Recognizable Natural - Willow Smith

 

In following with my feature of youth with natural hair for December, this week's feature is Willow Smith.  Yes, Ms. "Whip My Hair Back And Forth" Herself!    Willow Smith is the youngest child of Will & Jada Smith.  Often seen at red carpet events with her parents and older brother Jaden, her prepubescent years have been trademarked by two things:  her unique sense of style, and her entry into the music arena.  At just 11 years old, she has already played a role in I AM Legend and released 3 singles from an upcoming album.  Her single, "Whip My Hair" went platinum.  Even though this song would be considered what I call a "teeny-bopper" song, whenever I hear it I crank it up and whip my own hair (if it's loose).  Word on the street is that her next single "Fireball" will have a Nicki Minaj feature.  Can you imagine the hairstyles that will be showcased in that video?

One of the things that highlights Willow's style is her hair.  Her parents drew a little side eyed criticism when they allowed her to shave on side of her head a few years ago.  Willow however (and I'm sure her team of stylists) have used this style to create a number of funky, fresh, edgy natural hair dos.  Check out the pics below.

As Willow says  "All my ladies if you feel me, come on, do it, do it, whip your hair, don't matter if it's long short, do it, do it, whip your hair (your hair, your hair)!!!!!

Side note: I love the little baby in this video!

Natural Hair Winter Protective Style using Marley Braiding Hair

This weekend I had the opportunity to go to a meetup hosted by The TrendySocialite AKA Adeea Rogers in Greenville, NC (check out her channel on Youtube by clicking here).  While there she showed us how to achieve 3 different looks with a protective style she's currently rocking.  One of the looks she demonstrated incorporated the use of Marley braiding hair.  I was in the process of looking for a protective style for this week so it was right on time.

The first look is my attempt at creating a recent hairstyle that Youtuber BlackOnyx77 posted .  I wore this style to church this past Sunday.

 Step 1.  I gelled my hair up into a high bun & secured with a Goody ouchless band.
Step 2.  Took 1 package of Marley Braiding hair and looped sections around my bun. (see video below for demonstration.)

 Step 3.  I took half of the braiding hair from each side and pulled it to the front a created a bang by stuffing a large ball of separate braiding hair (which I eventually made smaller b/c this bang was too large) underneath & wrapped the marley over top and around.  Secure the bang with bobby pins.

 Step 4:  I was running late for church so I didn't get to take a picture.  BUT take the loose hair and pull up vertically.  Take another small ball of hair for stuffing and place in front at the top of the loose hair.  Roll the loose hair forward covering the ball of stuffing to create a high bun.  Secure with bobbypins.

 Step 5.  If you can see the circle in the back, portion of the bun, that is actually "my hair" bun that started the style.  I pulled the Marley braiding hair up to cover my bun so it would blend.

Step 5.  While this above style was regal & gorgeous, it added about 4 inches of height to my already 6'1 frame.  To make it more manageable I removed the stuffing in the rear and wrapped the loose hair around "my" bun to create a bun flatter to my head.  I wore this style to work on Tuesday.  To preserve this style at night, I simply wrap a scarf around my head and under the front bang.  I reposition/shape the bang in the morning, making sure any bobypins that moved that night are secured & go!

For those of you who are like me and are visual, here are videos showing how to recreate these styles.

This is the bun I used on the 2nd style.  I may recreate this exact style using the below tutorial next week, just to change it up a little.  I'm just trying to keep my hair protected from the cold weather & well as stay fly and cute doing it!  Natural hair IS versatile!

NaturallyNita is a women's lifestyle blog.  After chronicling her natural hair journey 2.5 years ago, Nita realized that there were many other life  journeys where she could share her lesson's learned with others.  This blog focuses not only on natural hair but also health/fitness, business, finances, spiritual & personal growth. www.naturallynita.blogspot.com

Natural Hair Product Review - Koils By Nature Product Line

After watching a very positive review by one of my favorite Youtubers Dawnyele, I decided to try out this next product on my twistout.

Company:  Koils by Nature
Products Purchased:  Eucalyptus and Lavender Sample Pack (includes 2 oz samples Hydrating Shealoe Conditioner, Shealoe Leave in conditioner, Nourishing Hair & Body Butter in Marvelous Mango & Herbal Gel in Eucalyptus & Lavender)  - I got a free upgrade on my Hair Butter to 4 oz...thanks Pam!
Cost:  $20.00
Shipping:  This is a small company so it took a week for my products to arrive.  No biggie.
Side Note - I love the packaging of these products.  I know it's a little thing but the containers are durable and easy to get the product out of.  The labels were created with a laser color printer.  This is important to me b/c the hydrating conditioner and the leave in are in the same size bottle so if the label blurred or came off it might be hard for me to be able to tell the difference between the two if I were in a rush.  


Review:

Herbal Gel

I used the Shealoe conditioner as my detangling conditioner.  It has medium slip & did a good job of detangling my hair.  I loved the Shealoe leave in however.  It's a thicker consistency and I only needed a little.  I was able to smooth it and comb through my hair easily.  On top of that I added the butter to seal in the moisture before I added the Herbal Gel.  The butter easily smoothed on my hair as well and left my hair feeling soft.  (SN:  I also use it after my shower on my body and it keeps my skin moisturized all night long!)  Then I added the gel.  OK, so for all my Ecostyler users, don't be alarmed.  I know you're used to the thick consistency of that gel.  This gel is watery and very thin.  I only used a little on each twist.  Initially I was little concerned about whether this would hold my 4b/4c hair.  After I twisted my hair I checked one in the back that was almost dry and was pleasantly surprised when I saw the definition forming.  So I twisted it back up.....

Check out the photo montage below of the results.  Let me just say that I have found my staple twist out product.  My hair was super defined, was soft, and had movement all week!  I did not have to reapply product.   I got 7 days out of this twist out!  I could have gotten more but I needed to protect my hair so that it wouldn't constantly be exposed to the colder weather that we're having.  It was also rubbing against my turtleneck and scarves in the back...HUGE no-no.

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Digital slideshow created with Smilebox Here is a comparison shot between my 1st twist out in January 2011 & the one from this week. January 2011           December 2011

Recognizable Naturals - Raven Symone

As we are entering the holiday season, the one that reminds us of the birth of a special child (Jesus Christ) and the season that makes all children's eyes sparkle, I decided to feature young naturals for my recognizable naturals for the month of December.

First up, Raven Symone.  I remember when this adorable little girl (now grown woman) hit the screens as Olivia on the Cosby Show.  This little girl stole our heart with her adorable innocence and never gave it back. She went on to star in her own show on Disney, That's So Raven as well as try her hand at singing with 4 solo albums and with the Cheetah Girls.  Raven became a brand!  Still in her early 20's, she has been a positive representation of young people in the entertainment industry which is so refreshing to see.  In 2011, Raven hit scene revealing a remarkable weight loss.  She has always been beautiful and her slimmed physique just adds a healthy outlook to her beauty and grace.

I was pleasantly surprised to read on CurlyNikki that Raven had decided to go natural.  She was one of the individuals that was interviewed in Chris Rock's "Good Hair" movie and talked about wearing a weave and having curly hair underneath.  I totally missed it then but when she did the interview on Curly Nikki along with pictures, I felt it was remarkable of her to step out of that industry standard and wear her own hair.  I still see her go back to wearing a weave, which is the wonderful flexibility that we all have, but I have seen her with her hair out more.

Check out these pictures below.  That's SO Raven!

Just a flash back to the old Olivia....

Love these moments from this segment:  "You got it!",  facial expression at 1:45,  "That's not a baby!" "What is it?"  "That's gas!" with a satisfied head nod.  You just gotta love this kid!

Look out for other young recognizable naturals!

Natural Hair & the Return to Hair Grease - My Royal Crown Twistout Results

As  I mentioned in a few post ago, I have been anxious to try Royal Crown on my two strand twist out after seeing Jcokes7 do a series on using "hair grease" on natural hair to achieve great twist out results.

Let me just say!  Wow!  As you can see from the picture above, my twists were stretched, very well defined, moisturized, and shiny.  They were bouncy, had movement, and ZERO frizz.  I was loving this.  At night, I just  re-twisted the hair and it was easy breezy.

When I did my twists, I did them on damp hair and then added dime sized (if that) amount of the Royal Crown.  The product smoothed on easily and twisted very nicely.

Below are some other pictures as well as day 2 results.

Day 1

I was even able to separate my hair for additional fullness with no frizz!

I'm amazed at my length!

Day 2 Results

These pictures were taken after being outside all morning.

Look at that definition!!

I didn't add any more Royal Crown to my hair just water (if needed) to retwist my hair.  I LOVED this product to set my twists and will definately be using it again!


Have you used Royal Crown or any other type of hair grease on your hair? How were your results?

I will be doing a few other product reviews (a bit of product junkyism has hit me) in search of the perfect products for achieving my twist outs, so stay tuned!

Natural Hair Wig Review - Drew by Beshe

Yes, that's me!

It's time for a series of reviews!!!  And this review is a wig review!

Here are the basics.

Wig Name :  LW Drew by Beshe
From Where:  hairwigharlem.com
Price:  31.99 + 6.98 shipping = 38.97
Color:  1B
Shipping:  EXCELLENT! I ordered on a Friday, received confirmation that it was shipped on Friday and it was delivered Monday!  

Impressions:

First thing, this is A LOT OF HAIR.  If you are not comfortable with big hair, then don't get this wig. In fact, I believe she got bigger over the week I wore her.  No lie.  OK, now that I've mentioned that, let me tell you what I love about this wig.  I love that she has several textures.  I have 3 textures in my hair and this wig has about the same.  It contributes to the realness of the look. The lace on the front blended very well with my skin tone.  I didn't really need to add make up to the lace to blend it with my skin.  I have a regular sized head, not too big and not too small.  She fit very snug.  The ear tabs came down directly on my ears and was virtually a perfect fit.  The wig comes with combs but I didn't use them.  I did pin it with 2 bobby pins but really that was only as an additional precaution.....I whipped my head back and forth with Willow Smith and this wig didn't move an inch...LOL.  I received a lot of compliments when I wore her.

The negatives about the wig.  It is a lot of hair, which took some getting used to.  We're having an interesting fall in NC so it was hot to wear the week I wore it.  We're still fluctuating between the 70's and 60's here.  The lace is a little scratchy around the front.  I really can't complain a whole lot about it since I paid less than $35 for the wig but I still wanted to mention it.  There isn't much parting room on the wig which makes it a little difficult to do a side or front part, however, with some alterations to the hairline (I plucked some hairs out to make it not look so even & more realistic) I made it work. Overall, I would give this wig an 8 out 10.  I may experiment with a few more wigs during the rest of the fall and winter.  Look for more wig reviews!


Let me know what you think!

Recognizable Naturals - Marsha Ambrosius

Marsha Ambrosious.  I was first introduced to the musical genius of this young woman as one half of the R&B group Floetry.  She was the "Songstress."  And she still is.   There are many rumors and discussions about why Floetry ended after 3 albums, but it's best to say they couldn't see eye to eye on the future of the duo and decided to split.  I will always be fan of their music and I have all 3 albums, "Getting Late" , "Say Yes", "If I Was a Bird", "Lay Down" wait...I have too many favorites off of their albums to start naming.

Marsha launched her solo career in 2010 with the release of "I Hope She Cheats on You" after the break up of the duo.  She returned to the music scene with her gorgeous signature voice, her natural hair grown longer & fuller, and her voluptuous figure, sculpted & slimmed.  Her album, Late Nights & Early Mornings, released in 2011 is a mixture of love songs and social messages.  GOOD music. One of my favorites off of this album is "Lose Myself."

I love how Marsha exhibits the versatility of natural hair in the various styles that she chooses to wear.  From an afro puff to twist out to flexirod set, it's gorgeous!

As a tribute to one of my favorites from Floetry...check out "Getting Late".  And it is...let me go to bed.  LOL!

 

Twist out on 2 strand twists with Extensions

I've had my 2 strand twist extensions in now for 8 1/2 weeks.  Right before I took them out, I did a twist out with the hair.  I wish I'd done it sooner!  I LOVED this look!!!

Overall, I loved this protected style.  I found it to be very versatile and it was great having a break from doing my own hair for 2.5 months.  I will definitely revisit this look again next year.

My Birthday Week Celebration! November 7th

Looking good at 37 if I do say so myself & I DO say so!!

The reason why I was missing in action last week is because I celebrated my birthday.  Because I am always so busy with work, church, friends, business and other commitments, for this whole week, I shut everything down.  I had a week of peace, relaxation and fun.

I am always honored and privileged when people take time out of their busy schedules to spend time with me.  I know that many friends & family members in my life are busy or have challenges that they are working through so to spend time with me can be a sacrifice.  To know that they deemed me worthy of that sacrifice, feels my heart with such love & makes me feel so full.  I received so many genuine expressions of love over the course of the weekend leading up to my birthday and the week of that I felt truly blessed.

The highlight of my birthday week was spending 3 days at the 4 star Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa in Asheville, NC with my mother.  We had such a blast hanging out, giggling, being silly, and just spending time together.  I don't know who was more excited, me or her.  On Tuesday the 8th,  I spent an entire day at the Grove Park Inn Spa.  I had 2 services (the best facial ever! & a full body massage) and then enjoyed their awesome amenities.  If you live in NC you owe it to yourself to experience this resort.  Absolutely spellbounding.  I literally shed 1 little tear when it came time to leave.  Check out time was 11 am, we checked out at 10:58 am.  Yeah, it was that good! 

Enjoy the slideshow of my birthday celebration events!

This slideshow created with Smilebox

Recognizable Natural - Tracee Ellis-Ross

I was first introduced to Tracee Ellis Ross as "Joan" on Girlfriends.  I loved that show and really hated when the show ended.  Though Toni was my favorite character (I guess I liked how direct she was.), I really rooted for Joan in all of her relationships.  I think she, like many women, struggled with identifying the type of relationships she truly desired and finding true happiness.  In comparison, on Reed Between the Lines, she's happily married with children.  There seems to be a natural evolution from the former character to the current one.  I'm glad that she is back on mainstream TV, and look forward to seeing how her character develops on the show.

Tracee Ellis Ross is one of the most popular hair crushes for natural ladies.  We love how she wears her natural hair proudly and with confidence. I love the versatility in the styles that she chooses to wear. Check out some of the photos of Ms. Ross below.