Curl Definition vs. Volume

Definition vs. Volume

I recently read an article that reminded me of a conversation that I once had with some natural friends. The subject in a nutshell was: Definition vs. Volume. Now, I have always been more a volume kind of chick myself but I find myself usually having the same conversation with new naturals: How do I get more curl definition?

The article poised the thought that our desire for perfect little ringlets is a result of conditioned thinking of what our natural hair should look like. Although I would love some Trace Ellis Ross curls showering over my face, I realize that my hair just doesn’t do that. I wonder sometimes if growing up with natural hair makes you more realistic about natural hair expectations than making the change after growing up with relaxed hair.

Transitioning from a lifetime of getting relaxers for as long as you can remember and not knowing what more than a couple months’ worth of new growth looks like can definitely make us ill prepared. Especially since most of the natural hair products and bigger natural hair icons have little spiral curls cascading all about. Even I sometimes catch curl envy.

But, how can we truly grow through our natural journey if we spend the whole time trying to get unnatural curls? Becoming a definition junkie will hinder our hair journey entirely. We become so obsessed with buying new products and smothering our hair in gels and curl creams to get a look that we are still not born with. Now, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t explore. When I’m in a super curly mood, I throw in some small three strand twists and unleash the spiral curls but most of the time, I’m just rocking my semi curly puffy fro.

Long story short; don’t get caught up in all the hype. The point of the natural hair journey is to love yourself and your hair exactly as it grows. Maybe that’s with flowy curls or semi curly puffy fro, but that is the fun in all of this, your hair is uniquely yours!

Are you all about the curls or a sucker for volume?

Autumn Hair Care

Autumn Hair Care

So, summer has ended and your curls are fried, autumn is rolling in and it time to recover.

Here are a few tips to help that recovery process easier!

1)  Clarifying Shampoo: after a summer full of products and sun burnt hair it is a good idea to get a fresh start. Clarifying shampoo will allow you to rid your hair of all build up without stripping your hair of its natural oils. Although, it is always a good idea to follow up with a good deep conditioning afterwards, or a great leave in to restore some moisture balance.

2)  Leave In Conditioner: A good leave in conditioner is crucial for all seasons, but as we move from a hot sweaty summer to a dry cold winter, it is especially important that we maintain moisture in our hair. This can be done using a great product or on your own. If it is done using a product then it is best to use a product with water/aqua listed as one of the first ingredients.

a.  You can also do this on your own by using a number of natural items. You can use raw shea butter, coconut oil, olive oil and/or glycerin to lock moisture in hair. They also assist in prevents breakage and shedding by penetrating the hair shaft and providing moisture throughout.

3)  Protective Styling: Buns, sew ins, wigs, extensions, anything that will hide your hair and give it a break would be a great idea to recover from the sun damage. Since our ends are our oldest and therefore, the most abused, any protective style that will hide your ends would be a good idea. Plus, your warmer fabrics could cause more damage to your ends by rubbing against them on a constant basis and prevent length retention.

4)   Protein Treatments: If you are like me, then you spent a lot of time trying to get the perfect tan to hold you out through the winter, lol. You probably also like to add lots of fun color to your hair, so a good protein treatment is always great to strengthen your hair strands and keep it from feeling like a stack of hay :s You should try to do a good protein treatment at least once a month!

5)  End clipping: as stated earlier, your ends take a lot of crap over time and the summer is pretty harsh with all that constant sun on them. It is a good idea to get your ends clipped as necessary during the fall to remove damage that was caused during summer fun.

6)  The recurring theme of this article, if you haven’t noticed, is moisture, moisture, moisture. So, it should be of no surprise that this tip is also about properly moisturizing. The wash n’ go that you rocked all summer may not cut it as we move into the colder weather. We also need a good moisture method and what better than the L.O.C. method created by Chicoro. Liquid, Oil then Cream is the definition of the loc method. So apply a liquid, then an oil then loc it in with a cream or butter. Simple enough, right?

7)  Heavier oils and creams: it may be necessary to start bringing the castor oil, avocado and shea back out as we move into cooler weather. The lighter oils that worked during the summer may not be as effective or long lasting as the heavier oils that will coat your hair better during these drier months.

8)  Satin scarf or bonnet: I know, we always use our bonnets/scarves/pillowcases and this is an obvious, right? Well. Honestly I don’t, but my goal for autumn/winter is too be more diligent in this process with the goal of, you guessed it, maintaining moisture. Not a scarf person, get a satin pillowcase so that your sheets and pillow cases won’t steal all your oils and moisture and transfer it to your face, it’s a win-win. You can also wear your scarf or bonnet under a beanie as the weather gets colder, but you cannot wear the bonnet like a beanie!

9)  Detangle: my last tip would be to find a great detangler. Dry hair tends to hold on to more tangles. So finding a good detangler will allow the moisture to travel throughout your hair and help you manage it easier.

Those are my tips to maintain those lovely curls as we move to colder weather!

What are your changing hair regimens for the seasonal shift?

Organix Product Review

Organix Product Review

Anybody that knows me knows that I am an Organix product junkie!

I have even gone so far as to call as to call the Coconut Milk line my hair soul mate.

Today I will be reviewing this amazing product line based on the experiences that I have had with the different products that I have tried.

Coconut Milk

Website description: Coconut milk and ultra whipped egg white proteins along with weightless coconut oil to hydrate and nourish your hair as gentle cleansers wash away impurities.

ShampooI really enjoyed this shampoo. This is definitely my favorite of the different lines that I have tried from Organix. I enjoyed the sudsiness of this shampoo and the amazing smell. It left my hair feeling clean but not stripped.

Conditioner

Once again, this is definitely my favorite conditioner that I have used thus far. It left my hair feeling soft and well moisturized. I honestly do not have any downfalls to using these shampoos and conditioners.

Anti Breakage Serum
 I thoroughly enjoyed the anti breakage serum. It made my hair feel very smooth and look very shiny. The only problem is that it is a little thick so it is not easy to transfer all from your hands to your hair.

Weightless Styling Mousse
This is probably the only product from the Coconut Milk line that I did not enjoy. This left my hair feeling a little stringy.

Brazilian Keratin Therapy

Website description: Transform your hair into silky smooth locks with this exclusive blend of coconut oils, keratin proteins, avocado oil and cocoa butter.

ShampooI did not enjoy this shampoo very much at all. I assumed that with this nice blend of ingredients that this would be to die for, I know I should have known that it wasn’t going to be the best due to it being for Keratin Therapy. But, I do recommend for anyone that does use the Keratin in their hair.

Conditioner
I did find this conditioner to be useful in helping with shrinkage. I do not like to use it alone, but I typically mix it with some of my Coconut Milk conditioner and it really helps with stretching my hair and leaves it feeling great!

Macadamia Oil

Website description: Drench your strands in an ultra-moisturizing luxurious formula infused with nutrient rich macadamia oil to instantly hydrate and smooth parched, dry hair while exotic sugar cane extract and bamboo extract soften and mend split ends for a luscious, vibrant mane with brilliant shine

Sn: You know you natural when you receive hair products in your stocking. (that is how I met Macadamia Oil from Organix)

ShampooI enjoyed this product almost as much as I enjoyed the Coconut Milk line. I definitely found all of the benefits it boasted in the description to be true. It left my hair smelling and feeling great.

Conditioner
The conditioner was just as wonderful, if not better, than the shampoo.

Biotin & Collagen

Website description: A high performance blend of powerful ProVitamin B7 biotin infuses nutrients into every strand, while plumping collagen adds volume and dimension, and hydrolyzed wheat proteins strengthen, for thicker, fuller, healthier looking hair

ShampooThis had to be the most disappointing product that I have tried from this line. I was looking for something to strengthen my hair and after a bad experience with taking biotin pills; I figured that this shampoo would be the perfect alternative. It left my hair feeling stripped and maybe even weaker than before I used it.

ConditionerI also did not enjoy my experience with this conditioner. Although it smells heavenly, it left my hair feeling stringy and tangled. This quickly became shaving cream.

Please note, that depending on your hair type, you may love some of the products that I did not enjoy. I did try the Teatree Mint shampoo and conditioner once, from a friend, but not enough times to write a fair review.

These products are a bit expensive, in my opinion, but typically you can catch them on sale somewhere. Walmart, Walgreens and CVS typically take turns with either buy on get one or 5.99 each. But, since these are pratically the only products that I use in my hair anymore, I think they are defnitely worth it.

My hair does not respond well to argan oil so despite how bad I wanted to try their argan products, I declined. But, if you have tried them or any of the other lines that I haven’t gotten my hands on, feel free to share your experience with us. Or if you have tried any of these and gotten a different result, then please share that as well!

Bass Ackwards Compliments

Bass Ackwards Compliments

Don’t you hate when people start staring at your hair and saying those things that are meant to make you feel good but leave your face twitched and your hands itching?

There is nothing more annoying than the ignorant, backwards natural hair compliment. Well, honestly, any backwards compliment is nerve grinding. But, of all the backwards compliments that one can give me, it is the natural hair ones that get me riled up the most.

So let’s make a list of these backwards compliments and the real responses that we want to give:

·         Do you have a texturizer?

o    No! I have curly hair, as hard as it is to believe, natural hair is not the equivalent of a used rug and if you pulled your head out of your stereotypes then you would be able to see that natural hair is curls!

·         I can’t believe how soft it is!

o    I can’t believe how ignorant you are! (lol) But seriously, don’t you get tired of people acting like afro is a synonym of pot scrapers.

·         I always thought dreds were so dirty?!

o    Did you think that people became allergic to shampoo after locing their hair?

·         Your hair would look so good straightened!

o    But, not as good as it does natural!

·         My daughter/son is mixed; I wish she/he had hair more like yours…

o    Stop reproducing for vain looks, just because you like my hair like doesn’t mean that your kid would like my hair like this! Teach them to love themselves how they appear.

·         Are you from the islands?

o    As if, a regular black woman from Florida couldn’t wear her hair with pride?

·         I wish that I didn’t have to do anything to my hair, like you.

o    (This one makes me want to throw on my exorcist voice and start spinning my head. Okay that was a bit dramatic, but seriously!) What I want to say is: Please don’t confuse this effortless look for ease! It takes a lot of work to wear twist outs, keeping our hair shiny and looking longer than 2 inches after retaining length for the past 3 years!

I know, some people are thinking well zayumn, “what can I say about her hair?” It’s simple, if you like it, say so. Even if it you are surprised that it is so soft you can say that; because I do a lot of work to keep it soft and shiny! But don’t say it like black hair is a curse that I somehow managed to get lucky enough to escape from. Don’t say it like it my hair used to be some myth that you just disproved. Don’t say it like my hair is almost good enough for you. Give me a compliment like you would give any other person a compliment or keep your half hearted words to yourself!

What are the bass ackwards hair compliments that kink your curls?

Secret Life of the Bobby Pin

Secret Life of the Bobby Pin

As, we all know, bobby pins are a natural’s best friend. They are basically the cornerstone for every hairstyle that we create.

Not so very long ago, a friend of mine tagged me in a picture on Facebook that displayed the proper way to use a bobby pin. (displayed on the left.)

I immediately went into denial and/or conspiracy theory mode. I even thought someone made the picture to see how many people would fall for it and change the way they use their bobby pins. I know; crazy!

Anyway, I finally left my state of denial after buying a pack of curved bobby pins and finding that the curve was facing the side that I usually placed outward (displayed on the right) confirmed that my theories were all incorrect.

It turns out that the grooved side is supposed to be facing your scalp. The grooves were made to grasp the hair and secure it into place. While the flat side of it actually helps to move the hair into the grooves of the bobby pin.

Also, did you know why there are called bobby pins? In the 20’s women use to wear their hair in a style referred to as “bobbed” which basically looks like French waves but hanging, and the bobby pins were used to hold this style in place.

Here are a few other tips for your future bobby pin use:

·         Bobby pins are fairly inexpensive but still; do not skim on cost when picking your bobby pins.

·         Try your best to pick bobby pins that compliment your hair color, unless of course you are using them as an accessory.

·         Crossing the bobby pins can create a stronger hold.

·         They say that using your teeth to open the bobby pin compromises the integrity of the bobby pin, opening the bobby pin causes it to become loose. They are meant to just sliiiide into your hair. (I don’t know if I can get with this rule lol)

Well, this has been the secret life of the bobby pin exposed, I hope I wasn’t the only one still doing this wrong.

A Day in the Curls of Roseiby

A Day in the Curls of Roseiby

Q: To begin with, have you ever had a relaxer?

A: When I was younger my mother would take me to get it done but it’s been a while since I did it; I would say since 2001 when I was 14.

Q: At what age did you start getting relaxers?

A: I don’t remember, I really don’t and I don’t want to be inaccurate.

Q: Why did you make the decision to stop getting relaxers?

A: It was when I was older, and at the time I just did whatever I wanted to my hair. It was always my mom’s idea to get them. At that time I didn’t mind getting them because, honestly, I hated my hair. The kids at school would call me a Chia Pet when I was younger so, I felt so much better having straight hair I remember doing it once after moving to Florida. But, when I was old enough to start doing my own thing, I did.

Q: So, it sound like you did not like getting relaxers. How did you mom feel about your decision to no longer relax your hair?

A: My mom didn’t really care like, she wasn’t mad. I had heard that relaxers were bad for my hair so I didn’t want to do it anymore and people were always telling me I had "good hair" so I didn’t feel like I needed to do it anyway.

Q: Would you say that the decision to no longer relax your hair affected your attitude or view towards yourself or others in anyway? Or were you too young then for it to really effect you?

A: I just wanted to have long hair so when I heard that relaxers were "bad" I just stopped. But, after I stopped relaxing my hair I just wore it in a pony and didn’t really take care of it or even wore it in a poof for a long time.

Q: What about now? Do you feel that you have learned to manage your natural hair better as time went on?

A: I’m still learning. I kind of walked into my poofiness by accident. One time I washed it and didn’t do anything to it, just wore it down, and I got so many compliments on my curls! I would say this was around 2005/6ish so ever since then I just been wearing it like I wear it now; pretty much get up & go. It wasn’t until lately after talking to you and other naturalistas that I learned  about hair products that would help my puff become even greater so, I’m still learning and my poof is still a work in progress.

Q: Do you miss relaxers or do you think that you will ever go back to relaxers?

A: Hell to the nah, I will never go back to relaxers again! I don’t even trust keratin treatments, which have been suggested to me so many times.

Q: If you have a daughter, do you think that you will relax her hair?

A: NO, lol.  My friend asked me that the other day, I want my baby to have healthy hair and if it’s not curly like mine, I’ll just find other ways to take care of it. I really just don’t believe in relaxers anymore.

(Roseiby's imaginary daughter, lol)

Q: What is your favorite product to use in your hair?

A: I just recently bought a Shea Moisture Curl Smoothie for my hair which is really awesome and makes my hair smell really good.

Q: What is your signature hair style?

A: I like wearing my hair with a side part and creating like a side bang.

Q: What is your favorite thing about your hair now?

A: I love how it always sticks out, no matter where I go and it’s so soft.

Q: What is your guilty hair pleasure (something you do to your hair even though you know it is not necessarily good fort it)?

A: Sometimes, I flat iron it when I want to take a break from the curl world.

Q: What advice would you give little curlies who are insecure about their curls due to bullying?

A: I would say they’re just jealous. Not everyone is blessed to have crazy beautiful hair so embrace it! It used to hurt my feelings when the kids at school called me a Chia Pet, now I’ll take that and be proud! My big hair is definitely something I’m proud of & I hope to make it even bigger....take that Chia Pet!

Would you like to share your curl journey? Contact me at spokenheart_mf@aol.com and share your natural pride with the world!

 

Wicked Wednesdays

Wicked Wednesday

During a time where people of color were fighting daily to have our basic rights, there was a sub group of people that had a whole other struggle that was going unrecognized or maybe just devalued. While fighting next to men everyday in a war of equality, women were still struggling to be considered equal to their counterparts. Here are a few natural women that helped both people of color and women in general become recognized as people.

Elaine Brown

The Black Panther Party is praised for the work that it did for the Black community and the power and confidence it provided to our people. But, they still struggled to see women as equivalent. Elaine Brown was one of few female leaders in the Black Panther Party and was appointed by Huey Newton, himself. While in power she put a focus on community service and founded the Panthers Liberation School. She was once asked how she felt about being a Black Panther and answered with the following,"It meant surrendering our lives to something greater, which was the notion of, of getting rid of oppression and all the things that oppression meant and mean in this country for Black people and other people in the country."

Kathleen Cleaver

Kathleen Cleaver was the Communications Secretary of the Black Panther Party. She became involved with the party after meeting her future husband, Eldridge Cleaver, at a student conference at Fisk University. In addition to being the secretary she also was a spokesperson and press secretary for the party. When Huey Newton was jailed, she led the campaign to free him and she also placed third when she ran for California's 18th state assembly district as a member of the Peace and Freedom Party. She and her husband often found themselves being harassed by the police as a result of their dedication to the Black Panther Party.

Assata Shakur

Assata Shakur was also a member of the Black Panther Party and eventually left and became a member of the Black Liberation Movement. After being pulled over by a member of the New Jersey Police Department in 1973 she was shot twice and charged with the murder of a police officer. She and her comrade were convicted of murder even though there was no evidence of her having a weapon on her person or firing any weapons and sentenced to life in prison. She escaped from NJ Edna Mahan Correctional Facility after 6.5 Years and fled to Cuba. She still remains in Cuba and is revered as leader in the movement for the Black Liberation Movement, Student Rights Movement and The Movement to End the War in Vietnam.

Safiya Bukhari

Safiya Bukhrai became a part of the movement in 1969 when she intervened on behalf of a young Panther whom was being harassed by the police for selling the Party’s newspaper on a street corner. After defending the young Panther’s First Amendment right, she found herself handcuffed in the back of a police car. Her focuses as an activist were on community and welfare rights. She led self defense lessons, volunteered her time to the liberation school, sold the Black Panther paper, taught political education classes and even joined in the Breakfast for children program. After only being involved in the party for two years, she became the leader of the New York chapter’s Information and Communications. After her work with the Black Panther Party she also became involved with The Black Liberation Army. After her release from prison, where she served close to 9 years, she continued her work with a focus on political support for incarcerated political prisoners and former Panthers.

Tarika Lewis

Tarika Lewis is often recognized as the first woman to join the Black Panther Party. She found the party during her work in the Black Student Union at Oakland Tech where she led sit ins for Black studies courses. She has recounted many stories about the struggles of being a woman in the Black Panther Party. She recalls having to work harder than her male counterparts just to prove that she was equal to them and the threats of rape from police officers that were made to her and her female peers. She taught drill class and led political education sessions during her work as a Panther.

Don’t forget to send your favorite pictures of yourself and your natural looks to spokenheart_mf@aol.com to be featured in Wicked Wednesday!

Protective Style

Protective Style

Lately, I have been finding my hair to be a most burdensome task. I have no energy to do it every day or twist it up every night and I know that is the reason that my ends had become so split last time. So I have been trying to twist it up and do something to it often, but I usually only make it through a quarter of my hair each night before I give up.

I was considering either locking up or doing another big chop since Havana twist hair costs so much (13.99 per pack) and it was the only thing that seemed easy enough to do on my own.

Then I decided to get puffy twist. The only problem with this was that I didn’t really want to pay 50.00-150.00 just to get a hairstyle that won’t last me nearly long enough o justify it aannnddd, all the stylists that I reached out that would’ve been within a desirable price range did not know what puffy twists were.

Finally one of the stylists responded that she wasn’t aware what puffy twists were but she would Youtube them, then I thought, well hell I can Youtube them myself. So, I went and bought the hair and turned on my YET (Youtube Educational Television) and taught myself to do puffy twists.

I must say that I am very proud of myself and how they turned out and even more excited about the fact that I will not have to do my hair for at least a month, that is usually how long it takes my hair to get tired of these types of hairstyles.

Directions

1. To begin with, I bought 4 packs of hair.

2. I already had my hair in comb curls, so I just used those parts and split some in half that may have been too big. I didn’t want them very small though.

3. Before twisting each section I applied a leave in conditioner and sealed my ends with Shea Butter.

4. I secured the strands of hair and took a portion of the weave and wrapped it around the root of my hair.

5. I then criss crossed it under the root and began to plait it using the 2 strands of the weave wrapped around my hair and the third strand being my hair.

6. After plaiting for about 3 rotations, I split my hair in half and began twisting it with the other two pieces of hair like you would a regular 3 strand twist.

7. I then sealed the end of the twist with Shea Butter.

8. Repeat this process until the whole head is complete.

Are you trying anything new with your hair?