Hey hey, fellow nappies!  What’s good?  Yes I know it’s been awhile but my life outside of hair has picked up tremendously and I haven’t had much time (or inclination) to keep my head in the natural hair game much.  I took a temporary position in July that turned into a full-time, hired in job opportunity as the Front Desk Administrative Assistant at Crete Carrier Corporation (yaaaaaaaaaaay me!) which has taken up a lot of my time, and since I haven’t been experimenting with very many products or styles lately there really wasn’t much to talk about.  But then I realized that I still have reviews on the docket that have been lingering in the recesses of my mind and so this week I’ll work on getting them from gray matter to page.

Hair wise, my tresses are continuing to grow which pleases me to no end.  I’ve been playing with different accents such as the flower in the above picture (I got it for $1 at Family Dollar, along with a pink one) and changed my cleansing/conditioning products from Garnier Frutis’ Wonder Waves line to Herbal Essence’s Hello Hydration line (review to come sometime this week).  For styling and moisturizing I was given the opportunity to test drive a homemade product by Emerald Shaw who’s testing her mettle in the field of kitchen chemistry (review to come sometime this week as well).  I’ve stayed faithful to my WNG’s but have been itching to try some other styling techniques like flat twists whenever time permits.  So my routine has changed just a little but I’ve always been the type who sticks with what works as long as it works.  I will probably be switching products soon because I have noticed that the longer my hair gets the harder it is to achieve “curlitude” without using products that make my hair feel/look crunchy and dry.  So the search may be on for new styling products that work with tightly coiled hair that has “length”.

Beyond that, life has been extremely good.  Aside from landing the job I’ve started my second semester at CSCC and I’m looking to move into my own apartment soon.  So yeah, life is finally going as planned although all my hair reporting has had to take a backseat for the time being because of it.  I’ve been in the loop as much as I can.  Still trying to keep up with “Natural Hair Sundays” by tuning in to The Nappturalite Radio Show and The Nappy Muse Video Chat Show but I’m not as visible for the Twitter Chat or Columbus Meetups.  I hope to be able to post more frequently once I get my work schedule and school schedule down to an organized science.  I also hope to be getting back to my Examiner column as soon as they work the bugs out of the publishing tool, which is taking about as long as it did to launch Examiner 2.0 (which really is lackluster, despite all the hype).

But enough about me… How has your journey been lately?  Any  new techniques for styles?  New recipes, regimens or products?  I’d love to hear about them all, so drop them in the comments section!

Healthy Hair Wishes!

(click the image to visit site)

When I was growing up, the age most girls got their first relaxer was around 12 or 14 years old and it was a decision that went against the best wishes of a lot of our mothers.  But for us, the alternatives to chemically relaxing our hair was either salon styling (which cost a pretty penny) or that being subjected to an every Sunday kitchen press ritual that only lasted to Tuesday… if we were lucky.  Most of my generation’s mothers went along with the process in order to make hairdressing easier on both us and themselves.  Of course this was back in the days before the harmful truth about the ingredients used in relaxers was openly disclosed, but I think even then our mother’s wanted us to reach a certain level of maturity before we set about changing the structure of our G_d given tresses.

In the here and now it seems that age bar has been lowered dramatically as mother’s are seeing fit to slap a perm on the heads of their daughters who are as young at two or four.  While a lot of them reason straight hair is more socially acceptable and so they don’t want their child caught out there with “bad” hair, more than a few say they opt to relax their daughter’s (and sometimes son’s) hair because they have no idea how to style and maintain the child’s natural hair.  If that’s your story then you will greatly benefit from being a member of Our Natural Kids, a social network that offers support for parents of children with textured hair.

Created by The Sistah Chick of The Sistah Cafe, Our Natural Kids is a place where parents from all walks of life meet to share pictures, product suggestions and Blog posts of their personal experiences to help encourage and educate each other.  The network offers a platform for chatting among members, a forum for posting questions or advice and even a video section where members can share their tutorials and Vlogs.

I’ve know The Sistah Chick since about January and I have been witness to the magic she works on her daughter Little Chick’s crowning glory (pictures in the screen capture), and the extensive knowledge she has concerning product and styling. Just one visit to her Youtube channel and you know girlfriend knows her stuff!  So if you need help getting your little princess or prince’s natural hair tight and right, or have information that can help other’s master the task of caring for a natural hair child, then surf on over to the Our Natural Kids network and become a member… Then spread the word!

Healthy Hair Wishes,

This is a Live Writer test of the National Apple Seed Blogcasting Network.  If this had been an actual Blog post… it would have contained hair information. *lol*

Yes I know it’s been a minute.  Life had taken a upswing in the activity department so I wasn’t able to be online as much.  I started school and a work assignment in the same week so time was kinda constrained for personal endeavours.  At any rate, the work assignment ended so now I’m able to devout more time to my Blogs and CNHE column, which is a good thing since I’m much rather make a living doing what I love.

So anyway, what’s been up with me?  Well, I’m coming to the end of my Co-Wash and Twist/Twist Out Challenge which has been an absolute wonder-filled experience for both me and my hair.  Incidentally, because of the time constraints I was under it turned into a co-wash and wash out challenge which proved to be just as fun because it helped me gain a bit more confidence with wearing my hair uncovered in public which is also a good thing.  As you can see from the above picture my curls and coils are still in full effect and my hair stays full, lush and soft in between co-washes.  I slipped up Monday morning and grabbed the shampoo while I was showering, but not even that stripped the wonderful effects of moisture retention, fullness and softness that co-washing has boosted.  Think I’m gonna stick with that while my hair is short because of how it keeps my curls defined and resisting dryness.  My recommendation to those who have not tried co-washing, do it!  Even on a short term basis.  It doesn’t take two months to see the results and your hair will thank you for it.

I’m still on the Skin Care Challenge track, although not as diligently do to my cramped schedule, but that is due to change now.  Honestly, I have noticed a BIG difference in between my skin’s condition when I was washing every other day and masking once a week and when I was lackadaisically washing and masking whenever I remembered to.  The dry patches on my cheeks are not as dry as they once were but now it seems my entire face “oozes” with oil if I go too far without washing.  The one good thing about my work/school schedule during the challenge was it allowed me to stay hydrated during the day because I stayed with a bottle of SmartWater of Sobe Life Water, so that was a benefit.  But now that I’m home and only attending classes during the week on Monday and Wednesday nights, I haven’t been keeping up with the hydration like I should.  The Lion, who has been trying to step his hydration game up as well, went out and purchased a couple of boxes of the Crystal Light-like water flavour packet thingies which I might start dipping into in order to bring my water intake back to positive levels (I can not stand the “taste” of plain water, ya’ll.  Especially Ohio water.  Ick!) and get back on track.

I took a week or two off due to some “technical difficulties” over at Examiner.com but I’m now back publishing articles on my regular thrice weekly schedule and it feels GREAT!  I want to thank everyone who’s popped over or shared a link to one of the articles and want to ask that you keep up the readership!  The giveaway hasn’t gone so great since there have been absolutely no entries to date.  I plan to bring it to a close tomorrow if no one takes the bait, and that’s cool with me.  At least I got some great products out of the effort.  Future articles that I have planned will touch on the topics of what exactly makes Black hair so political, natural hair in the workplace from the employer’s perspective and shed the spotlight on some little known Columbus natural hair resources like Synergi Salon‘s “Get It Strait” Workshops, Divine Essential hair care line and natural hair stylist, Dairdre Scriven.

What’s coming up on the JB2M horizon?  Well I was invited to be a writer for Going Natural Magazine, and for compensation the lovely Drs. Mireille Liong-A-Kong has gifted me a copy of her book, “Going Natural: How to Fall in Love with Nappy Hair“, along with a jar of Silk Shea Aloe Butter and Herbal Natural Styling Gel, all of which I will be reviewing on next week.  I will also be reviewing M. Michele George‘s “The Knotty Truth“ and Chris-Tia Donaldson‘s “Thank God I’m Natural“ very, very soon.  Product-wise, I never received my Aveeno samples but I did pick up two trial size bottles of Avalon Organics Lavender Nourishing Shampoo and Conditioner that I want to try on for size and I had a lovely experience with Yonnea’s Natural Beauty‘s Honey Hibiscus Leave N Condish that I want to share.  And last but not least I’ll be featuring the hair journey of Sherita Daniels, the picturesque founder of the Perfectly Pretty Beauty Blog, in the beginning of the week.

So yeah, there’s a lot in store for you all both here and over at the CNHE column so stay tuned and check back in often.

Healthy Hair Wishes!

It has been almost seven complete months since I daringly took a pair of shears to my eight inch tresses and, out of frustration, snipped close to six inches.  This wasn’t done out of frustration with my hair, but with how things were going in my life up to that point.  What’s the correlation?  Well I’m a big believer in the idea that hair is infused with the energy of your life experiences, and for the past three years a lot of my experiences had been negatively charged.  After an extremely stress-filled visit to Detroit I arrived home and without thinking chopped off my hair at its two ample puffs.  It was such a rash decision it took me about two weeks to be able to look in a mirror.

Well last month I decided to lightly press my hair, not anticipating any real results growth-wise, and this is what I came away with:

That’s looking at approximately three inches on top of approximately one inch to start.  How did I do it?  With a very basic hair care premise called keeping my hands out of it, coupled with weekly conditioning, bi-weekly shampoo’ing and daily moisturizing with a blend of coconut, sweet almond, and grapeseed oils.  Nope, nothing fancy or intricate beyond one or two deep conditioning treatments with my Avocado-Coconut Milk-Honey-Sage conditioner.

Now if this seems miraculous to you consider this: Under normal, healthy condition ALL hair grows an average one half of an inch each month.  So by keeping manipulation and heat usage low, never combing through my hair when it was dry and allowing it to do what it does best, I was able to retain every half inch of growth these seven months yielded.  This is even accounting for natural shedding, which has increased thanks to Columbus’ hard water issues.

To date I have only ventured two styles with my short cut.  A weirdly funky two strand twist that a wrapped too early so the twists flattened:

And this weird, funky twists result turned into this absolutely GORGEOUS twist out fro:

Both styles were attempted this month.  I plan to do another two-strand attempt this week in preparation for my NEW JOB ASSIGNMENT  (*wild applause*) so that I can rock that curly twist out again.  Oh yeah… I hit a new milestone.  While I was in Detroit I actually went outside in the world with my hair uncovered!  Yes.  If you read my post about long vs. short hair then you know my trepidations about wearing my hair in public.  Well that’s a thing of the past now that I’ve found my “signature” short style.

So, there’s my hair update, which I know are painfully far and few between. *lol* I’m still flirting with the idea of locs but I think I want to gain a few more inches before I take the plunge.  Maybe come winter I’ll be ready.

Healthy Hair Wishes,

I was a Napturally Me! Lurker-In-Resident for a very long time, just to get a feel for the dynamics of the group.  In my experience over the years I’ve had the misfortune of meeting up with pretentious naturals (read: Nappy Nazis) and those encounters made me apprehensive when it came to forming alliances.  But because I know the way to benefit from any experience, especially from a networking standpoint, you have to be active within it, I took the plunge on the 20th and attended my first NM Meetup event — a potluck viewing of “Good Hair“.

Although I arrived “fashionably late” and halfway into the screening (my apologies to anyone I bumped while making my way to the back of the pitch black room *lol*) I was overjoyed to have made it and amazed by the turn out.  Partaking in the festivities was an impressive number of 30 nappturals, which doesn’t even fully represent the 81 member roll!  No disrespect to my culture and heritage but… Ya’ll know unless it’s a club function, church service or give-away, turn out for social functions can be painfully low.  Having founded a couple of writing groups in my time I know this to be painfully true.  So to see so many fellow naturals in one room just for the fun of connecting with other naturals was exhilarating, to say the least.  While I know I’m not alone in my journey thanks to my wonderfilled connections with nappy heads via Facebook and Twitter, it’s always to know that I have access to support in my life outside the Net.

In addition to the pleasant surprise I received from the number of attendees, I was also amazed at just how good “Good Hair” was.  Well… the half of it I saw. *lol*  Going in my expectations were that the movie was going to be a celebrity spearhead fluff piece comparable to Textured Tresses.  Because the Black hair debate has raged on for centuries with very few dips below the surface of texture, type and style issues, I was not anticipating a noteworthy expose from the likes of Chris Rock.  In that, I was not disappointed.  For the record, “Good Hair” will not answer the age old question of just why hair is such a big issue within the Black community.  It is not a dissertation on why natural hair is best, why the “straight standard” has prevailed for as long as it has, or why Black hair is so politically charged.  What it is is documentary of one man’s search to find the answers to those queries in order to know what to tell his daughter about her hair.  It was Chris Rock‘s quest to understand for himself (and for his wallet) how to help his daughter take pride in her hair.  It was not meant to decry the use of perms, as many expected, so based on the merit of Chris‘s intention, it was a good film.  In the end, hair is what it is based on each individuals perception of what it means to them.  There’s no way to blanketly label it, which is the movie’s conclusion.  To paraphrase Ice T at the film’s end, no matter the enhancements, as long as a woman feels good about her appearance her it’s all good.  I have to make it a point to cop a bootleg *ahem* rent a copy so I can catch the part I missed.  Oh, and for the record… Jason Griggers really should have won the hair show. *snap snap*

Following the screening was an engaging discussion between NM members, about the movie and other hair related topics.  The atmosphere was one of compassionate sharing and educating, showing the roots of everyone’s journey.  Again, it was refreshing to be in the presence of so many like minded individuals without the pretensions of natural “rules” and dogma.  Much to my surprise, Kendra, the groups Organizer, enlightened me to the fact that you don’t even have to be natural to be a member of the group.  As long as you have a love for natural hair and an interest in learning more about it (how to style it, how to keep it healthy) you are more than welcome.  Suffice it to say, I have found my local nappy home and plan to attend many more Nappturally Me! functions in the near future.

Shouts out to our gracious hostess Amber for organizing such a great event, to Akon, Sarai and Chele for the wonderful conversations, and to DaiRita for that kick ass “Black Ass Cake.” *lol*  To all the ladies who provided the delicious and bountiful dishes, thank you oh so much.  I look forward to kicking it natural with all of you again soon.

Healthy Hair Wishes,

As per my normal routine I was meandering through the Web gathering information for articles and Blogs when I discovered a tweet about Nappturalite Radio.  Ironically, a few days earlier I’d happened on a Website for a new natural hair book by author Chris-Tia Donaldson titled “Thank God I’m Natural” and as luck would have it, Ms. Donaldson was scheduled to be the guest on the next NLR show.  Well since I’m always on the lookout for new resources to share, as well as opportunities to support/promote other natural hair media, I bookmarked the show’s page and made a mental note to tune in during its next broadcast.

When the time for the show rolled around and I tuned in, full of excitement and ready to be enlightened.  The show opened with a very profound, poetic intro (I think it’s called “NappyMuse” and it can be read HERE), followed by a welcome by the show’s host Dawn Yerger.  After the welcome Dawn played “Lovin Me Some Nappy Nappy“, a lyrical homage to natural hair by Spoken Word artist Kamal Imani aimed at putting listeners in the mood for the discussion to come.

Kamal‘s piece was followed by a bit of technical difficulty which resulted in about a five minutes lull of dead air, but once Dawn resolved the problem she played another Spoken Word piece enitled “Nappy” by author Charisse Carney Nunes and from there the the show proved its merit with a splendid interview.

Dawn asked pointed questions which allowed Chris-Tia to give listeners a clear idea of what to expect from her book, as well as describe her natural journey which started in 2002.  The flow of the interview was casual yet informative, touching on topics such as the proper way to comb natural hair and the L.O.I.S. Hair Typing System.  At the tail end of the interview Dawn‘s co-host Jaye called in to greet Chris-Tia and share her 6 Powerful Tips for Loving the Natural You, after which Dawn played a funky, soul track called “My Afro” by Marva King a song that is destined to be number one on every nappturals playlist.  When “Afro” was over, listeners were invited to call in and share their favourite tip for a chance to win a copy of “Thank God I’m Natural.”  Lucky for me, I was the winning caller which tickled me pink because I’d been adjusting my budget all day so that I could try and snag a copy myself. *lol*

All in all, despite the technical issues, I truly enjoyed tuning in and plan to do so again next week.  Nappturlite Radio is just three episodes old, but in my not so humble opinion, it will prove to be a valuable natural hair resource for newbies and veterans alike.  The show is broadcast each and every Sunday at 5 PM CST/6 PM EST via the Blogtalk Radio Website, so make plans to surf on over, tune on in and show your love and support.  I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Healthy Hair Wishes,

.

I’d heard about the natural hair Twitter chat in passing through my stream, but could never quite catch the wave.  Well this past Sunday night, while viewing the fiasco that was this year’s NBA All-Star game, I was reminded of the event by a few followers and decided to jump in.  Boy was I ever glad I did.

I know, I know… For the most part Twitter doesn’t seem like the proper environment to host a chat because of how fast information passes through each stream.  With just one account, depending on how many people you follow, a stream can seem like a busy intersection of rapid fire conversation pieces.  So imagine upwards of fifty different sources for tweets and retweets that flow at the pace of a sprinter!

Sounds a bit daunting, eh?  Well contrary to what you may think, Twitter is the perfect medium for such an endeavour.  Because the topic is based on natural hair, and each tweet hardly ever strays from that base, following and responding is quite easy, providing a comprehensive information pool for novices and vets alike.

In addition to the informational well presented by the chat, this the perfect opportunity to build a natural hair cipher from among some of the Naptural elite!  In just my first attendance I saw my follower number boosted by approximately 10%, and my following list by about 40%. *lol* The atmosphere within the chat is one of sister-to-sister sharing; each participant willing to answer questions with their natural wisdom as well as receive knowledge from others.  There is no air of Nappy Nazism, just and uplifting source of peer-to-peer enlightening.  I love it and most certainly will return in the future.

Want to join in on the fun?  Well on Sundays at 10 PM EST, log onto your actual Twitter page (or go to the Twitter Search page) and type in the hashtag #naturalhair into the search field.  Once you’re “plugged in”, simply follow the stream.  Jump in to introduce yourself or answer a question or pose one of your very own.  That’s it and that’s all and it’s so much fun!  This is a weekly thing ya’ll, and I’m not sure how long it actually goes on, but even an hour or so in the chat is well worth it.

I’d like to give a shout to the natural mavens I became connected with at this weeks chat: Konigirl, NaturalChica, AfroChyck, Kinshasaa, Rootsology and host of others.  Hope to see you again this coming Sunday!

FYI: The #naturalhair Twitter search query is always jumping, so be sure to check it on all days that end in Y. *lol*

Healthy Hair Wishes,

Can you believe it?  Almost three whole years relaxer free?  Me either!  When I announced the news via Twitter, Pegasus Soap‘s owner, Michelle Ortiz, asked how it’s going for me.  My reply was simply that it’s been a unique experience.  But after thinking on it a couple minutes I realized that up until she asked I’d never given much thought.  I mean, I’m aware of my hair every moment of the day in one way or another.  Whether I’m twirling it around my fingers while considering what topics to Blog about or twisting it around itself to help define my natural curls, my hair is a constant consideration.  But in a latent sort of way.  Realistically, while I take relatively good care of my hair and love every kink and coil that comprises it, it is often “background noise” for me as I move through my days.  For the most part, it’s just “there.”  I’m not a natural style maven or avid product experimenter.  I don’t provide tutorials or combine my journey with other elements of fashion or beauty.  I simply live and allow my hair to do the same.

Looking back, despite my “ignoring” it all these years, I can truthfully say that as my hair has grown so have I.  I’ve grown in prospective, understanding and acceptance.  Not just about my hair and myself, but about  the world my hair and I live in as well.  I’ve wrestled insecurities and inner prejudices that I was totally unaware existed.  I can’t say that I’ve conquered them all, but I grow stronger with each victory, no matter how small it may be.  I’ve seen through the hype of natural hair politics and into an appreciation for everyone’s right to wear their hair how they see fit.  I’ve broken myself out of accepted comfort zones and conforming “rituals”, rendered myself vulnerable and finally gotten to a point in life where I feel good about being me on my terms.  I’ve come from up under the impressions of what natural is supposed to be, and into defining what natural IS, from my hair, to my spiritual practices, to my compassions and social involvements.  Although I have never been overly  preoccupied with my hair itself, I have digested its subliminal every day lessons in a way that has been personally fulfilling.  And now here I am off on a new leg, learning my hair as it grows “from the ground up”, which I’m sure will be a even bigger source enrichment.

All in all, I guess my true answer is that my journey has been a wonderful and freeing experience on many levels.  Consciously, it’s helped me to appreciate myself and others as we are.  Subconsciously, it’s helped me to break down certain barriers in my perspective of beauty, be it natural or enhanced.

Here’s to three more years, and then some!

Healthy Hair Wishes,

Hello All!

Yes, it has been a minute… yet again. *lol* While part of my absence has been due to dealing with personal issues and the birth of my first grandson, a big part of it was due to my growing disenchantment with all things black hair related.  Well, not black hair itself but all of the superficial BS “politics” that are imposed on it.  The never ending “good vs. bad” debate that never dips deeper than the surface of antiquates social concepts; the collective “groupthink” perpetuation of stereotypes which keeps us locked in damaging thought patterns; having more important aspects of our heritage diminished to trivial prejudices attached to our coils.  And let’s not even get into the disunion which exists within the black hair community itself!  It’s just all really too much to deal with when much larger issues deserve much more of our attention, and so I considered scraping the Blog and the book project altogether.

But then I got to thinking… Whose journey is this, exactly?  Did I begin pursuing the napptural life to gain approval from the natural community?  No.  Was I going through the legwork of research for the book because it would make me popular?  Of course not.  Did this start off as an exercise in conformity to what others thought “going natural” should be about?  Hell no!  This journey is about me and me alone, and I am doing all of this because I wanted to, apart from all of the above chaos and protocol.  So with that realization I made the decision that I would not quit on myself, and having mastered the chemical free part of the process I figured it was time start over again… on my terms.

Because the hair part of the journey is largely symbolic of inner restructuring and I’d already done that “hard” part of rendering myself chemical free, I figured the next step was to conquer learning myself through my hair as it grew.  So after returning from a particularly stress-filled visit home, I got acquainted with my scissors and took my hair down as short as I could possibly dare to go.  As you can see from the above picture, I went from ~ 8 to 10 inches down to ~ 1 to 3, a drastic switch if I do say so myself.  Now while I have had my hair this short several times before it has always been relaxed, and even though I have close to three years natural to my credit, I am learning there is a totally different dynamic between napptural with length and napptural without it.  I’m starting from square one again, not just in dealing with the texture of my hair (which is way curlier than I’d ever anticipated) but in dealing with the  negative psychology surrounding women of colour with short natural hair as well.  Since cutting my hair I have fought back tears of regret and frustration every time I look in the mirror.  I’ve received compliments from friends, which is very inspiring… but fighting through the learned perception that long hair equates to beauty and femininity is harder than I’d thought it would be.  So again, it’s not just about the hair.  This leg of the journey is about breaking down personal prejudices, misconceptions and working through self image fears I didn’t know I had.  It’s also about accepting myself outside of what others believe defined beauty via hair, whether natural, relaxed, long or short.

So here I am, looking like a Monchhichi in my opinion, with teenie weenie corkscrews adorning my head that I can’t keep my fingers far from.  Of course, because I’m not a skilled stylist and had to do most of the cutting by feel, I will have to take the next step and visit a barber for shaping and tapering.  From there begins the process of learning my distinct curl patterns, what products help to keep them manageable and healthy, as well as educating myself on what practices promote growth.  This will be an extreme exercise in patience on my part, because while it’s easy to “ignore” growth when you already have length to work with, I know each quarter inch I gain each month will be like watching paint dry, and there will be no quick fixes to bide my time with.  Maybe, after a couple of inches, I’ll go on ahead and loc it all up, but for now I’ll make do with the hard work of growing comfortable with my TWA.

Healthy Hair Wishes,