Updo with TwistOut

This weekend I went to a wedding (Congrats Richard & Danielle Koonce!).  I wanted to wear my hair in an updo for the occasion.  So I decided to revisit the Flat Twist Updo that I did back in March since my hair is a little longer and I decided to make a variation to the hairdo that Youtube's PrettyDimples01 did in her "Request Updo" video.

I also took this opportunity to try out the Miss Jessie's Curly Pudding that I got from the product swap during the Eastern NC Natural Hair Meetup last weekend.  Let me just say to all naturals who want to try products without having to invest in them, you really need to join a meetup in your area.  Of course you have to be willing to share products that you have as well.  The 8 oz container of curly pudding I got was virtually full!   This product retails for $22.00.  Good deal for me!

After applying my leave in conditioner, and sealing the moisture in with coconut oil, I sectioned my hair from ear to ear and clipped the front of my hair out of the way.  Then I used my Ecostyle Olive Oil gel to slick up the back of my hair and pinned it upward with bobbypins.  I then began to two strand twist my hair with the Curly Pudding in the front in medium sized twists on an angle so my hair would lay at an angle.  I ended with 3 flat twists on the side.  I wore my twists Friday evening and all day Saturday and untwisted my hair for the wedding on Sunday.  I plan to retwist my hair at night and wear this style this week. 

I LOVED the results.  I must say that this is the best twistout results that I've had.  The Curly Pudding did initially leave my hair sorta crunchy but on Saturday I misted my twists with my moisturizing mist and it softened the hair right up!  My mist is the bomb!  See the pictures below of the twists on Saturday and the Twist out Sunday.

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Recognizable Natural - Lalah Hathaway

You might ask who is Lalah Hathaway?  Lalah Hathaway could be labeled as a contemporary R& B and soul singer.  She is the daughter of Donnie Hathaway.  She has one of the smoothest voices of our time.  In a time when music has very little meaning, the words of her songs actually reach the listener.  One of the first songs that I heard of Lalah's was her cover of "Forever, For Always, For Love".  I really loved her rendition.  Since then, I've been a fan of her music and I haven't been disappointed yet.

Her mid-back length locks are as much a part of her signature style as her chic laid back style.

Check out her single "Let Go" from her Self Portrait album.

Announcing: North Carolina Natural Hair Care Expo 2011

This expo is 2 weeks away!  Check the website frequently to get updates about performers, classes, and vendors.  This will be my first expo as a natural and I can't wait to attend.  It is also on the weekend of my 1 year post relaxer anniversary so it'll be a celebration as well!!  So, if you're in the NC area, gather up all your "curl friends" and attend!

Hair of the Day - Day 6 Wash & Go

My wash & go puff turned out so cute this morning I just had to share.  This is the same wash & go from Saturday.   I sprayed it on Sunday & Tuesday with my moisturizing mist & then today I lightly misted my edges after I got out of the shower and pulled it back in this puff with an ouchless Goody hairband.

I still had my curl definition and a little bit of hang time with my bangs!

Eastern NC Natural Hair Meetup - Recap

This past Saturday, May 21st Lateshia & I had an opportunity to attend the Eastern NC Natural Hair Meetup in Greenville, NC.  It was hosted by Youtube vlogger The Trendy Socialite aka Adeea Rogers and Moni Brodie of Moni's Haute Boutique.  It was a wonderful event full of great information sharing, networking, and inspiration.  Check out the slide show below of a few pictures that I took during the event.

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Recognizable Natural - Cree Summer

I remember Cree Summer as Winifred "Freddie" Brooks on the Cosby Show spinoff, A Different World.  She was the semi-militant African American student with a very polital viewpoint on the show.  And she had beautiful BIG natural hair.  I remember when she came back as a law student with her hair straightened and in a bun it was a big deal because it was very different from her previous personnna. 

Since the end of this successful series, Cree Summer has been mainly featured in voice acting for animated characters rather than in front of the screen.  Some of her most popular characters are "Penny" in Inspector Gadget season 1, "Susie Carmichael" in Rugrats and All Grown Up and "Foxxy Love" in Drawn Together.

It's amazing that Freddie's hair made her stand out and made a statement about who she was and what she believed in on A Different World.  While the natural hair movement doesn't necessarily carry with it a political statement, it does help all of us who have embraced it grasp another level of self awareness.  Thanks Cree & Freddie for being a trailblazer for us!

Check out an interview with Cree Summer as she discusses her character "Foxxy Love".

Need Moisture? Vegetable Glycerin is the Answer!

Pure glycerin

Recently, I was asked the question, "What is in your moisturizing spritz?"  Well, here's part of my answer, glycerin!  Glycerin is a humectant.  What that basically means is that it attracts water.  All of us naturals know that our hair loves water.  Therefore, adding glycerin to your moisturizing spritz water bottle will help attract the moisture from the air to your hair leaving it soft and moisturized.  This is perfect for spring and summer time in NC!  Humidity we do well down here!

 I have added this to my spritz and refreshed my wash & go's with it and it not only immediately takes out any crunch that I did have and left my hair so soft. You can also apply when wearing protective styles to keep your hair moisturized. One word of caution, apply sparingly because over use will leave your hair feeling sticky.  Ask me how I know?  LOL  I only need to use my spritz about once every 3 days to get the softness & moisture I desire.

I purchased this 8 oz bottle of vegetable glycerin from Whole Foods and it cost about $8.99.  It has a syrupy consistency and has no aroma. 

In my first moisturizing mist I used a recipie of 75% water to 25% vegetable glycerin.  I then added 10 drops of peppermint essential oil for a slight fragrance.

For my next mist I will add aloe vera juice which is also a great moisturizer.  So my recipie will probably be something like 70% water, 15% aloe vera juice, and 15% vegetable glycerin.  With the addition of the aloe vera juice however, the mist will need to be kept refrigerated. 

Soon I'll have a a whole section of my fridge just for hair stuff.  I might need to invest in a micro fridge for upstairs...hmm a thought.   LOL

Turning Failure Into a Save - 2 strand twist out

Yay!  My twist out came out defined and soft.  I received a lot of compliments on it today.   I was happy with the results.  Below are the pictures.

My Flat Twist Out - Hairstyle Fail?

This was an interesting hair weekend.  Saturday I shampooed my hair and was rushing to get to the movies and I did a puff with 4 flat twists in the front.  All I put on the flat twists was my leave in conditioner and some aloe vera gel.  That night when I took my hair down my twists had left some really cute spirals in my hair.  So I thought to myself, "Self, that would look cute all over!"  So Sunday morning, I decided that I would flat twist my hair all over.  Since all I had in my hair was my leave in conditioner, I just rewet my hair and started twisting with aloe vera gel. This is how it looked when I finished.

I had a get together that I needed to go to that Sunday afternoon so I untwisted the hair with coconut oil on my fingers.  The right side of my head came out fairly defined but the left side, not so much.  LOL  Here are the pictures below. 

See all that cottony goodness right in the temple area & on the side...yep definition fail...LOL

So to try to salvage the style, I have applied a little unrefined shea butter to the hair and twisted in regular two strand twists all over.  I twisted it Monday night and let it remained twisted all day Tuesday (I work from home on Tuesday).  So I'll see the results tomorrow......

Recognizable Natural - Lizz Wright

Lizz Wright is this week's recognizable natural.  You might not be familiar with this young lady however.  She is a powerful voice in the jazz world.  The daughter of a minister, she was raised in Georgia with strong roots in gospel and in the church.  Music however has been her passion and all of her educational pursuits focused on that love.  I first became familiar with Ms. Wright's music with her solo debut album entitled "Salt".  The title track from that album spoke to me and meant so much to me about being true to what makes me uniquely me and not allowing anyone or anything take that from me.  You'll find with all her music which definately jazz, is also folk with tinges of gospel.

I remember when I purchased that first album how confident I felt she must be to wear a buzz cut hairstyle.  Even then I remarked how regal she looked.  Over the years it appears that she has begun to grow it out a little, but keeps it low maintenance rocking it in a simple TWA.

Leave In Conditioner Review

As I'm going along sharing the prodcuts that I currently use in my regimen I thought I would also share what leave in conditioner I use.

I started out using Giovanni Direct Leave In Conditioner.  I particularly like this conditioner because my hair absorbs it and it leaves my hair soft and is easy to detangle directly before styling.  This conditioner can be found at Vitamin Shoppe and some Target stores for approx. $8.

After hearing about Kimmaytube's recipie for leave in conditioner and its great results I decided to give it a try.  (Note:  Please search kimmaytube leave in conditioner recipie on Youtube to see her step by step directions.)  I have been using the leave in conditioner recipie for 3 months now and love how it makes my hair feel.  Some report that they are able to style their hair just with the leave in conditioner.  My texture won't allow for that but I have noticed that my ends are smoother when my leave in conditioner is applied under styling products for twists & other styles. My hair stays moistured and soft during the week.

Kimmaytube goes step by step in her recipie using a digital scale to measure her ingredients, but I used the teaspoon measurements to keep from having to buy a scale.  Here is the recipie that I use:

2 tablespoons of your favorite leave in conditioner (I use Giovanni Direct Leave In, she uses Kinky Curly Knot Today)
2 tablespoons of Aloe Vera Juice
2 teaspoons of Castor Oil
2 teaspoons of Jojoba Oil

Ingredients before mixing

Ingredients after mixing thoroughly

I can get approximately 2 months use out of 1 batch since my hair is still relatively short.  I keep it refrigerated due to the aloe vera juice which needs to be kept cool. All in all 2 thumbs up!

Recognizable Natural - India.Arie

India.Arie's song "I am Not My Hair" is the unofficial theme song for naturals all across this nation.  It has been the song that has helped us to understand that whether relaxed or natural, our hair does not define who we are as people.  What more fitting recognizable natural  than she?!

Ever since her first album, Accoustic Soul, India has been encouraging women to not be defined by society's standards and stereotypes.  Songs like "Video" & "I Am Not My Hair" encourage women to be their unique individual selves.  Songs like "Brown Skin", "Beautiful Surprise",  "The Truth", & "Chocolate High" celebrate black love.  I particularly appreciate how she sets a standard for love and respect in relationships without being male bashing in songs like, "Talk To Her" & "These Eyes".  Ok, so I'm an India.Arie fan.

By witnessing, India.Arie's career, one gets an opportunity to see her through various stages of hair styles and length.  She's sported brush cuts, medium sized afros, braids, locs and her beautiful signature head wraps.  I love the way she embraces her hair in all of it's stages and wears it with confidence. 

Below, hear her sing our anthem....

In Honor of Mother's Day....

Mother's Day Weekend 2011

Words cannot truly express the amount of love that I have for my mother.  Every year I try to find the perfect Hallmark card that expresses the depth of the emotion in my heart.  I try to select the perfect gift that compares to the value of her presence in my life.  The reality of the matter is that there is no card or gift that truly does her justice.  She has been and continues to be the prayer warrier, confidant, the healer of all hurts, the encourager, the best hugger, the tickler, the playmate, my first hairdresser, the master chef, the educator, the girlfriend, the queen of hospitality, the disciplinarian, the epitome of a lady, my daddy's love, the homemaker, all of my friend's "other" mother, MY MAMA.

All that I am today, is because God in His infinate wisdom, chose THIS woman to rear me.  The seeds that she deposited in me during my 18 years in her home and the years following have taught me how to be the lady that I am today.  She not only taught me, but lived the example like very few other that I have experienced in my life.  I truly love her with all my heart & no one shall ever take her place.

Happy Mother's Day ma!  I wubbb you!!!  Muah!