after rinsing the conditioner, of course, with my new product) then hold my hair up to stretch as it dries. On Saturday, after a nice, warm shower, I'll take down the twists quickly and.....I'm not sure about a twist out so, I guess I'm going to fake a blow out and then curl my ends a bit with my flexi rods or fake a blow out and do a braid 'n' curl on it. Whatever works.

After that, I need to figure out what I'll do with my hair daily till October and then till December. I guess I'll switch it up with a tuck 'n' pin, puff and some other simple style (I might make two flat braids some time) and then in October, I might get mini twists done again. I'm not sure about mini-braids 'cause I'm more likely to loose hair at my ends with that and I'm trying to avoid that, plus, it'll take longer to take down. If I could get some Marley or Havana hair, don't know where to get those in England, I'll install big twists in my hair and keep them in till January when I'm getting my first weave in the past almost 6 years (Heat-Free Hair Movement).

Anyways, that's all for now.

Interview with the beautiful, Daniele Watts (from Django) coming up soon, look out for it! :)

~Sammy

How Your Hair Goals Will Guide Your Life Goals: The Coily Hair Edition

This post was written by Tia of AngelsRinglets

A little over 4 years ago, I started my 15 month transition from chemically processed (relaxed) to chemical free (natural) hair. Prompted this change by a frustrating head of tired, dull, breaking hair that never grew past the top of my shoulders. I couldn't understand why 10 years had passed without any major hair cuts, and my hair wouldn't get as long as I wanted it to. After looking at my daughter's hair (T), and my hair, I decided that a change was coming.

Four Years Hair Growth: Gathered Info on Coily Hair Care

Does that sound familiar to you? Are you transitioning, or did you transition to natural out of the same frustration? The need for a change in the outcome will typically require a change in the behaviors. Now, I could have gone another route and treat my relaxed hair differently, but my goal included a cleaner, greener solution. I was in the process of eliminating toxic products from my beauty regimen, and that included the hair relaxer.

BEHAVIOR CHANGED: Eliminate the relaxer.OUTCOME: Growth of coily hair in it's natural state.

Now, that was only the beginning. I had to learn how to take care of coily hair (hence the name of this site). I had to understand that I didn't know how to care for coily hair. I only knew how to deal with straight hair, and I wasn't even doing THAT properly. Taking baby steps, I educated myself by watching YouTube Videos, and reading blogs. I also enjoyed experimenting with products/techniques and learning what outcomes to expect. As a result, I learned a lot of information in a short period of time.

HOW THIS RELATES TO LIFE GOALS: Whatever passions or career plans, or goals set, the behaviors that I take with my hair goals translate well into goals that I set in life. If my plans are to begin saving money, then it would benefit me to begin with changing behaviors that are hindering me from achieving that specific goal (for example: review my spending, no more impulse buying, creating a budget on paper, paying myself as if I were a bill due). Those are just a few examples. Once those behaviors have been changed, then educating myself and experimenting with different techniques will put me in the direction of my goal.

AN ALL IMPORTANT CHANGE THAT I LEARNED FROM MY HAIR TRANSITION AND MY NOW ALL NATURAL HAIR CARE: 

Patience. There, I said it. I keep sharing that will all of the beauties that leave comments on my YouTube channel in regards to hair length. Just enjoy the stage or length that your hair is in now. The health and length will follow. That's true in any life goal. If you have $25.00 in the bank now, be happy about that $25.00. That's $25.00 more than you had when you started your savings. After 1 month of depositing $25.00 a week, you will have $100.00 in savings. If it wasn't for that $25.00 weekly goal, then the $100.00 savings would never happen. Live in the now, and enjoy the heck out of it.

Consistency. Changes will not work if they are not practiced consistently. If you start saving the $25.00 but you are not depositing it consistently, then the outcome will not be as effective. If you are caring for your hair 1 week, but 2 weeks later damage it by ripping it out with combs and brushes out of frustration, then whatever health/length progress you made, will be lost.

Set Reasonable Goals. If you decide to save $100.00 a week, and your income/budget can not support that goal, then it will not happen. The first week, you may save $100.00, but after that, it may not happen. And worse yet--you may have to withdraw some money to cover the excess that you deposited the week before. When you educate about how to save, and plan a budget, that comfortable dollar amount will be decided at that time. Same thing goes with hair care. Setting reasonable goals about how to take care of hair will ensure that the goals are met. If I decide that I am going to deep condition, steam treat, do micro two strand twists on weekly basis, and I get burned out in the first week, then problems will strike. I will probably end up ripping out the two strand twists in my frustration, which means that I will probably not want to take the time to put back in the two strand twists for week 2. Set reasonable goals for hair care. Things that will not take too much time (if you plan to do them regularly).

These are just some of the life changes that I have implemented that were brought to light by my hair care. You see, I was so intrigued by my coils and the "newness" of them, that I was dedicated enough to make these changes, set goals, and be consistent with them. From the messages that I get, I know that most of us (transitioning and natural alike) have changed our hair care behaviors. The parallel between both forms of goals was so vivid, that I thought it would be fun to compare notes with you beauties.

Four Years Consistent Hair Care. Reasonable Goals Set

As Always, Stay Beautiful.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Love Tia

Hair Crush: Kerry Washington

Kerry in Django

She is popularly known as Kerry Washington, but now that she's married, she's Kerry Asomugha. Kerry, if you ever see this, CONGRATULATIONS ON YOU AND NNAMDI'S WEDDING! (I know this is coming really late :) )

She was in Django too! D'you recognise her from any other movie? Yup! that's right! She was in Save The Last Dance! Woohoo! Kerry!

I absolutely love her hair! It's long and healthy even with all the manipulation it gets due to her acting job (having to be straightened, curled, put in a weave.....). To not lose her natural curls due to all the heat, Kerry says that she deep conditions often.

Okay! now, to achieve this look, for some people, they could just do a wash 'n' go, moisturise and stretch and they're good to go! For others, try a flat-twist out on already stretched (and moisturised) hair. Make the twists in small sections and take them down moving in the opposite direction from the way you twisted your hair. You might want to curl the ends of the twists with thin perm rods for a better effect around the ends. Part your hair a few inches down the middle (from the front), take the hair on each side, turn them towards the back and pin in place or hold with a pretty barrette or ponytail holder.

Voila! You have the look! Or something similar to it 'cause no two natural curls are ever exactly the same :)

Hair Crush: Danièle Watts

Danièle in Django

I watched Django yesterday and like there was no way I could not have noticed Danièle's hair. It's amazing! Gorgeous! Looks great! Oh, my days!To achieve this look, for all you curlies who want to try it out:

• Ensure your hair is fully detangled, moisturised and stretched (with a (flat) twist out for best results).

• Comb and pick your hair out into a gorgeous, big afro then hold up in a puff. Use knee-high's to create the puff so you can control how tight your hair is held up.

• Smooth a butter (could be a shea butter mix) or a light gel (could be aloe vera gel) over the part of the hair that's held down to achieve the puff. Smooth it in an upward motion (moving up the puff) making sure you get your edges to lie flat.

• You could use the side-edge of denman brush or a comb to help give your edges that slicked-back look without creating tension on your hair.

• Get a big, simple bow and pin it right infront of your puff.

Voila! and there you have it! Danièle's gorgeous updo! :)

Featured: CurlyHue - My Open Letter to Natural Hair Vloggers

You Tube has been an invaluable resource throughout my natural hair course. The ladies who take the time to make videos to share with us, all rock in their own special ways.

The only complaint that I have really, is that some don't seem to consider their D/deaf or Hard of Hearing audience.Vloggers, please do not forget your D/deaf audience. There is a massive amount of D/deaf & HOH people all throughout the country, and I am sure many of them are naturals...or wanna be, and can benefit from the information shared within those videos.

Imagine finding a natural hair video on You Tube, that you feel, just by looking at the title that your pressing question may finally be answered. So you click on the video, and once it starts, the Vlogger is speaking so fast you can't possibly rely on lip reading, and there is not a tap of captioning included, highlighting the main points. You're a little disheartened but not to worry, there is always the more info/description box, so you head there and its blank or gives you not a hint as to the break down of that video. 

I swear every time I find a video like that it feels like some D/deaf natural is somewhere relaxing her hair in frustration. 

Why is this important to me? Because I am a deaf natural & so are some of my friends. I can not tell you how many times I've been faced with the above mentioned scenario. Clear pronunciation, facing the camera when speaking,captions within the video or a detailed description box are treasures to me. Blogger/Vlogger Mae of Natural Chicis a wonderful exemplar of this! 

{Check out Caption Tube, and this helpful article on Mashable for video captioning help}


Another option could be that if you have a blog in addition to your You Tube channel, you can briefly summarize your video in a blog post. Nothing major, simply include the title of the video, ingredients & step order if it's a tutorial. If it's a review, tell us whether or not you'd use the product again, and if you'd like, a one or two sentence reasoning. Heck if you don't have a stand alone blog...send the info to me and I'll post it on Curly Hue(giving you full credit of course). Just do something... just don't leave us out.

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Okay! So, to the natural hair vloggers that follow my blog or just check it out now and then, please, please, summarise your vids in your blogs or in the description boxes below your videos, or simple add captions to your videos.

Thank you! :)


Check out Curly Hue's Blog!